# Illegal Baggy Pants



## clemsontiger (Jun 9, 2007)

I thought some of you would find this article interesting. It's from The State newspaper of South Carolina.

https://www.thestate.com/breaking/story/623018.html


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## GBR (Aug 10, 2005)

What interfering nonsense - but what does one expect of hill billies? Small town, small minds.

The state (small 's') has no place interfering in this manner.


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## Duck (Jan 4, 2007)

clemsontiger said:


> I thought some of you would find this article interesting. It's from The State newspaper of South Carolina.
> 
> https://www.thestate.com/breaking/story/623018.html


This is interchange bound.


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## fishertw (Jan 27, 2006)

*Never Forget*



GBR said:


> What interfering nonsense - but what does one expect of hill billies? Small town, small minds.
> 
> The state (small 's') has no place interfering in this manner.


Never forget that these are the decendents of those who kicked your butts out of here and then came to the rescue when you had to leave Dunkirk rather quickly!
Tom


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## Jovan (Mar 7, 2006)

Ridiculous. They have a right to look bad if they want to. That's what freedom is all about.


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## kentucky gentleman in m (Oct 15, 2008)

Agreed. Aside from the liberty issues, lets look at this from a relativity standpoint as well:

_If there aren't those who look bad, we won't look that good._


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## Jovan (Mar 7, 2006)

You can look at it that way, but I'm one of those rare few here who doesn't care too much about how others are dressed unless it's completely disrespectful to me or my friends.


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## wnh (Nov 4, 2006)

Jovan said:


> You can look at it that way, but I'm one of those rare few here who doesn't care too much about how others are dressed unless it's completely disrespectful to me or my friends.


Would you consider it disrespectful if an individual was walking a few paces in front of you with half his buttcrack hanging out of his pants?


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## clemsontiger (Jun 9, 2007)

Duck said:


> This is interchange bound.


You're right, this is more appropriate for the Interchange.


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## hbecklin (Aug 22, 2007)

This subject is all about individual liberties to me, too. How would you like it if a county banned ties? While I don't see that happening, it would disenfranchise about as much of the public as would banning saggy pants.


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## StevenRocks (May 24, 2005)

clemsontiger said:


> I thought some of you would find this article interesting. It's from The State newspaper of South Carolina.
> 
> https://www.thestate.com/breaking/story/623018.html


How bold! Banning a clothing item headed for the dustbin of fashion anyway. What's next? Banning leisure suits and culottes?


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## Thom Browne's Schooldays (Jul 29, 2007)

Exactly, the silly thing is that 'sagging' pants were passe (among those for whom they were ever trendy) a decade ago.


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## PedanticTurkey (Jan 26, 2008)

GBR said:


> What interfering nonsense - but what does one expect of hill billies? Small town, small minds.
> 
> The state (small 's') has no place interfering in this manner.


In the three places in the US I'm aware of that have passed these ordinances, one was urban, one was suburban, and only this one is rural.

All are majority-black, though.


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## Jovan (Mar 7, 2006)

wnh said:


> Would you consider it disrespectful if an individual was walking a few paces in front of you with half his buttcrack hanging out of his pants?


No.

Now, if they did so at a wedding, funeral, or some other important event, yes.


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## Zot! (Feb 18, 2008)

hbecklin said:


> This subject is all about individual liberties to me, too. How would you like it if a county banned ties?


This is a good point, in light of one Councilman's comments:



> Hood said banning sagging pants was a way for local adults to provide an example of positive work habits and social behavior for their children.


I'm sure some other politician could manufacture all kinds of positive attributes about people who don't wear ties, decree them undesirable for all citizens, and use their position of power to ram their personal tastes and beliefs down everybody's throats. Why, we'd be such a comfortable, productive, egalitarian society if all we ever wore were t-shirts and cargo pants, wouldn't we?

It's kind of like the Skokie Nazis- either we defend the _least_ desirable exercise of our most cherished rights or we risk loosing them all together, bit by bit.


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## jpeirpont (Mar 16, 2004)

More government nonsense distracting the towns people from their actual problems. The government has no place in my pants.


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## noble (May 22, 2007)

*I find such pants tacky and in poor taste but.......*

.......I don't feel I have the right to impose my tastes on others let alone make my tastes the law.

When someone wears poor clothing it is a good indication of who and what they are so I don't mind the free forewarning.

noble


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## noble (May 22, 2007)

*Very correct observation.*



jpeirpont said:


> More government nonsense distracting the towns people from their actual problems. The government has no place in my pants.


As a Frenchman, if I had said that I would have been crucified by some of the members here but you are absolutely correct.

noble


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## Earl of Ormonde (Sep 5, 2008)

fishertw said:


> Never forget that these are the decendents of those who kicked your butts out of here and then came to the rescue when you had to leave Dunkirk rather quickly!
> Tom


What a ridiculous response!


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## Canadian (Jan 17, 2008)

Fisher,

I (as a Canadian and a proud descendant of many British folk) find your statement offensive. My countrymen were captured at Dunkirk or (the lucky ones) fought to eventually liberate Europe and the whole of the world. 

Margaret Thatcher once said, the American revolution was between British colonists and German mercenaries. 

Thomas


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## DixieTrad (Dec 9, 2006)

Canadian said:


> Fisher,
> 
> I (as a Canadian and a proud descendant of many British folk) find your statement offensive. My countrymen were captured at Dunkirk or (the lucky ones) fought to eventually liberate Europe and the whole of the world.
> 
> ...


Take all the offense you want. GBR's comment about "hill billies" and "small towns, small minds" is a gross generalization. Unless he has lived there or visited for an extended period, what does some wanker in the UK know about a small town in South Carolina?


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## rgrossicone (Jan 27, 2008)

fishertw said:


> Never forget that these are the decendents of those who kicked your butts out of here and then came to the rescue when you had to leave Dunkirk rather quickly!
> Tom


I wonder if thats actually true. How many Americans can trace their families to people who fought in the revolution...maybe 5-10%? I find myself with NO CONNECTION and nothing in common with what the colonists wanted in the late 18th Century. Would we have been any worse off if we lost the Revolution? Probably not.


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## rgrossicone (Jan 27, 2008)

DixieTrad said:


> Take all the offense you want. GBR's comment about "hill billies" and "small towns, small minds" is a gross generalization. Unless he has lived there or visited for an extended period, what does some wanker in the UK know about a small town in South Carolina?


I agree with the sentiment, but two wrongs don't make a right. I love to etymology of the word hillbilly however. The Scotch Irish of the hills of Kentucky and Tennessee were called "Williams of the Hills" shortened to hillbilly.

I believe there's a similar etymology to the term "red neck". As protestant Scotch Irish miners were battling with their employers hired guns, they distinguished themselves from the crowd by wearing Orange-Red scarfs (in honor of William of Orange's victory over Catholics some years ago), hence the term "red neck" was born.


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## El Captain (Nov 10, 2008)

Well I believe if you choose to dress like a bum then you have a right to do so. This opens the door to many things. What's next will we all be forced to wear the "Peoples" uniform to comply with a dress code.


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## Thomas Hart (Dec 1, 2008)

rgrossicone said:


> I wonder if thats actually true. How many Americans can trace their families to people who fought in the revolution...maybe 5-10%? I find myself with NO CONNECTION and nothing in common with what the colonists wanted in the late 18th Century. Would we have been any worse off if we lost the Revolution? Probably not.


We would most definitely be worse off, Britain winning the revolutionary war would have triggered the butterfly effect. This would most likely mean that there would be no French revolution, and most likely the 20th century would have been an unrecognizable time.


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## GBR (Aug 10, 2005)

PedanticTurkey said:


> In the three places in the US I'm aware of that have passed these ordinances, one was urban, one was suburban, and only this one is rural.
> 
> All are majority-black, though.


The latter comment on majority black is interesting because my thought would remain small town mentality.


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## Got Shell? (Jul 30, 2008)

It's laughable that sagging pants would be considered out of fashion. It's very in fashion in urban markets influenced by hip hop culture. There are many rural areas where African Americans dress like their urban countersparts. When I read this, my first thought was that they are trying to limit sagging pants as worn by hip hop influenced individuals. If you haven't seen anyone wearing sagging pants lately, let me know where you live so I can move there!


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## jpeirpont (Mar 16, 2004)

Got Shell? said:


> It's laughable that sagging pants would be considered out of fashion. It's very in fashion in urban markets influenced by hip hop culture. There are many rural areas where African Americans dress like their urban countersparts. When I read this, my first thought was that they are trying to limit sagging pants as worn by hip hop influenced individuals. If you haven't seen anyone wearing sagging pants lately, let me know where you live so I can move there!


I'm sure you are speaking from the very intimate experience you gained down there in MS. The wearing of sagging pants have indeed declined greatly in most urban areas, though it obviously still exists.


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## Sartre (Mar 25, 2008)

jpeirpont said:


> I'm sure you are speaking from the very intimate experience you gained down there in MS. The wearing of sagging pants have indeed declined greatly in most urban areas, though it obviously still exists.


I'm unclear why someone's experience in MS is less valid than anywhere else?


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## Got Shell? (Jul 30, 2008)

I'm not sure what was meant by that, but the area in question in certainly not an urban area. OTOH, I haven't seen any cultures other than hip hop that embrace sagging pants as part of the popular look. I wouldn't think Connecticut would be a hip hop hotspot, although I've been wrong before. MS certainly is one in the more urban areas of the state, and it has spilled out even to rural areas that are heavily populated by African Americans (the Delta, for instance). You can go in certain areas and mostly see pristine baseball caps, rediculously baggy sweatshirts/t shirts, and 3 sizes too big jeans sagging as low as possible as to be able to walk around in with any kind of sneaker. I can easily drive to different areas where this type of dress is prevalent. Lucky me.


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## jpeirpont (Mar 16, 2004)

Sartre said:


> I'm unclear why someone's experience in MS is less valid than anywhere else?


Really? On this matter?


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## jpeirpont (Mar 16, 2004)

Got Shell? said:


> I'm not sure what was meant by that, but the area in question in certainly not an urban area. OTOH, I haven't seen any cultures other than hip hop that embrace sagging pants as part of the popular look. I wouldn't think Connecticut would be a hip hop hotspot, although I've been wrong before. MS certainly is one in the more urban areas of the state, and it has spilled out even to rural areas that are heavily populated by African Americans (the Delta, for instance). You can go in certain areas and mostly see pristine baseball caps, rediculously baggy sweatshirts/t shirts, and 3 sizes too big jeans sagging as low as possible as to be able to walk around in with any kind of sneaker. I can easily drive to different areas where this type of dress is prevalent. Lucky me.


Skaters, and other sub cultures embrace baggy pants, I think goths frequently do also.
Connecticut probably experienced hip hop a good decade before MS, proximity of NYC and all. They are out of fashion here for the most part and likely will be there also soon. I was saying it wasn.t quite common to see them, but they are on their way out. But then again, many have taken to sagging rather fitted-even tight jeans, so who knows.


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## jpeirpont (Mar 16, 2004)

noble said:


> As a Frenchman, if I had said that I would have been crucified by some of the members here but you are absolutely correct.
> 
> noble


American like everywhere else its share of stupid politicians and populations.


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## MichaelS (Nov 14, 2005)

fishertw said:


> Never forget that these are the decendents of those who kicked your butts out of here and then came to the rescue when you had to leave Dunkirk rather quickly!
> Tom


I have a lot of personal and family history in the hills of Virginia and West Virginia and I agree with GBR's sentiments. Appalachia and the rural US South aint always the best place to find open minds and innovative actions.

By the way, while we did help the UK during WWII, Russia bore the brunt of the fighting with something like 20 million casualties. Also, the fighting on the western front was a joint effort which you will see if you read your history. (With the war in the Pacific, we did bear the brunt of the fighting).


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## fishertw (Jan 27, 2006)

Hey Gents!
I did not intend to start a war-- I just rather resent having relatives across the state line near Kings Mountain, (which the Brits might recall as the turning point in the Revolution) referred to as "hillbillies". Seems we're still a clannish bunch!
Regards, Tom


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## snakeroot (Aug 30, 2008)

*Primary Sources*

A review of the citizenry's response to the Baggy Pants ordinance at both its first and second readings reveals a great deal of good sense among these "hillbillies". Many of the concerns of the posters here for personal liberty, as well as constitutional issues and risks of uneven enforcement, were forcefully expressed.

For thoses wishing to read up on the bios of the Councilmembers, they can be found here.

Regards,


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## hbecklin (Aug 22, 2007)

Got Shell? said:


> If you haven't seen anyone wearing sagging pants lately, let me know where you live so I can move there!


Here in Madison, and in Wisconsin in General, baggy pants to the extreme they are being discussed here aren't particularly prevalent. However, Madison is pretty white and academic. It is Wisconsin, after all. Not to say Dane Co. wouldn't ban them. In fact, they rather enjoy restricting personal liberties here in Madison.


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## Got Shell? (Jul 30, 2008)

Ive spent alot of time in WI and am familiar with Madison.


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## PedanticTurkey (Jan 26, 2008)

MichaelS said:


> By the way, while we did help the UK during WWII, Russia bore the brunt of the fighting with something like 20 million casualties.


Casualties against Poland, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Finland, or Romania? (the countries they invaded while a Nazi ally)?


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## Howard (Dec 7, 2004)

I don't think there should be a ban for saggy pants,people should be allowed to wear whatever they please just as long as it's not much of a distraction.


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## Howard (Dec 7, 2004)

wnh said:


> Would you consider it disrespectful if an individual was walking a few paces in front of you with half his buttcrack hanging out of his pants?


unless it's a girl.


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## Kav (Jun 19, 2005)

I suppose a Zouve civil war reenactor would be cited for his baggy pants.
The first kid who shows up in skin tight leotards and a codpiece will probably generate another ordinance.
It's part of our genentic porgraming to irritate adults between the ages of 15 and 18.
From @ 30 until death our genetic programming commands us to complain about kids.
maggie thatcher knows about as much about American ( and british) history as she does irish.
And having never produced much of substance, she left that hotel bathroom before the bomb could shut 'we' up.
Leave it to the irish to muck things up.
If I've failed to offend anyone, I apologise.


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