I was happy to learn that the New Mexico student "will not face criminal charges" for wearing baggy pants while boarding an airplane. I suspect that incident was more about racism than anything else, but... who knows?
Regardless, droopy pants rule the youth culture.
Q. What do you do when students show up in class with saggy pants or exposed underwear?
A. Be honest, dammit.
Ask them what federal prison they served in, then start singing "Heyyy-Hooo! Heyyy-Hoo!" while waving my hands in the air.
ReplyDeleteI don't comment on student attire. It's just not worth having them also notice what I'm wearing daily. Same goes for girls greeting me with their nipples and sitting Sharon-Stone style in the front row. I have a colleague who sends them out of the class to change if they have too much boob-age. That's a bit much for me.
ReplyDeleteThis is common where I teach.
ReplyDeleteAlmost every semester, a droopy-pant-wearing student will enter late, or get up to use the restroom. As he (I've never seen women wear their pants this way - thank heavens!)walks across the room in the quiet, I will often say, "Oh hey! I don't know if you know, but your pants are falling down. You might want to fix your belt."
I only do this with students I'm comfortable with, and who I know can take a joke. 9 times out of 10, the student gives me a blank stare, says, "Huh?" laughs, and pulls them up a little.
They never stay up for long, but I get a chuckle out of it, and the student (and rest of the class) get at least a little glimpse of what most of us proffies are thinking when they wear clothes like that.
Oh yes, the issue on the plane was "more about racism." Yeah, sure. What a load of crap. He violated the rules of the aircraft, then proceeded to have a fit about it. But it's "more about racism." TLB: Typical Liberal Bullshit. Thank you for your ideologically based insight.
ReplyDeleteI watched the video and didn't notice the man throwing a fit. He seemed relentlessly polite especially given the situation: He repeatedly addressed the plane officials as "sir." He certainly didn't assault anyone or commit a crime.
ReplyDeleteSo there's a black man who's treated like a slave by the U. of New Mexico--in that he plays the most violent sport at the university, he is prohibited by the NCAA from receiving payment, and the university is the recipient of much revenue because of the player. He just went to the funeral of one of his best friends. He has a plane ticket. He apparently makes it through the TSA critters just fine. Where is the crime?
Is there even a rule that says plane passengers must wear certain kinds of clothes? Where is this "rules of the aircraft" document? Surely it must be published. Or does US Airways just assume that we all should know what their secret rules are?
Please.
At least Fab is cool enough to post the Rules of Misery for everyone to easily see.
"Rules of the aircraft"? My ass.
"A fit"? My ass.
"TLB"? My ass.
Maybe somebody needs to drink more bourbon.
I'm basically with CC and Mestopholita. I don't think I could get away with doing what Strel does, but sometimes I am tempted.
ReplyDeleteWhen I was 19 I had a leisure suit and gold chains and platform shoes. And those TIGHT white "painter's pants" and those bell-bottoms... I have forever forfeited my right to make fun of another generation's clothing choices...
ReplyDeleteSerious, couldn't care less if their pants are baggy, so long as they are wearing them..
I agree w/ southern Bubba.
ReplyDeleteI watched the video, and the guy was nothing if not polite. Admirably so.
I'd likely have gotten arrested in his situation.
Who the hell cares if his pants look stoopid?
I say nothing about student attire, as I don't like when they comment on mine. Judging a person on their attire may be the norm in our culture, but I think it's stupid, and so I sure as hell am no going to perpetuate it.
ReplyDeleteI give my "I encourage you not to wear pajama pants to class" lecture the first day. If they proceed to do it anyway, I don't say a word about it.
ReplyDeleteIf it isn't a distraction (and it never is), it's really their own problem; when they show up to a job interview in sleepwear, their fate is upon them.
(And if they manage to get a job where that's allowed, I say more power to them!)
I'm not Mommy; they can wear whatever they want as long as it's clothes.
ReplyDeleteBut this does remind me of a time when a male friend got kicked out of class for wearing blue jeans. I had study hall, so I told him let's switch, and he wore my skirt back to class. There was nothing in the dress code prohibiting boys from wearing skirts, so he got admitted back into class.
ReplyDeleteRacism, my ass. I'm black, and my pants don't sag to my knees. I learned self-respect a long time ago. That white folks expect to see saggy britches on a black man is racist, in my mind. You all are doing them a disservice. Teach them self-respect and courtesy while you still can.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BkeAzqhlkNk
ReplyDeleteI think the baggy-pants phenomenon is stupid, but I don't give a rat's ass what students wear. As long as they can pay attention, take notes, and participate in class discussions, they can wear any damn thing they please.
ReplyDeleteOh lordy. I taught high school in a former lifetime and am so happy to have left behind the dress code wars.
ReplyDeleteI'm even more thankful that the female variant with whale tails/thong underwear has passed. That trend brought out the most adolescent behavior on the part of some classmates that I've ever had to deal with.
I'm not black or white. I'm purple and naked. And all you CMers are species-ist.
ReplyDeletePlease stop staring at my ass.
Southern Bubba: you wrote:
ReplyDelete"So there's a black man who's treated like a slave by the U. of New Mexico--in that he plays the most violent sport at the university, he is prohibited by the NCAA from receiving payment, and the university is the recipient of much revenue because of the player."
I agree he plays the most violent sport, etc. - but deeming that "slavery" is absurd. The relationship is voluntary and there is value exchanged. I agree it could be a more even exchange (the U gets the better part of the deal) but to call this slavery is to trivialize the real thing.
@Pangloss: So a person isn't truly a slave unless he has absolutely no freedom whatsoever? Not even the ability to breathe slowly or rapidly, or to blink his eyes occasionally or frequently? Just because someone can make tiny little choices doesn't mean he's not a slave.
ReplyDeleteIt's not absurd to say someone is treated like a slave if he is indeed treated like a slave in many ways. I didn't say the college football players were slaves. South Park said that.
Rather... "Not even the ability to choose to breathe slowly or rapidly, or to blink his eyes occasionally or frequently? "
ReplyDeleteI generally don't think its my place to comment on student attire except in my Public Speaking classes, and then only when they are delivering speeches. I spend a lot of time discussing personal appearance and its importance in public speaking so they don't get a lot of wiggle room there. Otherwise, they can dress like they want, and as long as I'm not seeing anything that a swimsuit should cover I'm good. I can't say, though, that how they dress doesn't make an impression on how I view them.
ReplyDeleteHow about the reverse of this? I got called out yesterday by my director on behalf of a student. He says that one of the students, on their exit interview, said that they did not approve of the fact that they have to wear closed toe shoes (with scrubs, they can wear tennis shoes) and that I wear open toed shoes to class. My director brought this to my attention to be "rectified". I am considering purchasing pink polka dotted galoshes.
ReplyDelete@ Southern Bubba - the relationship was entered into willingly. Both sides hope to gain. Slavery is never like that.
ReplyDeleteAnyway, if restriction of freedom is what makes a slave - we all are. Again, this diminishes the tragedy of slavery.
It sounds like you're dragging free will into this mess, Pangloss. If that's the case, we could either agree to a draw... or I could describe my willingly entering into parenthood and hoping to gain from it, but then finally realizing that it is a form of slavery from which I'll never escape.
ReplyDeleteIf we shall duel, how about we do it in the meadow at dawn, with Strel as the umpire? If everybody wears saggy pants, we'll all lose (or we'll all win, depending on how you see things).
Give them a timed assignment that requires dashing across campus and back. Then enjoy the baggy-pants sack race.
ReplyDeleteI don't care what they wear--I can't tell them apart anyway.
I generally don't notice what students wear except when female students expose themselves. This has become very common in the last few years. I've seen female students wearing almost nothing in the dead of winter when it is below zero. Who needs an imagination when you can see everything?
ReplyDelete