Take The Rat Out Of The Hood

[Sumyr]

No problem Xenocide, I only meant the "can't take the rat out of the hood..." comment as a joke or just being facetious, not rhetorical.

[shankems2000]

What's wrong with them dressing that way? Does it automatically make someone bad, or a hood rat? Come on now, this has been a recurring theme throughout history; people disagreeing with the youth of their generation's manner of dress that is. The older generation didn't like the bell bottoms in the 70's or zoot suits before that, but that doesn't mean that the people who choose to dress in that manner should be percieved in a negative light.

Originally Posted by triniman

Hearing the reaction of the room I guess I will be seeing my young brothers and sister looking like convicts because the grown folks think it is alright. It is not about what the white, red or blue man see us as. However, If you think is all right for your young black male to walk around with white plain tee shirts pants down on their Butt and their hair is unkempt not styled, like XEN. That comment about if you pay enough money for a home we could do what ever we want in our yard or neighbor hood will only get us black people in 2 places devalued homes and undesirable surroundings. If anyone of you in this room think I am being unrealistic, If you go to a doctors office who has no dress code or wears his pants on his Butt and cusses every time he speaks to his staff. I know I am going off on a tantrum but if you as a parent allows your young black children to dress and act any how they are heading for 2 places jail or the cemetery. Still have love for you.

Triniman

I agree that if youth are allowed to act anyhow they are headed for jail or the cemetary. But you are associating one's apperance with how they act. You are assuming that because I have dreads I must act like a hooligan. Or (gasp!) maybe even worse..maybe..he's a...gangster :eek: . No, you did not say those things directly but that is the underlying meaning of all your rants thus far. That sort of thinking triniman, is only balmy at best.

You remind me of the police trini, you see I drive an '84 Monte Carlo SS (very nice I must say) with 5% tints. I've had 2 run ins so far with the law (barely had the car half a year). While they're running my license I can tell they know they've got something. They think just like you Trini; "Young black dread havin' mutha fucka', dark *** tints on this old car, he's gotta be loaded...gotta be wanted somewhere." The first time I was pulled the second officer asked me to take a seat in my car, I simply asked him why and he said for their safety. I made a point of looking at both his and his partners gun and said well you two are the one with the guns, I don't have any. He replies "How do I know that? I haven't even searched your car yet.". I took a seat after that...but the bitch just knew he was going to get to search my ****. Just knew he'd find a few bricks in the truck. What did he find? He'll never know because I'm clean as a whistle. I've never got a ticket, never been to jail, was never even suspended from school. That's right trini, even with my beard, dreads and old school car.

[Corals]

Originally Posted by XenOcidE

[color=LightBlue]But you are associating one's apperance with how they act. You are assuming that because I have dreads I must act like a hooligan. Or (gasp!) maybe even worse..maybe..he's a...gangster :eek: . No, you did not say those things directly but that is the underlying meaning of all your rants thus far.

His meaning, if that is what he was referring to is correct. Even a blind man knows that his appearance tells an onlooker a lot about him.

We may not be the person that is being portrayed in reality, but it is what others see, whether we accept it or not.

[jacqui]

LOL this is sad yet funny, man when will we get that the brother with dreads or the 3 piece suit is still a ni%%a in the eyes of those we are trying so hard to please. Our children are not thugs. That is the style that they wear.
Stop prejudging our children and those who choose to look the way they want to look. Heck the ones doing the most killing, robbing, raping and stealing are in 3 piece suits. hell should be raised about them instead of our children and the style of clothing they wear that is not appeasing to those who want so bad to be accepted by YT.
I'm done. lololol

[Jackson]

lol, lol, lo Jacqui, you're killing me ma'am.

[Corals]

Originally Posted by jacqui

Stop prejudging our children and those who choose to look the way they want to look.

....and how exactly do they want to look? :whistling

Originally Posted by jacqui

Heck the ones doing the most killing, robbing, raping and stealing are in 3 piece suits. hell should be raised about them instead of our children and the style of clothing they wear that is not appeasing to those who want so bad to be accepted by YT.

That may be true, but yet they don't go around dressed advertising the fact that they are killers, robbers etc, quite the opposite. So what does that tells you? :whistling

[Sumyr]

I agree that if youth are allowed to act anyhow they are headed for jail or the cemetary. But you are associating one's apperance with how they act. You are assuming that because I have dreads I must act like a hooligan. Or (gasp!) maybe even worse..maybe..he's a...gangster . No, you did not say those things directly but that is the underlying meaning of all your rants thus far. That sort of thinking triniman, is only balmy at best.

Xenocide, I didn't quote your entire post, but it is true and well said - you even gave a personal example.

His meaning, if that is what he was referring to is correct. Even a blind man knows that his appearance tells an onlooker a lot about him.

Corals, I would have to disagree with that statement. His apperance tells him nothing about him. There is a guy in my neighborhood who wears the worst clothes - I mean always dirty, never really shaves, drives a beat up old truck, and he is about my age. He as tried to talk to me a few times. But he's not my type. Would you believe that he is damn near a millionaire?!?!?! One day a friend and I were riding and drove by his house or shall I say mansion. I didn't know he even lived there, nor did I know he was loaded. I thought he was a bomb basically and wondered why he dresses like he does.

So, clothes/appearance don't tell you anything about a person. Remember the old adage, "never judge a book by its cover".

[Corals]

Originally Posted by Sumyr

Xenocide, I didn't quote your entire post, but it is true and well said - you even gave a personal example.



Corals, I would have to disagree with that statement. His apperance tells him nothing about him. There is a guy in my neighborhood who wears the worst clothes - I mean always dirty, never really shaves, drives a beat up old truck, and he is about my age. He as tried to talk to me a few times. But he's not my type. Would you believe that he is damn near a millionaire?!?!?! One day a friend and I were riding and drove by his house or shall I say mansion. I didn't know he even lived there, nor did I know he was loaded. I thought he was a bomb basically and wondered why he dresses like he does.

So, clothes/appearance don't tell you anything about a person. Remember the old adage, "never judge a book by its cover".

Did you actually read what I wrote?

Originally Posted by Corals

Even a blind man knows that his appearance tells an onlooker a lot about him.

We may not be the person that is being portrayed in reality, but it is what others see, whether we accept it or not.

Tomorrow dress like a blind person and try to cross a busy street with traffic moving in both directions, or try to enter a store you have never entered before and you are unaware of where the entrance is located, and see what will happens.

I can't even mess with this thread. It's a sad fact but there will always be people who choose to judge people by things as superficial as clothing. I reckon some of it is some people's desire to be accepted by white folks. But some Black folks have different issues going on. I see some of our people have a love for degrading other Black people without a reason that holds up. That you target the children says a lot more. See your words and deeds tell me more about you than anything you could ever wear on your body and I'm glad I make my judgements based on that as opposed to something trivial. Maybe it's a good thing that's all we can really see here in Afrochat, each other's words. Other than that some folks might be running scared, searching for another discussion group whose dress code is apparently more befitting of what good, law abiding people wear. Sent thanks to Xen, Shankems, Jacqui, and Baba for great posts.