Stop the "Stop the Sag" Campaign

Anyone see Senator Eric Adams' "Stop the Sag" campaign? You know, his earnest plea to combat the habit of young black men from wearing droopy pants? Billboards are going up in Crown Heights, East Flatbush, and Fort Greene. And then there's this "viral" (cough) video:

Senator Adams doesn't get it. Nothing says "cool" like pissing off authority figures and other people like Adams. This campaign reminds me of those old anti-smoking ads that make teenagers WANT to smoke.

If they really want to curb pant-sagging, they should show some footage of lame 80s rappers, boy bands, and incontinent old men with their pants sagging -- or maybe just a some suburban white kids roaming the mall. Another option: they could get some seriously badass rapper to publicly mock wearing pants low.  And if they really want to go for the kill they could take a tip from the Wall Street Journal and point to the geniuses across the country who, while trying to outrun police, have been caught because their pants fell down or got caught on street furniture.

Yes, there are many ways to discourage the habit without coming off like a boring, party-pooping ninny. How about it, Mr. Adams?

(Via Nostrand Park)

Comments

[Bob Marvin]

Sen. Adams has said that this campaign is aimed at parents rather than kids. It's an admirable attempt IMO, although I don't know how much good it can do since parental disapproval is obviously a major aim of adolescent fashion. The most effective way of stopping the fashion for sagging pants might be if parents emulated it, but that WOULDN'T be a pretty sight :-).

[carrie]

I don't know, Bob. Billboards aren't exactly a targeting medium. So parents are supposed to see the ads but kids should avert their eyes?

Even if the campaign did target parents, the point remains the same. Older kids don't want fashion advice from their parents any more than they want it from Adams.

Sorry, it's very hard to see this as anything other than an attempt by Adams to get his name out there for political gain.

[Bob Marvin]

I guess the idea is that parents will actually SEE the ads even though kids will tune them out. In any case, I think we're in agreement about the likelihood of this effort being ineffective.

[babs]

I think Sen Adams's intentions are good, and I hope it does have some effect. Kids who dress this way may think it's cool, and good to piss off older people, but they're also stereotyping themselves. It's really a shame (not to mention not a pretty sight).

[ceelledee]

So what? Suppose it is nothing more than an attempt by the Senator to get his name out there for political gain? What politician worth his or her salt is not also guilty of that crime? I, for one, happen to be an "older" constituent who hates seeing pants on the ground! So, if General Larry Platt and Senator Eric Adams want to give some voice to one of frustrations in the culture wars -- I'm all for it! Will it change anything? Probably not. But, at least I get the satisfaction of knowing I'm not alone. Moreover, although I don't agree with his ideas and approach on every issue, when it comes to his votes on the legislative front, I'm of the opinion that Senator Adams gets it right more often than not.

But again, HS, why is this even an issue? Or could the highlighting of this story be nothing more than an attempt by a blog to generate hits and provoke responsive posts such as this? :-)

[brn442]

I disagree, I'm not a big fan of politicians but Adams has always taken on social issues that other (black) politicians are either too scared or aloof to address - black on black crime being one of them.

Sagging pants like any fashion trend is open to interpretation. My problem with it is, it emulates prison culture, something youth, especially the ones of color should try to avoid.

[Jenn]

I've never been prouder of Eric.

[Charles Star]

ceelledee: our point is that if Adams seriously wanted to do something about the issue (as opposed to "looking like he is doing something about the issue") he wouldn't use a strategy doomed to uselessness. If Elon would return my emails (HINT), we could put together a more targeted video.

[ceelledee]

And my point, Charles, is as Bob M pointed out: Senator Adams is not targeting the youth with his campaign: he's targeting their parents, older siblings and relatives and other older, responsible" adults in the community. There used to be a time when the phrase "it takes a village to raise a child" actually used to be true! I know this because I was taught it by example when I was growing up as a kid on the streets of Bed Stuy. While there's no doubt in my mind that times have changed considerably since then, I also contend that older adults in the community still have an obligation to be part of "the village" and to speak our minds in the culture wars. If enough of us do that over time, change can happen. But if none of us do it, the status quo is assured. Just because because Senator Adam's campaign doesn't speak directly to you or to those youth with their pants on the ground doesn't mean that it can't serve as a motivational message for others of us.