New Morehouse College Policy Bans Sagging

[AnotherKD]

Originally Posted by Senusret I

Elizabeth Gates expresses my opposition to this better than I ever could. Frank Leon Roberts, too.

And no, just because it is a private college does NOT mean it can "do anything it wants."

Sorry to bust in on this thread, but I'd like some clarification from you guys. I am not in any way being snide or flippant- I would really like some opinions.

I read these articles and cannot understand the argument put forth by Roberts. I would like to know how simply because an institution is banning wear that, while somewhat popular and a "cultural fashion" (as Roberts puts it), it is bringing racism into question. The quote by Roberts: "The idea that young black men on college campuses are so developmentally arrested that the only way that they can distinguish between what to wear in the classroom vs. what to wear in "corporate America" is by prohibiting them from wearing sagging jeans at all times, is not only absolutely ridiculous, it’s also quite racist."

Why can't this policy be viewed as simply dressing appropriately? Why does it have to be about racism?

If the new trend for girls entailed some sort of shirt where there was a big shape cut out of the front of the shirt and the front of the girl's bra was in plain view, it would be rational for school officials to tell students to go home and change before wearing something that inappropriate to class. Or if they wore a skirt so short that their undewear was literally sticking out one way or another. I kind of view it as the same thing. I don't view it as conformity, but as an institution of higher learning trying to help their students along by introducing cultural aspects of the world known as "after college". I see it as Morehouse trying to get their students to put their best foot forward in everything that they do, including dress. While I agree with MLK Jr. about his comments that people should see others for what they are inside, and not the outside, unfortunately that is not the case. We will always harbor an injust view of a person (no matter how slight) due to the way that they look. However, I don't think that it is racist- I think it happens across every community. Maybe I'm just naive, but I guess what's why I'm asking for your views.