Up and Coming Weekly is a weekly publication in Fayetteville, NC and Fort Bragg, NC area offering local news, views, arts, entertainment and community event and business information.
Issue link: http://www.epageflip.net/i/898180
NOVEMBER 8 - 14, 2017 UCW 23 WWW.UPANDCOMINGWEEKLY.COM Hope Mills News & Views To sag or not to sag? by ERICA WALLS As I was waiting to speak with a business owner, I couldn't help but feel uncomfortable in behold- ing the scene before me. ere was a male with his pants so far down that he had to stand with his legs apart to keep them from falling around his ankles. His boxers were showing in all their faded glory. I know beauty is in the eye of the beholder, but my eyes were not beholding any beauty whatsoever. Towns and cities in various states across this great country of ours have adopted ordinances that will allow local police officers to fine anyone who openly and blatantly exposes underwear that causes offense to others. According to www.nydai- lynews.com, in April of 2013, Terrebonne Parish, Louisiana, adopted the ordinance with an 8-1 vote. Towns in Georgia and Florida followed suit in hopes of making people aware of the image they are portraying. What is that image? What comes to a person's mind when he or she sees someone that has difficulty walking because of sagging pants? What do employers believe? Well, as someone who sees this on a daily basis – along with the rest of the U.S. – I find that sagging pants makes one look unkempt. Wearing pants in such a way creates the image of someone who does not care about the future or reaching goals and has an "I don't care" at- titude about life in general. I could be sadly mistaken. But as a profes- sional and a business owner, I could not allow that in my business. As a mom, I really don't want it around my children – especially my son, who is now 16. ank goodness he despises the trend. As a woman, I find it offensive when I walk into a public area and a male is all but exposing himself. Has society as a whole conformed our way of thinking when it comes to the sagging pants being appropriate? Or is it really true that common sense is still around and no one cares to see someone else's underwear in public? I prefer the latter. I like to believe I am capable of forming my own opinion. Where did it begin? We have all heard the story that this fad began in the prison system as a way for a prisoner to let other inmates know he was "available" or that he was already "taken." According to www.Snopes.com, that is false. But can we believe Snopes – consider- ing their most recent downfall? Either way, it is a horrible stigma to have attached to a fad. And help- ing popularize this fashion atrocity are pop culture idols such as Justin Beiber, Lil Wayne, e Game and many others. Please note the coincidence that these people have either served time in jail or prison. e Risks According to a 2011 article from www.hipho- pandpolitics.com, wearing pants below the pos- terior can lead to problems such as severely bad posture, hip degeneration, lower back problems, bunions, life-long knee misalignments and erectile dysfunction. What if an emergency happened and the guy had to run? I'm extremely curious as to how he would make it out of a burning building. Hopefully, he'd survive. On a positive note, if someone wearing sagging pants commits a crime, he is much slower, allow- ing the police to catch him. According to www. christianpost.com, in 2013, a robber in Brooklyn, New York, punched a woman in the face and stole her cellphone. He was easily caught because his sagging pants caused him to trip when the pants fell to his ankles. Will the cities and towns of Cumberland County ever adopt an ordinance prohibiting sagging pants like the one in Louisiana? Who knows? Not much is being said, and now it is basically a personal issue for those of us who are against the sagging pants. We will have to agree to disagree. Maybe it does come down to the cliche of "To each his own." I just know that my "own" wears pants that buckle or button above the hips. OPINION What's 'Up & Coming' in Hope Mills? a STAFF REPORT • Nov. 4-12 Heroes Homecoming V at the Hope Mills Public Library, 9 a.m.-6 p.m. Nov. 4 is the first day of a nine-day ceremoni- ous event to honor veterans. e focus will be on Vietnam veterans. Visit www.heroe- shomecoming.com for more information. All Heroes Homecoming events are free and open to the public. • Nov. 4 - 12 Cumberland County's display of Missing Man Tables e public is invited to tour these tables, thank the businesses par- ticipating and – most importantly – honor our MIA/POW soldiers. Visit www.heroeshomecoming.com for details. • Nov. 8 Veteran Movie Extravaganza Millstone 14 on Camden Road in Hope Mills will honor veterans by presenting an evening of military-themed movies. e event is free for veterans and their families. e event be- gins at 4 p.m., and space is limited. Call (910) 354-2124 for more information. • Nov. 10 Building Dedication Ceremony by VFW Post 10630 honoring retired CW4 Edwin S. Deaver, former Hope Mills mayor and commissioner. • Nov. 11 Veterans Day event at VFW Post 10630 3-5 p.m. Call (910) 424-4555 for details. • Dec. 2 Hope Mills Christmas Parade starting at 3 p.m. at Hope Mills Middle School and ending at Rockfish Elementary School. Call (910) 426-4109 for details. • Dec. 2 Christmas in the Village directly after the Hope Mills Christmas Parade. Free train rides, hot cocoa, cookies, a visit with Santa and an outdoor Christmas movie at the Hope Mills Town Hall, 5770 Rockfish Rd. Call (919) 426-4109 for more information. • Dec. 9 Breakfast with Santa at Hope Mills Parks and Recreation Center from 8:30-11 a.m. $6 per person. Menu includes pancakes, sausage, bacon, eggs and juice. Call (910) 426-4109 to RSVP no later than Nov. 27. • Dec. 16 First Annual Dinner and Dance with Santa at Hope Mills Parks and Recreation Center from 5:30-8:30 p.m. $20 per couple, $10 per additional person. Call (910) 426-4109 to RSVP no later than Dec. 4. ERICA WALLS, Contributing Writer. COMMENTS? hopemills@upand- comingweekly.com. (910) 484-6200. Will the cities and towns of Cumberland County ever adopt an ordinance prohibiting sagging pants?