The Politics of Respectability, Sagging, and the Fight for Civil Rights

In my earlier post, I talked about sagging and socialization in younger generations. With that, though, comes the older generations’ negative view on sagging. They grew up in a society where looks mattered, and if someone sagged, there was a legitimate reason behind it. Older generations believe in looking and acting in a certain way, and I believe the politics of respectability plays a big part in that.

In class, Professor McKinney spent a great deal of one lesson going over the principles of these politics. The politics of respectability revolve around how people are trying to be accepted into society. A community of people is judged on the way it acts and dresses. This group cannot be accepted as a whole unless the majority of people are acting, or in this case dressing, in a way society deems appropriate.

During slavery, the idea was to appear to be as educated and look as presentable as the white slaveholders. Africans did not want to seem like a degraded race. They were not the victims of slavery. By reforming themselves and conforming to the white norms, black slaves and newly freed black citizens showed that they were strong and intelligent. They were trying to prove that they came out of slavery with more than the wounds of their masters. By acclimating to white society blacks were attempting to earn respect of the whites as well as enforce their equality.

The New York Times quoted a television interview in which President Obama stated, “brothers should pull up their pants… some people might not want to see your underwear, and I’m one of them.” Even Bill Cosby has been known to speak out against the sagging style. Cosby was a young adult and Obama was born during the Civil Rights movement in the 1960’s, so they understand what the original sag was all about. Through reading Sam’s blog post, I have learned that sagging meant more than just wearing your pants low. While most African Americans’ wanted to show they were equal to and as respectable as whites, sagging was picked up as a way for some to show why they went to prison; for fighting for their civil rights, and trying to protect their families. If men were not in prison and they chose to sag, it was a form of nonviolent resistance.

Because of its history, the politics of respectability apply to the sagging situation. As before mentioned, today’s youth sag because it is popular style. It is a form of socialization. They are not necessarily aware of the reasons and the history behind this fashion. That’s why I believe older generations want to put an end to it. They had a reason to sag. They were fighting for their rights, and they were doing it in a nonviolent way. For older generations, sagging runs deeper than simply looking “cool.” It was one of the ways they defied the system, and proved their desire to be treated equal. Older generations are more educated on the style, and the lengths younger go to too sag make them seem anything but educated and respectable.