US air passenger cuffed over low-flying pants A University of New Mexico football player was hauled off a US Airways flight last week after refusing to hitch up his sagging pants. San Francisco native DeShon Marman, 20, hoped to fly from his home city to Phoenix with his kecks at half-mast, but cabin crew objected to his low flying. When he declined to pull up his …
I laughed at the "Safety and comfort" bit being typical corporate speak but then realised:
In an emergency when you need to get out of the plane you don't want the berk in front of you tripping over his own trousers and slowing the rest of you up.
So there is a legitimate safety concern after all.
What got the guy in trouble is that he refused to comply with their request to pull up his pants.
They then decided that they didn't want him on the flight and asked him to leave. He refused.
This is when the Captain called for gate security to help him off the plane and of course arrest him for trespassing. Of course since he refused an order given by the flight crew to leave the plane, he is charged with interfering with the flight crew.
All the fool had to do was pull his pants up. Its that simple. His first line of defense is that he was distraught over a friend's funeral. Next line of defense will be pulling out the race card and that his dress was acceptable. (Hey if it was ok for Ted Kennedy to walk around his office with his pants around his ankles, then it should be ok to show a little cheek.)
Hardly a safety concern, but I would agree that homophobes (or those unable to admit attraction to the same sex) may find the sight of another man's ass uncomfortable.
If this were truly a safety concern, women with high heels and tight skirts would not be allowed on the plane. Old people with their walkers and canes, and im sure many more can be discriminated against.
So, sorry if I fail to see your 'safety concern' as a true concern, but more as a screen for your personal prejudice.
This low flying trousers epidemic is called saggin' And all these cool kids learnt this trait from rappers.... If rappers do it then it must be cool right.
Rappers in turn got this trend from prisons. This is how they role in prisons, breaking the law is cool right.... so, Yeah I'm one cool mofo!
However they never stopped to think why some prosoners wear their trousers like this....
Being enclosed in the big house, full of Men lacking IQ or basic social skills, sometimes it is difficult to read the signs of effection. So prisoners would be saggin to let others know that they are open to... er extra-martial activities.
So next time you see a young upstart partaking in this "saggin" please inform him of this and watch him yank his trousers up.
I'm 35. My IQ is north of ... well ... north of yours. I like classical, folk, country, ska, grime, swing, rock, electro, indie, jazz, etc.
And I wear my trousers in a way I find to be comfortable. On my hips, not two inches below my nipples. Yes, you can often see my pants if you bother to look.
So don't fucking look.
Wearing your trousers on your hips is fine. See the edge of your pants, no thanks, but you are right, we don't have to look.
Wearing them so there's 6 inches of bum crack showing is not fine unless you're a hot young female (hence the "twat/no twat" title).
Double standards? Damn right!
Paris, right?
Title confession?
Hips: being the top of the Pelvis Bone known as the ilium? note the word top. hence you are not the subject of this story. The other twats who wear trousers around the buttocks (that's the top of the thigh which is below the ilium and hence below the hips) are the subject of this story.
The look I call "geek tragedy" ... a t-shirt with any kind of sci-fi, gaming, computing, or science reference on it. Not flattering. Ask a lady, if you dare. Or know any.
I own several XKCD (from way before most of you fashion victims had even heard of it) t-shirts, several Jinx t-shirts, several KOL t-shirts ...
So tell me, oh wise ones. Am I hipster or geek? Or are your pigeon holes terribly, terribly broken?
Right, I'm off to a hipster forum, where I can bitch about sweaty IT nerds and their fat fucking beer guts. Beer, because, well ... I've never understand the moronic obsession with beer.
A pair of pants/trousers/shorts seated on your hips is far from hanging on for dear life to the curves of your buttocks or your genitals. And yes, we're talking about pants/trousers/shorts hanging on for dear life to the Calvins/Marks&Spencer/Hanes tighty-whities perched just on the curve of the ass cheeks.
Sorry to disappoint, but your dress sense would be considerably more decent than rapper-style 'lo-riders'.
Ah, so *you* started this trend!
I praise your dedication to comfort above appearance. If you've always worn your trousers this way, suffering scorn through all the times when it was not in the least bit fashionable then I can well understand why you'd be miffed to be on the receiving end of abuse even now it is trendy.
It's all the others that are mere followers, dressing this way because they have seen someone else do it; don't feel like anyone is lumping you in with those saggy-crotched slouchers. They probably don't like country at all and most likely *want* people to look at them and their conspicuously branded pants.
Reassure yourself you are better and undoubtedly more clever then them and anyone who could not describe their music taste as eclectic or wears their waistband round their waist.
It's clearly not about comfort (wearing trousers like that is not and cannot be comfortable), you are just trying to "make a statement".
You'll be well advised to chose the subject of your "statements" carefully - there will be and there should be public resistance for things that deviate too far from cultural norms, whether it be glaring arse or taking a dump on the high street.
Like I said. On the hips (that's "hips", not "hip bones"). And I don't wear skinnies. Motility is ... just fine thanks. In fact. When I get gay bashed, I have enough motility to respond with a high level of violence.
Seeing as 99% of you have never met me, or seen what I wear or how I wear it, and have assumed a whole bunch of stuff, words such as "clearly" are a curious choice. But that's tards for you. Always think you're smarter. Rarely are.
Tell me. Do your comments indicate that you are rational or irrational beings? Time for a little more introspection and a little less prejudice?
@Dropper
"You crossed the threshold of being allowed to dress like a teenager about 6 years ago."
What. Like jeans and a tee? Seems like it's you guys who judge by appearance, you guys who feel bound by fashions, you guys who exhibit the most groupthink, you guys who define yourselves by the opinions of others. Sucks to be y'all.
"and before long you'll be comparing "their" music to yours and letting them know how crap it is"
Um. No. Sorry. Also. I grew up in the 80s. There is no "my music".
@Lamont Cranston
Where was I threatening anyone?
It was, until recently, a regular part of my life. Coming home from the pub with my boyfriend. Being physically harassed. Responding with full leg motility. That's why it was used as an example of how y'all have my trouser situation very much misconstrued. Very freshly imprinted in my mind.
@Blank Reg
"BTW, someone claiming to be so much smarter than everyone else should try to use proper grammar and spelling."
Who was the first to level an accusation of stupidity? Where do I actually claim to be smarter than "everyone else"? And enough with the grammar Nazi bullshit. Everyone makes mistakes in their typing. And not all of us feel bound by anachronistic edicts when it comes to the English language. Do you think "BTW" constitutes correct English? Idiot.
You crossed the threshold of being allowed to dress like a teenager about 6 years ago. It's a tough one to take, I'll admit, realising you are now old. If you try to chat up younger girls you are now creepy. If you wear fashion-correct clothing, you are sad. No, sorry, once the big three-zero hits, you are no longer entitled to dress like a teenager. Full stop.
I'm not going to bother with the insults for wearing your trousers too low, that's your business. I'm just letting you know something the rest of us found out once we passed into the limbo of 30-something. You still feel like you did 10 years ago, you still like modern music, but you are now officially a different generation and before long you'll be comparing "their" music to yours and letting them know how crap it is, how your generation did that first and demanding they stop running on the grass. Have you bought your first cardigan yet?
And you know those shoes thrown over telephone lines you occasionally see? That's drug dealers marking their territory.
FTFY: 'So next time you see a young upstart partaking in this "saggin'" please inform him of this and watch him look down his nose at you, grand-dad.'
To make it easier for the gang bangers to conceal weapon(s) and stuff in their waistband.
Or was it handed down clothes from their older brother?
Or was it that their mom bought them larger pants so that they could grow in to them so she wouldn't have to buy new jeans every year?
Lots of reasons and maybe one is true?
I believe that this woeful fashion did indeed start behind bars:- and little scrotes adopt this 'fashion' to show "I is a hard gangsta, innit".
However, the drooping strides are generally considered to be due to having had one's belt confiscated (self-toppings are not really wanted on the Governor's record file), rather than an invitation for a little recreational buggery.
A flimsy blouse just barely hanging on to the nipples (especially if there's no bra involved) would also prompt flight crew to ask the passenger to cover up or rectify the situation.
So no, this is not a waste of public money. It is maintaining a standard on a plane for the comfort (moral or otherwise) of all passengers.
Most carriers have dress codes for what constitutes reasonable attire on their aircraft and as private operators they're entitled within reason to enforce them. On the one hand they don't want to be turning away paying customers, on the other they don't want people turning up in barefeet, mankinis or similar. Where do you draw the line? Given how utterly ridiculous and borderline obscene sagging looks, it's not surprising that many times it crosses the line.
It's not too hard to find incidents where other people including women have fallen afoul of dress codes too.
http://www.consumertraveler.com/columns/whats-going-on-with-the-airlines-dress-codes/
Down in Memphis, though, they prefer more drastic measures. Last October, one citizen became so outraged by a couple of low-riders that, having failed to persuade them to dress in a manner appropriate for Tennessee, shot one in the backside with a semi-automatic pistol.
WIN!
As I buck the fashion trend of being on the more muscular side, I end up having to have jeans 2-3" larger than they need to be for them to be comfortable. I wear a belt to hold them in a more socially acceptable position, but still end up trying my best not to sag at airline security!
Can't you see he's nuts?!
Shame on that company for singling him out. He's just an impressionable youth who has been corrupted by the rap of today, video games and "ghetto" attitude in movies.....
Nah... actually. I'm with the Captain on this one. I would have given him an atomic Wedgie if I were the arresting police officer. If he isn't going to pull his pants up then someone is going to do it for him!
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having your trousers half off -> polite request from cabin crew to please adjust your clothing.
tardy response to polite request from cabin crew -> firm request from cabin crew.
mouthy and violent response to firm request from cabin crew -> plane makes emergency landing, passenger is escorted off by police.
resist arrest -> jail.
I have no idea why any respondent to this story thinks he was arrested or jailed because of his trousers. The same thing happens to drunk and disorderly passengers all the time, and it has nothing to do with trousers and everything to do with people not doing what the cabin crew tell them to in an aeroplane.
There are additional interviews with passengers who were around him, plus a video taken by the passenger who was seated next to him.
- Yes, his pants were so low you could see his skin-tight black undies doing "show and tell" of his kibbles & bits. (Tighty blackies?)
- Yes, the first request for him to pull up his pants was made politely.
- However, his refusals were equally polite. First, he claimed that he couldn't pull up his pants because he had bags in both hands. Then, he said he'd do it once he sat down. They kept asking him to pull them up, and he kept *politely* refusing. The flight crew were the ones who got angrier and more strident because of his continued refusals.
So while I agree with most of the charges -- refusing to obey orders from flight staff, trespassing, etc., I'm dismayed that everyone's describing his reaction as "violent". Apparently, nothing in the video shows him doing anything violent, though he may have become more violent once they had him off the plane (and out of sight of the other passenger's video).
Finally, since it seems to be "Pick on John Dee" day, I'll simply point out: I was an 80's punker with a mohawk, leather jacket, steel-toed boots; the whole 9 yards. I was refused service at several restaurants. I did not make some huge squawk about how my rights were being violated and my fashion choices were no one else's business. I chose to dress outside the norm, and I accepted the consequences. If I wanted to dine out at a good restaurant, they accepted a simple black wool cap to cover up the mohawk. To dress outside the norm and then demand that all others bow down to your infinite wisdom is the height of selfishness and self-aggrandizement. Especially when all that they required was to pull up your pants. It's a heck of a lot harder to remove 20 pounds of leather and steel.
A hostie friend of mine had to tell someone to hike his pants up and hide his junk because he wasn't wearing any underwear either... At least he had the decency to comply, but said hostie switched seats with her male colleague because she didn't want to see that again on landing.
She would've marched him off the plane if it had happened before the doors closed. It's common decency to dress decently when in public. Low-hanging pants where you can either see the underwear (regardless of sex), or where you can see they've gone commando do NOT constitute decent dress.
"Would there be so many complaints if it was a female with low slung trousers?"
I was waiting for someone to raise this...
Females (aka women) wearing low slung trousers make their legs look shorter and their wastes fatter (simply because it looks like their hips are actually where their wastes are).
Unless it's done on purpose, I suspect any woman would stop wearing her trousers like that the moment she learns the above simple facts.
Yeah, I know, none of us read the fine print on our tickets (oops am I showing my age regarding paper tickets?)... but these planes are private property. That means that (as long as they're not asking for anything illegal) the owners of the plane can set whatever rules they like--and can remove you if you refuse to comply (preferably while the plane is on the ground). It's like the bars having the sign that says "We reserve the right to refuse service for any reason whatsoever--punk!" Maybe the saggy pants brigade should pool their own money and found their own airline where they can hobble about to their heart's content (speaking of which... how's that naked airline doing?)
It's all Lies!!!! My theory is true, but THEY are trying to cover it up! The truth is out there, spread the word!!!! *looks out for the black helicopters with aptly dressed pilots.
As for the legal aspect, sure he can feel intruded upon for not wearing what he wants how he wants, but it is common knowledge that if asked to do something on an plane, as long as it is reasonable just do it and don't make a fuss, as he found out it is so easy for them to arrest you or even shoot you.
@John Dee - fair play to you, I'm sure your IQ is way higher than mine, but my trousers are higher than yours so there! I don't go up as high as nipples as you suggested, though doing so will keep my "morale" up, it will be largely uncomfortable.
As long as your trousers are above the bottom part of your buttocks you're Ok in my book.
Its things like this that get my goat
http://brotherpreacher.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/Pants-on-the-ground1.jpg
What they were thinking of is that they're black. It's been a trend in the black community for a very long time - something or other prefixed with "De-"/"Le-" for boys or "La" for girls, and/or suffixed with "-en"/"-on" for boys or "-a" for girls. Latoya Jackson for one example, born in 1956. Variations on the theme of "Shaun" seem to have been moderately popular for boys, and this is probably just one of those variations.
It might seem odd - but if you look back, history books are full of white people with bizarre invented names. So the question isn't so much why black folks do it now, but why white folks *stopped* doing it. And having fairly recently had a son and having had a total mare finding a name which me and my wife both liked, I can definitely understand the appeal of inventing a unique name for your kids.
One the US air said that it does not have a published dress code . Second thing the video that showed up on you tube shows him saying yes sir no sir. I'm seated down with my pants pulled up what's the big deal. He never refused to get off the plane, thats what US air said , but thats before the you tube video surfaced .
I find it really hard to care how low or high people wear their trousers. However I always do a bit of a mental facepalm on their behalf when I see people "sagging".
I don't mind if people are into fashion, but form should generally follow function in my opinion. There is of course a function of dressing like this. To get attention, provoke a negative response in a group you are rebelling against or in fear of, and/or gain kudos with your peers.
Clearly this guy got a response and plenty of attention and he won his (rather pointless) argument and freedom by refusing to back down to the requests of the cabin staff, and no doubt this will win him the respect of his peers and admirers. The airline company got him off the plane so as not to affect the sensibilities of less open minded people. Everyone wins, what's the problem?
..taken his ADHD drugs finally?
as much as saggy pants look a fair bit dumb, just like very tight jeans IMO, there is no reason to outlaw stupidity. there should just be reason to chuckle at it and know that if there was a 'situation', you'd be getting away far faster than the lud in the low hanging pants. i'm personally more offended by having a 300+lb monster (shaq and his sporting ilk would be up front in first, so they don't count) sit next to me on a plane than a strange peep with low jeans. i might even have time to chat with him about how to get skid marks off his tighty whiteys. and yes, i am prejudiced. it's life.
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