Cause Of Death: Sagging
“He was walking across the street, his pants almost at his knees. A taxi trying to beat the red light speeds up. The fool couldn’t pull his pants up in time to get out of the way.
Due to indiscipline and no respect for the rule of law, my country is experiencing a rapid surge in COVID 19 infections. There are insufficient oxygen, a shortage of bed spaces, and medical personnel in our hospitals, so COVID 19 seems to be grabbing control away from us. We lack the necessary resources to adequately contain this virus, which is urgently needed to protect and save our people’s lives.
Poverty, ignorance, and the lack of planning for the future forced many of us to put survival over obeying the law. Feeding our children is more important than not contracting a killer virus.
So, our Government MUST impose super tight restrictions, inclusive of fines and imprisonment, on everyone who breaks the protocol to save others’ lives.
We are under a curfew and lockdown. Walking to the market on Thursday, because it was too early in the morning, and due to safety concern, I had to take the busiest route. As I turned the corner on East Queen Street, I saw a long line of bumper-to-bumper one-way traffic, at a standstill, that was going from East to West, but none was coming from West to East.
My instincts alert me that trouble was ahead. I continued walking towards a large crowd about ten yards in front of me. My heart racing with curiosity, as I edged closer to the crowd. I saw a police vehicle parked horizontally in the middle of the street, obstructing traffic in both directions. Their yellow and black caution sign expand across the entire roadway.
As I edge closer, trying to peek over the crowd, I notice that many people were mask-less, (It’s a $5000.00 fine for not wearing a mask). Thanking God I was wearing mine, I peeked over and managed to see a young man lying in the middle of the street, his skull bashed in, blood splattered around his body. His hands and feet were twisted in a position that tells me they were broken. His pants were almost at his knees.
Before my brain could get to fully absorb the scene, a voice said in disgust, “Damn fool. He is dead because his pants weren’t on his waist where it should have been.”
My eyes widen. Wearing your pants below the waist is called ‘sagging.’ It’s considered a hip-hop fashion and has been around since the eighties, with a lot of negative and homo-sexual stigma attached. A lot of men, young and old, are following that ‘fashion.’
My mouth popped open behind my mask.
She turns, examined me, then asks, “You going to the market?”
I had my market bag.
I close my mouth, smiled behind my mask, and nodded.
“Come on; I will show you a shorter route,” she suggested.
I knew all the routes, but I refuse to risk my life in those areas because of the periodic spur of violence. I took a chance while praying, walking through one of the most violent areas in my country.
Yes, she was wearing a mask.
While walking, she drew me a mental and dramatic picture of the incident. She wasn’t an eyewitness, but someone in the crowd that witnessed it told the police what happened.
“He was walking across the street, his pants almost at his knees. A taxi trying to beat the red light speeds up. The fool couldn’t pull his pants up in time to get out of the way. The taxi racing easterly, hits him, sending his body yards ahead in oncoming traffic in the opposite direction. His body collided with a truck, sending it back where it came from.”
Then she went on to blame his mother, society, fashion, stupidity, poverty, and everything else she could think of until we arrived at the market. I thanked her and went on my way, my thoughts on my boys.
Being the mother of twin boys, I haven’t really seen them ‘sagging. I do know as men, black men, their lives will be complicated no matter where in the world they are. And sagging will intensify their problems. Many youths are forced to forget their ethics, morals, rules, discipline and the old fashion values and sense of decency their mother and grandmother taught them, just to survive and fit in their world.
Not all of them are strong enough to stand alone. In my culture, if you sag, bleach your skin, wear a feminine hairdo, you will fit in, in some areas, but you will be harassed by the police. If you decided to be yourself and look how a man is supposed to look, you would be harassed and robbed by males on the opposite side. P.S. My sons experience harassment and attempted robbery because of how they used to look.
It’s a sad world when we can’t be ourselves without a cost. What will happen to humanity if we can’t be our real selves?
There is an increase in gang violence in almost every country in our world, and gangs are fighting among themselves. Every time I walk, I see a countless number of males sagging. They are fighting among themselves, and if their enemies catch them off guard, they won’t have enough time to pull up their pants to escape certain death. This is madness!
P.S. This story is a figment of my imagination, but I am sure it has happened to someone. Lol, I don’t want to be sued.
The Dangers Of Sagging Pants | Black America Web
A two-year study by the National American Medical Association led by Dr Mark Oliver Mansbach concluded that the continuous wearing of sagging pants severely impacts sexual performance. “In our study, we discovered that sagging pants wearers are 70% more likely to prematurely ejaculate during intercourse,” says Mansbach.
https://blackamericaweb.com/2013/09/16/the-dangers-of-sagging-pants
https://www.menswearstyle.co.uk/2017/07/26/the-real-history-behind-sagging-pants/7788
https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=sagging
Thank you for reading this piece. I hoped you enjoyed it. Please enjoy more from other writers on this platform.
https://mediumauthor.com/@thisisanneliselords
https://mediumauthor.com/podcast
medium.com/illumination/interview-with-annelise-lords-421238e49b9f