Is it Racist, Discrimintory, or Stupid?


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I never claim to have all the answers or always to be correct. For this post I need your help because I can not reconcile how I feel. A couple of days ago I saw this sign and my brain locked up! I could not figure out how I was feeling. Was I angry, was I dumbfounded, did I agree, was I over-analysing. WTF was going on in my head over this seemingly simple sign. Is this statement Racist? Are they unfairly targeting minorities / African-Americans? Are they profiling? are they discriminating against our youth? Can they legally enforce this policy? Who died and made them the GOD of choice or good taste. The more I stared at the sign the angrier I became and the more confused I became. As you my savvy followers already know from my last post on this saggy / baggy pants issue and what I am trying to carry out with this site. That this is touchy for me. Go back and read that last post here https://breakitdownpete.wordpress.com/2011/08/05/baggy-pants-seriously/ and you will understand why I feel the way I feel about this sign. Well now it’s your turn to answer some of these questions that I am having such a hard time answering. Is it racist? First thing to consider. Do only minorities wear saggy pants or hoodies? My answer is NO. But then they had to throw in the DU-RAG. Now this I do tend to associate with minorities, specifically African-Americans. What say you? Next to consider, are they profiling? My answer is Yes. But Are they? Are they associating this style with the dangerous, the disruptive, the un-educated, the troublemaker? Or are they just stupid and over reacting to their customers who do not like this style? Did their customers even complain? or is this company jumping the gun anticipating this to be a problem with their customers. Are their customers racist? and aren’t the people who chose this style also their customers? after all this is a business geared towards the young. Should we now judge people by their taste and style of clothing? How about people who wear skinny jeans, wife beater tee shirts, piercings, tattoos etc.If you are wearing a hoodie are you a trouble maker or predator or are you just cold and this is a comfortable multi purpose sweater / jacket. If you wear a Du-rag are you a rapper, drug dealer? If you wear baggy / saggy pants are you a gang banger or a recently released convict? Maybe yes and maybe no to these questions. But should you be judged any more for your choice in clothing than say a woman is judged by her clothing when she is sexually attacked because of how she dresses. Or should we judge a wall street worker by the suit he wears and assume he is good and financially secure when in reality maybe he is a financial phony deep in debt, a schemer running a Ponzi scheme, or a wife abuser, cocaine addict. So what is this sign really saying? Is it saying we don’t want your kind, your trouble making kind, your minority kind, your black kind…. Am I completely wrong on this one? Am I over reacting? I just feel so strong that we need to educate our youth and guide them, not minimise and push them away.

21 Comments

Filed under Current events, Life, Parenting

21 responses to “Is it Racist, Discrimintory, or Stupid?

  1. Is it racist to say it’s racist?

  2. Boy this is kinda a tough one. I can;t stand the baggy pants or the durags but while I can see reasoning behind banning baggy pants, beyond it just looks stupid, there really is no justification for the du-rags. You cant hide anything in them, their purpose (I have been told ) is for haircare reasons. Mydaughters bf wears one when he is need of a haircut so it doesnt get “like a fro” or to control it . So yea I think its a reasonable policy that got a little out of hand by someone seeing an opportunity to add on to it. I understand what you mean mixed feelings all the way.

    • Lizzie are you running for congress? What is this wishy washy tip toe stuff. You better sharpen those scissors you are running with and put on some clothes. Ha, Ha what up my girl! Yea its a tough one for me also.

      • I know, I got a bit of a slow start this year.. trying to figure some stuff out but I am not running for congress oh hell no – they would kick me out anyways.. my scissors are as sharp as ever and clothes – well its been cold here so yea i am all bundled up which might make me a little soft … but not for long 😉

  3. Dress codes usually applied when a business is trying to gear their business to a certain age group. This sign seems a bit too detailed to just be a dress code thing. Perhaps, if we had to tell people to their faces – not have a sgin or or text or e mail – we would think a few more times before we voiced an opinion that might hurt someone’s feeling because of what they’re wearing.
    Just sayin’ …..

  4. I think the sign falls under “All of the Above”. And really, I wonder what management would do if Quentin Tarantino’s saggy pants, Brett Michael’s Du-Rag and Ed Norton’s hoodie showed up for lunch. Something tells me they wouldn’t be turned away.
    Happy New Year, man.

  5. I see signs in lots of places about “shirts and shoes required.” Maybe this establishment has a dress code. If they want their clientele to dress in business casual or whatever the term would be, then they should say that rather than list the types of garments they want excluded. As long as they are a privately-owned business, they can determine they dress code for their customers.

    I was on a cruise ship and Phil had to change his shoes because the restaurant didn’t allow sneakers or sandals for men. It was a more formal restaurant within the ship. He complied and we didn’t feel it was discriminatory. It was their policy and if we didn’t like it, we were free to go to any number of places on the ship that would serve us as we were.

    But I think the sign is a bit offensive. In my mind, it’s better to be inclusive than to exclude.

  6. It would be interesting to ask the management there what their reason is for doing this. I can only assume that as you say they are labelling people who dress like that as being the troublemakers. A while ago here in the UK, there was a bit of an outcry when a shopping mall banned people from wearing hoodies, but then they did explain it was because there had been a spate of thefts from stores by groups wearing hoodies and the hoods prevented the security cameras from getting a clear image of them, so I guess I could see the logic there. However, it’s hard to imagine what the logic would be with the one you’ve posted!

    • Valid point with the hoodie. But this is an Arcade. Geared towards the young, in a well to do part of town bordered by a not so well to do part of town. And the items they are banning are just to specific to a certain population. Thanks for you comment it is on the money.

  7. Way back when, some of the clubs i used to hit had a no hats rule. A lot of kids were stashing their guns/knives in their hats.
    It was a pretty homogenous white crowd at some of the places too.

    • Ahhhhh the good old days. You gave me an idea? i could design a Durag holster for tech 9’s and make millions! Ha, Ha i am such an ass and stupid. Please all forgive me…Guapo i remember those days at the clubs and their dress codes like no boots and jeans or hats and i get it. I just think this is to specific and this is an Arcade.

  8. Deborah the Closet Monster

    I do feel this is how racism is perpetuated when overt racism is prohibited: “We can make it clear who is and is not welcome here without making it so clear as to be blatantly illegal.”

    I concur with your conclusion, and am similarly troubled.

    • Hello Liz, May i call you liz? or Mrs Monster. Ha, Ha how are you my dear? You hurt my brain with all this smart talk! “racism is perpetuated when overt racism is prohibited” For my slow readers. – I am glad you agree with my B.S. and are pissed… I really am stupid and an ass, just having fun! C’mon guys don’t beat me up to bad.

  9. Your absolutely right, it is not as if this company is requesting “smart dress” only, it seems that the dress code is open to any other forms of casual clothing (i.e. flip flops, tank tops), and is clearly targeting a specific look. It has absolutely nothing to do with who does usually wear saggy pants, du-rags or hoodies, and absolutely everything to do with some small minded ideas/stereotypes the management have in regards to the type of people who wear these clothes.
    Personally, I say arrange for a group of people from all different walks of life to go to this place in hoodies, saggy pants and du-rags and challenge the rule (and stereotype)!

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