Emma Marlow

The gangster-stupid fashion statement is a look that crawls all over me. When I was younger – - – if someone pulled their pants down so low that it crippled their ability to walk, untied their shoes and walked flat footed to avoid falling down or having their shoes flop off of their feet and cocked their baseball hat to the side – - – it would have been a joke! Stupid is as stupid does.

For a middle aged white lady to mention it will, in this politically correct culture, raise eyebrows. Well…I come from the old school where it’s rude to talk trash in front of ladies or good company and as an American, I can about say anything I want to, no matter who’s political sensibilities are incensed. I’m not afraid to say that the Emperor doesn’t have new clothes! You look stupid!

The industry that keeps promoting stupid and the culture that pays top dollar to look stupid deserve each other. People have every right to slump along with their shoes untied and their pants falling down with their underwear hanging out and their hat cocked sideways like a goof. They can even assume that a double portion of ‘bling’ actually legitimizes it’s from stupid to phat or bad or whatever bass-act-wards word they’ve twisted to mean something that it’s not this week.

But don’t expect this Mama to park my brain at the door and except it without saying, ‘get a belt, tie your shoes and put that hat on your head like you have some sense! You look stupid!!’

Ian (18) and I were talking in the yard yesterday. He had his baseball hat on crooked with the bill cocked to the side. I slapped the hat off and told him to wear it like he had some sense. He laughed and told me that he had it that way to keep the sun out of his eyes. Sure enough…the sun was coming at him and the brim had been keeping the sun out of his eyes. Okay….okay…that’s pretty smart – - – it just LOOKS stupid!

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