I have a policy; and that is to allow an open voice and last word to those who write a “letter to the editor”, and in doing so I want our readers to know that I respect their opinions. In regards to the response from this reader I will not offer a rebuttal.
However, timing is everything, and this week I was handed a little gem from a senior citizen from Atlanta, Georgia who appears to have a similar view of the younger generation.
The television show American Idol attracts many young people looking for fame in the music industry. Many a viewer have been handed some rather humorous moments in the opening few episodes when the panel of judges travel from city to city and endure hours of what can be only described as painful bombardment of off key vocals, strangled cats and fingernail scratching on chalk-boards. For the most part, when a deluded wannabe is handed a dose of reality from the likes of Simon Cowel, the most painfully honest judge, what usually follows is a tirade of censored bleeps, tears and anger. “I'll be a big as Britney, I'll show them! What do they know, sniff, sniff.”
A message came last week, while the judges were screening contestants in Atlanta Georgia. In walked a sixty-eight year old man name “General” Larry Platt. Normally, a man of that age would not have made it before the judges, but the “general” is not just a regular 'Joe'. Mr. Platt was given the moniker “general” by a famous civil rights activists and evangelist Hosea Williams. It was a title that Platt had actually earned.
It is important to note that both Platt and Williams are black, and Williams lived during a time when black people were beaten for such trivial offenses as drinking from a public water fountain, or walking on the 'white' side of the street. Hosea Williams lived with persecution and fought for civil rights for all black people. General Larry Platt was active in this fight, and if you look at Platt he has all the appearances of a man who has had a hard life, and speaks with a vocal inflection of a person who endured many years of forced social servitude. As a result of Platt's efforts, the State of Georgia designated September 4, 2001 as Larry Platt Day for his "priceless and immeasurable contributions to society" and "his great energy and commitment to equality and the protection of the innocent and for his outstanding service to the Atlanta community and the citizens of Georgia”.
Yes, Mr. Platt has accomplished much for the current and future generations in regards to civil rights in America, and saw American Idol as a chance to take another run at it.
The “General” stood before the judges and began to pump out a hip-hop vocal called, “Pants on the Ground” and in part the lyrics are; “Pants on the ground, Pants on the ground. Lookin’ like a fool with yo pants on the ground. Hat turned sideways, pants hit the ground. Call yourself a cool cat, lookin like a fool, with your pants on the ground.”
Although it was a really catchy tune, and very funny to watch, Mr. Platt was not making a fool of himself. What he was doing was making a rather strong statement about the members of the “Digital Generation” represented in the black youth. He is a man who views the young people as he puts it, “making fools of themselves” by displaying themselves in a disrespectful manner. Not so much disrespectful to others but to themselves. Platt is a man who has had a hard life fighting to free that young generation of African-American's from the discrimination he endured. In other words, it appears he wanted them to at least represent their community well in the eyes of the general public. For Mr. Platt to work his way through thousands of people who were clawing their way to stand in front of four judges and a television camera and make a statement of how disappointed he is in the behavior of today's youth says a great deal of how important his message is.
And, this behavior is not just within the American black community. Many of our youth today don’t represent their peers well. They can be seen with their pants pulled down, dragging the frayed cuffs on the ground. Boxer shorts showing. Even some of our young ladies can be seen with pants too small and pulled so low the cheek creases are showing. There baseball hats are turned either backways or sideways. Which are never taken off inside a restaurant or public building. As Platt puts it, show some respect for yourselves, and stop “looking like a fool with your pants on the ground.”
Some people may point out that the youth are only expressing themselves and making a fashion statement. I just don't see this type of behavior as a fashion sense. It's not fashion, its mental illness. I stand with Platt and say that it is hard to witness the loss of common everyday manners, from how they address their elders in the service industry to how their peers represent their generation in public.
It's time the Digital Generation hiked up their pants and began to show some respect for themselves. Because this type of behavior does not earn respect, “Lookin’ like a fool with yo pants on the ground.”
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