Pants on the Ground

'Pants on the Ground' by General Larry Platt has become a cultural phenomenon. American Idol judge, Simon Cowell pinned the tail on the donkey with his remark after watching this contestant perform his stint. Cowell remarked immediately after Platt left the room exclaiming that that song was bound to be the next big hit. How right he was. After only a week of the unveiling of 'Pants on the Ground' there are over 1.8 million views on YOUTUBE. This has truly been an incredible cultural situation.

Not only has this song become the song of America over the last week, General Larry Platt rapped about an issue that has also become somewhat of a fashion statement over the last 15-20 years. What originated in a prison, has found its way into common everyday fashion. Whether its a young black man from the hood, or a white teenager walking the streets, it is common site to watch teenage boys constantly pulling their pants up.

According to the article by Carmen Dixon, General Larry Platt, a civil rights veteran, "breaks it all down." It can also be recognized that this occurred on a very important day in American history as well, Martin Luther King Day. Dixon even went as far as to not make this a gender issue by including even some women have this unfortunate tendency.

What is even more interesting is looking at this man, so many stereotypes come to mind. When discussing real American popular culture nothing can get more real to the stereotypes than this. This black man, this general, he walks in with kind of swagger. He does not speak very well. People get an impression that he is not so well off. Yet even with all this aspects in the back of one's mind, he gets his point across so accurately. All he wants is for kids to present themselves appropriately to society.

What was fascinating to see under this article were some responses. Many of the responses were left by young men vowing to pull their pants up. HOwever, what was even more interesting was how Carmen Dixon, a female, responded to General Platt's rap of 'Pants on the ground' with her own version. With that she pointed to women specifically and said, "Keep your boobies in your blouse."

It is interesting to see how this relates to Carla Frecarro's point of why culture matters and why study it. She said that culture is about "articulating the ideological work that texts perform to see how they represent the dominant ideology and how they leave room for more subversive interpretations." I think nothing can better explain what Frecarro was attempting to say other than General Platt's point with 'Pants on the Ground.'

http://www.bvblackspin.com/2010/01/19/up-with-pants-on-the-ground/