Staples Gang War?

[Gurndigarn]

Don't forget bills are being worn flat this season. I remember last year the style was to bend the hell out of the bill so that it was the shape of a taco. Do kids have any better way to rebel these days than to wear stuff wrong?

Uh... that's traditional. It's been that way for at least the last sixty years, and probably longer.

[Sofar]

Uh... that's traditional. It's been that way for at least the last sixty years, and probably longer.

Which one, wearing it flat or bent to hell? Both look pretty stupid.

[JustADude]

Uh... that's traditional. It's been that way for at least the last sixty years, and probably longer.

I think he means bending them way further than they're supposed to go, so that the two front corners almost touch, or intentionally flattening out the curve they come with completely. Either way, it's not as stupid as the ones that wear them over do-rags at f*cked up angles.

[counterjockey]

Uh... that's traditional. It's been that way for at least the last sixty years, and probably longer.

What I figured Gurndigarn meant was that teenagers have been rebelling by wearing stuff wrong for at least the last sixty years, or for as long as society has referred to them as "teenagers."

I just realized that I said "referred to them" instead of "referred to us." Good Lord, am I 24 or did I just wake up 42?

[Tria]

Okay, what the HELL? How could a bunch of Crips be that ing stupid, thinking Staples uniforms meant the guys were in the Bloods? Wait, nevermind! They're in gangs, I just answered my own question.

Huh? How do you acquire this knowledge!?

[BookstoreEscapee]

Totally and completely OT (my own thread!!)

Counterjockey, I absolutely love your avatar. I want to make a poster of it for my cube

[Sandman]

Since I beat Dave to it

Since I will beat Dave to this, those associates are to be wearing WHITE shirts, not red or blue due to that reason.

We have white polo shirts for that area of the country for that reason.

[Gurndigarn]

What I figured Gurndigarn meant was that teenagers have been rebelling by wearing stuff wrong for at least the last sixty years, or for as long as society has referred to them as "teenagers."

I just realized that I said "referred to them" instead of "referred to us." Good Lord, am I 24 or did I just wake up 42?

Welcome to adulthood. In another decade or so you can start referring to them as "young whippersnappers".

And yes, I was referring to teenagers rebelling-- or just trying to be fashionable-- by wearing clothing wrong. Some specific things I can think of, in no particular order: t-shirts (wearing underwear as outerwear has been going on for a long time), not tying shoelaces, cross-gender dressing (trousers for women! and a few other instances), wearing clothes inside out, wearing clothing backwards, jewelry on men, jewelry in new (and sometimes downright stupid) places, bending the hell out of hats, hats backwards or at various angles, trousers so low that you can't walk in them-- and all of this in the last sixty years. And this is all wearing clothes differently from the social norm, not the various and frequent style changes to clothing, hair or skin.

Some of it's been fashion. Some of it's been rebellion. Some of it's been fashionable rebellion. Far too much of it's been fashionable rebellion, and let me tell you, once you get on the other side of middle age, hearing young whippersnappers tell you that they're not going to make the same mistakes their parents made... while making the same types of mistakes their parents made a generation ago... gets kind of silly.

And it's been around for a long time. Shakespear had fun with it in Twelth Night (crossed-gartered leggings! How daring!); I seem to recall something in the Canterbury Tales, though I don't remember what or in which story; there are what sounds like arguements against it in the Bible... it's got a looooooong history.

[JustADude]

Huh? How do you acquire this knowledge!?

I grew up in Little Rock, AR during the '90s. At that time the place had more crime per-capita than NYC or LA, a good chunk of it gang/drug related because the city sits on an intersection of like 4-5 major trafficking routes, and the Bloods(red) and Crips(blue) are the two biggest gangs in the US. They've got chapters in most major cities, though they originated in California. They also hate each other with a passion and flying colors (aka, wearing gang clothes) of one in the other's turf is enough to get you put on a slab.

It wasn't bad but you definitely grew up knowing what the signs of shit about to go down looked like, and how to avoid/defuse a situation. Still, the Little Rock branch of BOTH gangs were smart enough to know the different between a banger flying colors and some schmuck who's just wearing a red work uniform. Either the rivalry is even worse back in their 'home town' is even worse or *shudder* even the hoods are getting stupider these days.

[Greenday]

yeah, i look good in red, too. every time i wear it someone tells me good thing they haven't infiltrated central jersey...yet...

You don't hang out near Asbury Park or Neptune, do you? (Great, now I feel like an ass...)

But back on topic, I wonder what my bosses would say if I went to work without my work-shirt on, and told them it was because I didn't want to get attacked by gangs? I mean, my shirt is red. Work sucks enough. I don't need a phsyical beating on top of the mental beating my company hands out each day.

[Dreamstalker]

And yes, I was referring to teenagers rebelling-- or just trying to be fashionable-- by wearing clothing wrong.

I think the term they're most in favor of is "not conforming" these days.

Wait, in order to be a "nonconformist" these little brats are in fact conforming to the nonconformist group....owie, my brain

I confess to doing the backwards-cap thing myself when younger, but not for long (that ended when I had to chase my favorite hat a few blocks due to a breeze lifting it off from the back).

[BookstoreEscapee]

You don't hang out near Asbury Park or Neptune, do you? (Great, now I feel like an ass...)

No, no I don't...

I went to the Saint to see a co-worker's band play (years ago) and it was after dark and I was slightly terrified...luckily I was with another co-worker who could pass for Hercules (and did, on Halloween)...

[Sofar]

Wait, in order to be a "nonconformist" these little brats are in fact conforming to the nonconformist group....owie, my brain

Hence, my tie and waistcoat. Last time someone said I was a conformist I asked, "To whom am I conforming?"

[Andara Bledin]

I just realized that I said "referred to them" instead of "referred to us." Good Lord, am I 24 or did I just wake up 42?

Sucks when you start talking about "young people" and you realize you're no longer including yourself.

I can't stand fashion sheeple. What the hell is up with the sagging? I can't imagine any situation ever where that would be even remotely useful for anything. Someone, somewhere, is probably laughing his ass off that he got a whole generation of idiots to do something really stupid in the name of cool.

I've never liked fashion trends and have actually changed my own preferences when what I was doing cropped up as the sudden cool thing.

^-.-^

[Dreamstalker]

Well, it can be useful for entertainment value watching one of the uberbaggy-pants running to catch a bus or train