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Dare to Ask: A gripping question involving, well, crotch-holding

By Phillip Milano

Question

I notice black men walking around holding their genitals (from outside). Also I saw a young man holding his pants up with one hand, and the back was under his buttocks. Are these two acts confined to blacks? — Thomas, 70, white, Jacksonville

Replies

People have to find something to complain about. No one talks about the boys who wear tight pants up to their nipples with suspenders. — JJ, 15, black female, Detroit

Since 70-plus percent of [rap] music is purchased by suburban white youths, perhaps these are the images that motivate them to buy this music. … The prison culture inspired the pants that seem to be falling down. Grabbing one’s jewels is a symbol of power. Alternatively, comedian Richard Pryor answered that by saying something similar to: “Y’all took everything else. We are just checking to see if they are still there.” — Herb, Atlanta

Expert says

Really repugnant to say black guys have some sort of toehold on the crotch-hold. Give Italians some credit, too.

Italian dictator Benito Mussolini reportedly did it big-time, long before the King of Pop started tugging. Turns out that publicly manhandling the goods may have started as far back as pre-Christian Roman times, by those who believed it warded off the evil eye (somebody gazing at you to cause you harm). Online magazine Slate wrote about this in 2008, with context from Pellegrino D’Acierno, professor of Italian Studies at Hofstra University.

In more modern times, associating the crotch-grab with black males is another way to hyper-sexualize them, said Jimi Izrael, culture critic and moderator of “The Barbershop” for NPR’s “Tell Me More” radio program.

“Everything seems more ‘sinister’ when black guys do it — dancing, crotch-grabbing, even wearing a baseball cap backward,” said Izrael, author of “The Denzel Principle: Why Black Women Can’t Find Good Black Men.”

“Little Richard grabbed, but so did Jerry Lee Lewis. It’s a way to demonize black masculinity … I acknowledge the gay community, but for some black men, [this is a] way to demonstrate ‘I’m proud to be straight, virile, black…’ It is silly, yeah, but in the same way that a lot of non-verbal cues are.”

And the saggy-pants-in-jail storyline? Revisionist history, he said.

“It’s actually from prep culture. Back in the ’80s, the white preps wore Polo, and part and parcel of the look was to sag your 501 jeans. It was a small sag then, and it’s evolved.

“It’s counter-intuitive to attribute it to jailhouse culture. I mean, if you were to wear your pants low, you’re going to get [raped] in prison.”

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