[Jean]

What are the men who keep grabbing their crotches while rapping trying to say? And why are their pants almost falling off and their clothing too big in general? What does this all mean?

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Name : Jean, Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Unitarian, Age : 68, City : North Palm Beach, State : FL Country : United States, Occupation : retired director March of Dimes, Education level : 2 Years of College, Social class : Middle class, 

[Herb]

The rappers today are imitating what they've seen on rap videos and supplying the images that make them money . Since 70-plus percent of this music is purchased by suburban white youths, perhaps these are the images that best motivate them to buy this music. Historically, many of the original rap groups had their origins in poverty and crime-ridden inner-city neighborhoods. There, the gang-bangers, self-professed tough guys, and anyone not wanting to stand out from the crowd wear large, over-sized clothes to facilitate the concealment of contraband and guns or just to fit in. The prison culture inspired the pants that always seem to be falling down. Grabbing one's crotch or jewels is a symbol of power. Alternatively, comedian Richard Pryor on one of his albums answered the grabbing the crotch question by saying something similar to; 'Y'all took everything else. We are just checking to see if they are still there.'

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Name : Herb, Gender : M, City : Atlanta, State : GA Country : United States, 

[Aaron]

I agree with Herb that the baggy pants look comes from prison, where the inmates are not given belts and their pants tend to hang down. On the issue of grabbing crotches, I believe that it is a learned behavior dating back to slavery. When whites would lynch a black man, they would cut off his penis and in most cases keep it in a pickle jar as a keepsake or shove it in the lynched man's mouth after he was dead. Black men came to understand that the only thing they had that the white man wanted was between their legs. So they held onto their crotches in fear that they might be taken away. That fear changed to pride, and our pride caused fear in some white men, and now you have all of the sexual myths of today about black men vs. white men. I won't mention any, but you know what they are.

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Name : Aaron, Gender : M, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : Black/African American, Religion : Baptist, Age : 31, City : Palo Alto, State : CA Country : United States, Occupation : Customer Service Rep, Education level : 2 Years of College, Social class : Middle class, 

[Zuras24247]

This entire post is based on nothing but fallacies. No one chopped slaves penises off! That's ABSURD. There is no factual, historical evidence to support any of your absurdities. Slaves cost many years of profit in the ante-bellum south. Hacking off someone's penis would have been instant death in that age; that would have been an immense loss of capital!

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[kirk26400]

This response has got to be a joke. For what purpose would a white man want a black man's penis? I understand that black people always shoot and rob white people because they want our money, but what is the purpose of taking someone's penis?

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Name : kirk26400, Gender : M, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White/Caucasian, City : austin, State : TX Country : United States, Education level : Over 4 Years of College, Social class : Upper class, 

[Jim30696]

I have observed non-black men doing this as well. Although there certainly may be a socio-historical explanation for why a particular group does this, I think it may also be explained as male-dominant sexual behavior. The interesting question is, under what circumstances are such gestures viewed as uncouth or aggressive, or both, or neither? Perhaps it is possible that it means different things when done by men of different backgrounds, but as with anything else, I suppose it has to be taken in context.

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[Mango]

I highly doubt that it is a 'learned behavior'. There is no one going around choping off men's genitals anymore, so there is no experience to learn it from, it also did not affect the survival of the human species, so it is not instinct either. Personally, I beleive it is imatation at it's strangest.

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Name : Mango, Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : Greek, Religion : Atheist, Age : 14, City : Portland, State : OR Country : United States, 

[Diana]

it means that they are comfortable in baggy clothes, and the crotch grabbing started by Michael Jackson.. but they are not 'saying' anything.. just doing it

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Name : Diana, Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Bisexual, Race : white/native indian, Age : 19, City : Ocala, State : FL Country : United States, Education level : High School Diploma, Social class : Middle class, 

[JJ]

People now days just have to find something to complain about. Why can't they have their own style. Do people have to find something wrong. No one ever talks about the boys who wear tight pants up to their nipples with suspenders.

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Name : JJ, Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : Black/African American, Age : 15, City : Detroit, State : MI Country : United States, 

[michael-smith20641]

wearing pants that hang down and expose underwear comes from hispanic young people attempting to emulate the clothing style worn by street heroin addicts, sort of a barrio heroin chic. this eventually migrated to the young black community through west coast gangs comprised of both hispanics and blacks.it has now moved into popular culture and you may see caucasion youths into hip hop music dressed this way.

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[WILLIAM]

YOU ARE PROBABLY THE MOST UNINFORMED PERSON I HAVE EVER MET. INMATES IN PRISON DO GET BELTS FOR THEIR PANTS. AND HOW CAN YOU SAY THAT SOMETHING FROM THE SLAVERY DAYS CAUSES BLACK MEN TO GRAB THEIR CROTCH? BLACKS ARE THE FIRST TO SCREAM RACISM . I NEVER OWNED A SLAVE, MY FATHER NEVER OWNED A SLAVE, NOR HIS FATHER, NOR HIS FATHER. I AM TIRED OF PEOPLE WANTING SOMETHING THAT THEY FEEL IS OWED TO THEM BECAUSE OF THE COLOR OF THEIR SKIN. YOU GET WHAT YOU WORK FOR IN THIS WORLD. NOT BECAUSE OF THE COLOR OF YOUR SKIN. I DON'T OWE ANYTHING TO A PERSON BECAUSE OF WHAT HAPPENED BEFORE EVEN MY PARENTS WERE BORN. I DON'T OWE THE BLACKS ANYTHING. THE INDIANS ANYTHING, OR THE JAPANESE ANYTHING. YES-THERE HAVE BEEN MISTAKES MADE BY PEOPLE IN THE PAST,OF ALL COLORS, BUT I SHOULD NOT BE HELD LIABLE. THATS AS BAD AS THE STUPID FAMILY THAT WANTED TO SUE THE LAPD FOR SHOOTING THEIR FAMILY MEMBERS WHILE THAY WERE ROBBING A BANK AND SHOOTING UP THE WHOLE CITY. GIVE ME A BREAK. YOU WANT IT-EARN IT.

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[Stevo27715]

So you're telling me that grabbing the crotch is a historical gesture that dates back to the slavery period? I find that hard to 'swallow'. I believe it to be a way of showing how 'badass' they are and they don't live by the rules that define this country. They're as primitive as the country they originated from.

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