HOW LOW CAN YOU GO?!

One of the definitions of the word “Trend” is “A current style,” which forms the basis for this column. It seems that a current trend among certain individuals is to wear their pants far below the comfort height of the masses. While it is within every persons right to express their individuality, there comes a point where such expression borders on ridiculousness and just plain out bad taste. Let’s examine the how’s and why’s of this trend together.

How did it start?
I can only imagine that some youngster, somewhere, had the misfortune to come upon a plumber kneeling before a kitchen cabinet exposing his butt to an unsuspecting world. This youngster, being the innovative leader that he was decided, “Hmmm…I can beat THAT!” and set forth to place his belt loops where no belt loops had gone before. HE was a pioneer. HE was a trendsetter. Sadly, everyone after him who sought to lower their “expectations” was a copycat, a follower, an imitator. It was merely a matter of time before belt loops reached a new low. No one likes to be outdone!

Why would you wear your pants on your thighs? I can only guess at a few reasons.
1) These young men all suffer from I.B.S. (irritable bowel syndrome for those that didn’t know) and have to be able to un belt and squat at a moments notice. Pulling down your pants in a crisis just takes too much time.
2) Maybe all these young men suffer from too much gas from eating spicy foods and this allows them the means to “air out” so to speak. Good for them, bad for us.
3) Maybe it is an attempt to capture the opposite sex. Giving the girls a preview of what’s to come, albeit hidden behind long, cotton, boxers. Kind of like driving a car before you buy it.
4) Maybe it is a way to attract the SAME sex. Let’s be honest boys, you’re showing us the BACK HALF versus the FRONT HALF! Just a theory, of course.
5) Maybe it is a concerted conspiracy by the producers of “Fruit of the loom,” “Hanes,” and “Calvins,’ for a new type of “Product placement,” using men’s behinds as cheap billboards. I’m just sayin’…………..
6) Maybe it is just a statement and that statement is, “I just don’t care anymore about modesty!”

Viewing this trend strictly from a fashion point of view, BOXERS! REALLY! Is that the BEST you can do? They are antiquated at best, have the worst patterns on the planet and do nothing to enhance a young males physique. If you are going to show us something, at least be innovative enough to show us some bikini briefs or go all out and put on that thong that you’ve been hiding in your nightstand. THAT would REALLY set a TREND!

There are many things one cannot do whilst wearing pants around ones thighs. Running is one, climbing would be another, certainly a job interview would not go well as would being best man at your buddies wedding. Unless of course, his pants are around his ankles too. Imagine you are walking to a job interview and a Bengal tiger escapes from the local zoo and he is heading your way. You can’t even run to that tree to save your life. See what a problem this can cause?

Lastly, what this trend does is embarrass people. Who? Women, old, young, married, single, widowed, and in nuns habits. The two people embarrassed the most? Their parents, because this means that they have failed to do a good job. And no parent wants to see their kid walking around with his butt hanging out. THAT usually stops around age five.
Pull your pants up and think of another way to express your individuality. And put the belt companies out of business in the process.
Peace.

He should have gone on MATCH.COM instead.

One has to pity poor Rodell Vereen (no relationship to Ben) because the man has it bad. He has a "love jones" so bad that he will spend the next three years in jail. The fire of passion burns hot inside this man so much so, that blind love has driven him to make love to the same female not once but twice. You may ask yourself, "and for this he will spend three years in jail," while the female in question has never formally lodged a complaint? Where is the justice?

In Mr. Vereen's defense, the object of his desire, a twenty-one year old filly named "Sugar" must be quite a looker to cause him to be so smitten. "Sugar's" parents thought Mr. Vereen would never be right for her but considered her friend "Ed" to be her perfect match. "Sugar's" parents also suspected that Mr. Vereen was taking liberties with her so they secretly installed a video camera to catch Mr. Vereen in the love making act. When "Sugar's" parents fears were realized at the horrifying sight that the video camera recorded, they went straight to the police and logged a complaint. The charge: BUGGERY!  No, that does not mean the improper handling of a buggy; it means," having sex with an animal," in this case a horse! That's right, "Sugar" is a horse.

According to "Sugar's" handlers, she is depressed and heart broken because Mr. Vereen never calls and did not follow through on his promise to ride her to Niagara Falls. CLICK HERE to read the story and view a picture of this equine Casanova. Men! Sometimes their knuckles still scrape the ground.

Advice For Men: How To Be Friends With A Woman

Men, do you have enough friends to fill a stadium, but when it comes to being friends with a woman you are clueless as to what to do? Read on for some helpful tips. If being friends with a woman is not on your agenda, go back to watching the football game and feed the dog. For those of you who are still reading, here we go!

Being friends with a woman isn't that much different than being friends with your guy buddies. There is a slightly different set of rules and you will have to open your mind to trying different things. First, the rules:
1) RESPECT.
If you are to be friends with a woman, you must show her the same amount, if not more respect than what you would show to men. If you respect a woman, she will be more apt to consider you as a friend. You will have to tone down the crude sexual references, vulgar language and female ogling that you normally share with your guy friends. Oh, and constantly dragging up female conquests of the past is not a good topic for conversation. Unless she specifically asks you to spill the beans about past liaisons to fulfill her own curiosity, stay off the subject. This goes for you married men as well. And if you think that by comparing your current female companion to past companions, in an effort to show the current one that she is superior in every way, FORGET IT! You may mean well, but THEY just don't get it. In their minds, any comparisons are an affront to them and their confidence as a woman. If you think that she's fantastic, just say it. If you are just casually dating and make plans to meet somewhere, be on time. Women also have boundaries that should not be crossed until she gives you the green light. Until such time, respect those boundaries as you would a RED light. A woman will match the respect that you give her in return. If the woman that you'd like to be friends with is your wife, respect should be an ongoing thing. Opening doors for her is such a small gesture, but you'd do the same for your guy friends wouldn't you? Don't expect a woman to share all of her secrets with you either. Women cherish their privacy, respect that too. If a woman shares more with you than she shares with her girl friends, consider yourself honored: you are a good friend!

2) JUST LISTEN!!
One key to being best friends with a woman is to just listen to her. You listen when your guy friends talk about what's happening, give a woman the same courtesy. Yes, her topics might seem strange and yes, her concerns might seem trivial to you and yes, her point of view may be different from what your guy friends' are but these things are not that hard to understand and they are what makes us grow as humans. If you are not the best conversationalist in the world then just listen. Being a sounding board for a woman shows her that you care. This will endear you to her. She will want to be your friend. Try not to be judgmental or get pulled into a gossip trap. She may be testing you. Be a stand-up guy and rise above. She will respect you all the more. You may get an earful of concerns or problems that you have no prior experience in solving. Don't try, you'll most likely get it wrong. Just listen. Women need to vent and sometimes they are venting about men. Open up your mind to see her point of view and you may find your best friend in a woman.

3) ACTIVITIES, ACTIVITIES.
"LET'S GET READY TO...............go shopping?" "Opposite sex" most times also means opposite ideas of entertainment. If your girlfriend/wife likes NASCAR, boxing, football, hunting, fishing, power tools and female mud wrestling, check her birth certificate. She's a MAN! If, in fact, there are no visible scars to the contrary, consider yourself lucky! The rest of us need to be more open minded. This will also be required of your potential female friend candidate. The easiest thing for both you and your lady friend to do is to make two separate lists. One will list all the activities that each of you love to do or are at least willing to try. The other list should contain every activity that you hate or wouldn't even consider trying. Make both lists broad and encompassing. When you're through, compare lists. You HAVE TO have some things in common, or are at least willing to try. I used to be a decent dart player, so I recently put up a dart board. I invited my wife to try it. She informed me that she wasn't ANY GOOD at it. We've played TWICE now and she's already beaten me once! I think she's a "ringer." Sorry, I digress. Guys, you have no idea what activities she may be interested in participating with you until you ask. Same goes for you. Put your "macho" image aside, and try cooking together. Go shopping with her. Grab her by the hand and take her for a long walk. Buy her a rod, reel and tackle box and take her fishing with you. If fishing is not her thing, just let her steer the boat. If you have both decided to partake in sports, try NOT to be so competitive. It won't kill you to lose once in a while. Oh, and NOBODY LIKES a sore loser. Not even your GUY friends. Encourage her and congratulate her when she wins. You do THAT with your guy friends too, don't you? Give her the same.

4) AFFECTION.
No, you fool, do NOT put her in a headlock and give her "noogies!" Nope, not a "wedgie" either. And don't even THINK about snapping a towel at her butt. Show her real affection. Make sure not to illegally cross any boundaries (see above) and always respect her (also see above). If your friendship with a woman is strictly platonic, be careful to gauge your affection accordingly. Consider this too when involved in a friendly, professional relationship. If you seek to be best friends with your wife or girlfriend, affection is the best way to start. I strongly and personally believe that you can't truly love someone who could never qualify as your best friend. When you fall in love with your best friend, there is no better feeling in the world.

If this advice helps you and enlightens you as a man, pass it along. We can use as much help as we can get.