Since the practice of sagging one’s pants became widespread, there’s been quite an obvious generational divide on the subject. Some cities have even passed ordinances outlawing pants that fall far enough below the waist to show underwear (or worse). Of course, Larry Platt became an overnight sensation by singing about his disgust of those who walk around exposing themselves with his hit, “Pants On The Ground.”

Unfortunately, not everyone uses music to handle their frustrations. Enter Kenneth Bonds, a 45-year old man from Memphis, Tennessee. Bonds saw two teens walking up the street in his neighborhood—a 17-year old named Cameron Tucker and 16-year old Isaac Taylor—with their pants very low. Bonds yelled at the two teenagers to pull up their pants. The teens refused and a heated argument ensued between them.

As the argument escalated, Bonds (the adult in the situation) pulled his gun on the two young men, who began to run away. Bonds continued firing at them as they ran away, hitting Tucker, one of the teens, in the buttocks.

While the wound is not critical, Bonds has been charged with two counts of aggravated assault. The moral of the story is simple: Act your age. Young people don’t need to have their backsides exposed for the world to see at any given time of day, however, they should not be forced into coercion with guns. Adults will have to frame positive enough messages about self-respect, honor, decency, and pride (which means taking the time and effort to make a real attempt to reach these kids) to eventually get through. Of course, minors could stand to have a little more respect for their elders in general, but if elders can’t control themselves any better than the youths they chastise, it will be hard for the older generation to effectively communicate with these youths.

If actions speak louder than words, the man who chose to act like a hooligan is at greater fault than anyone who merely dresses like one.

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