It shouldn’t be, but I’m still sometimes shocked the extent to which public officials, at all levels of government, are so completely out of touch with young people.

A black city councilman in Atlanta is trying to amend the city’s indecency laws to make it illegal to have boxers, thongs, or even sports bras (sorry joggers) visible in public. Why not just pass an ordinance banning young black men from the streets? Ohhh. Too overt.

The amendment, sponsored by city councilman C.T. Martin, states that sagging pants are an “epidemic” that is becoming a “major concern” around the country.

“Little children see it and want to adopt it, thinking it’s the in thing,” Martin said Wednesday. “I don’t want young people thinking that half-dressing is the way to go. I want them to think about their future.”

…”The purpose of the paper is to generate some conversation to see if we can find a solution,” Martin said. “It will be like all the discussions we’ve had around the value of the hip-hop culture. We know there are First Amendment issues … and some will say I’m just trying to put young black men in jail, but it’s going to be fines.”

Every few months you hear stories about laws like these getting passed in small towns in the South, but not in places like Atlanta. If public officials want to improve the way young people conduct themselves, if they want to decrease crime, if they want kids to act more respectable, policing their wardrobes is not the necessary first step. Let’s figure out the difference between having bad taste and being a criminal.