Debagging

Debagging (the name used in Britain, especially historically at the University of Oxford and Cambridge in England, and derived from "Oxford bags", a loose-fitting baggy form of trousers), or pantsing (the American word for the act), also known as de-pantsing,^[1] grogging, shanking, sharking, scanting, dekecking, kecking or drooping, is the pulling down of a person's trousers against their wishes, typically as a practical joke, but in other instances as a sexual fetish. The most common method is to sneak up behind the intended victim, grab the trousers waistband, and apply a quick downward tug before the victim is aware of the debagger's presence. Sometimes, the trousers are completely removed, and perhaps left somewhere embarrassing to reclaim.

The corresponding term in Australia is dakking or dacking, which originated from DAKS Simpson, a clothing brand that became a generic term for trousers and underpants.^[2][3] In Scotland the process is often known as breeking from the word "breeks" meaning trousers. In New Zealand the act is known as giving someone a down trou; in Ireland jocking (Although this mainly refers to the act of placing one's foot on the trousers of the debbaged and pushing them, causing them to fall and for their trousers and maybe underpants to be removed).

De-pantsing is a common prank of pulling down a victim's pants. The prank commonly occurs in high school gym classes as a form of bullying.^[4][5] Its most extreme form includes running the pants up the school flagpole.^[6] Some U.S. colleges before World War II were the scenes of large scale "depantsing" scraps between freshman and sophomore males.^[7] It is also an initiation rite in fraternities^[8] and seminaries.^[9] It was cited in 1971 by Gail Sheehy as a form of sexual assault against grade school girls, which did not commonly get reported, although it might include improper touching and indecent exposure by the perpetrators.^[10] The United States legal system has prosecuted it as a form of sexual harassment of children.^[11]

Debagging as bullying

Debagging can be used as a form of bullying and is technically the crime of simple assault. The practice has been likened to a ritual emasculation. In 2007, British Secretary of State for Education and Skills Alan Johnson, in a speech to the National Association of Schoolmasters Union of Women Teachers, criticized such bullying and criticised YouTube for hosting a movie (since removed) of a teacher being debagged, saying that such bullying "is causing some [teachers] to consider leaving the profession because of the defamation and humiliation they are forced to suffer" and that "Without the online approval which appeals to the innate insecurities of the bully, such sinister activities would have much less attraction."^[12][13][14]

Juanita Ross Epp is highly critical of teachers who regard pupils debagging one another as normal behaviour, saying that debagging makes pupils feel intimidated and uncomfortable and that "normal is not the same as right".^[15]

Debagging as sexual fetish (sharking)

There is a sexual fetish subculture in this type of debagging which is known as sharking which means males pulling up or down females' clothing for sexual reasons. This is an illegal act in most parts of the world.

Videos of sharking are popular in Japan. The women in the videos are sometimes paid actresses.

Locus populations

Debagging is commonly performed in schools by both boys and girls, and is a popular form of attack.^[16] Girls will collude with dominant boys in targeting weaker boys for debagging, and may also single out those boys that do not share attributes with the dominant male group without the help of or the instigation of boys.^[16]

See also

• Sagging (fashion)

References

1. ^ Oxford English Dictionary
2. ^ Oxford University Press, "Dak", Word of the Month, 2010. (Retrieved 22 October 2010).
3. ^ McClure, Geoff. "Campo 'point' of view gets a makeover" The Age 16 February 2006. Retrieved 25 August 2009.
4. ^ [1] Roberts, Walter B."Bullying From Both Sides: Strategic Interventions for Working With Bullies & Victims" Corwin Press, 2005. Pages 84-85. ISBN 1-4129-2580-0 ISBN 978-1-4129-2580-8
5. ^ [2] Voors, William, "The parent's book about bullying: changing the course of your child's life." Hazelden, 2000. Page 6. ISBN 1-56838-517-X ISBN 978-1-56838-517-4. Retrieved 25 August 2009
6. ^ [3] Cunningham, Patricia and Lab, Susan, "Dress and popular culture." Popular Press, 1991.Page 120. ISBN 0-87972-507-9 ISBN 978-0-87972-507-5 Retrieved 25 August 2009.
7. ^ "Customs were rugged then." The Daily Collegian (Penn State), 13 September 1950. Volume 51, no. 2, page 1. Retrieved 25 August 2009.
8. ^ [4] Hodapp,Christopher and Von Kannon, Alice "Conspiracy Theories & Secret Societies For Dummies."For Dummies, 2008. Page 159. ISBN 0-470-18408-6 ISBN 978-0-470-18408-0 Retrieved 25 August 2009
9. ^ [5] Jordan, Mark D. "The Silence of Sodom: Homosexuality in Modern Catholicism." University Of Chicago Press, 2002. Page 164. ISBN 0-226-41043-9 ISBN 978-0-226-41043-2Retrieved 25 August 2009
10. ^ [6] Sheehy, Gail, "Nice girls don't get into trouble." New York Magazine 15 Feb 1971, page 28. Retrieved 25 August 2009,
11. ^ [7] Martinson, Floyd Mansfield, "The sexual life of children." Bergin & Garvey, 1994, Page 136. ISBN 0-89789-376-X ISBN 978-0-89789-376-3. Retrieved 25 August 2009
12. ^ "Youtube condemned by minister". The Watford Observer (Newsquest Media Group). 12 April 2007. http://watfordobserver.co.uk./news/localnews/display.var.1324861.0.youtube_condemned_by_minister.php. 
13. ^ Associated Press (10 April 2007). "British education minister warns malicious online videos hurting teachers". Broadcast Newsroom. http://people.broadcastnewsroom.com/articles/viewarticle.jsp?id=126198. 
14. ^ "Teachers are devastated by pupils' net effects". Belfast Telegraph (Independent News & Media). 13 April 2007. http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/education/article2445862.ece. 
15. ^ Juanita Ross Epp (1996). "Schools, Complicity, and Sources of Violence". In Juanita Ross Epp and Ailsa M. Watkinson. Systematic Violence: How Schools Hurt Children. Routledge. p. 17. ISBN 0750705825. 
16. ^ ^{a b} Neil Duncan (1999). Sexual Bullying: Gender Conflict and Pupil Culture in Secondary Schools. Routledge. pp. 21–32. ISBN 0-415-19113-0.