[Dante Hicks]

"Hoodie" always struck me as a really stupid term since a good proportion of people who wear "hoodies" are middle class rock fans. In fact, when I was a teenager I'm sure the majority of hoodies were worn by grungers, etc.

Now the term seems to exclusively (or mainly) apply to groups of kids who wear hooded tops allegedly in order to cover their faces. It's become a sign of anti-social behaviour and banned in various shopping centres ("malls") in the UK. Presumably it's supposed to apply mainly to black or working class kids. I'm not sure if the bans have done any good, the local shopping centre to me banned them but it hasn't seemed to herald any marked improvement in the atmosphere there.

Although random bigotry is always annoying, it would be nice if hooded tops weren't worn anymore if only because they're a bit shit.