Quick, call the ‘bling police’

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Just say no to … bling? We know that’s rapper Common’s stance. In an article published this past weekend about the death of flashy hip-hop styles, he told the Image section: ‘I think it’s great that [bling] is gone. That really didn’t exemplify style. It was just like, ‘I have the money to buy this.’ And that ain’t what style’s about.”

It seems some Brits, however, haven’t caught on to this subtler style trend – and that’s making them a target in the county of Gloucestershire, in Western England. According to Christopher Werth’s Marketplace report on Tuesday, police are asking members of the community to call in if they see someone wearing a “suspicious amount” of bling. The program’s slogan: ‘Too Much Bling, Give Us A Ring.’ Is it possible to tell by looking if there’s ill-gotten gilt involved when a commoner dials up the dazzle? (We get the sense that the queen, say, could never be too “blingy.”) Some are crying foul, saying the program will intensify racial profiling and create a Big Brother-esque society. What do you think? Is this more reason to retire the bling?

-- Alexandra Le Tellier

Rapper Common leads the way in dialing back the bling

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