I will admit I have a strong bias against fraternities. During college I witnessed them in action, and what I see today is no different from what I saw then. I am not saying that all members are all awful, but the mob mentality surrounding them is disturbing. I don’t see a strong sense of leadership or individuality in fraternities (or sororities). Everyone seems to just follow the loudest voice, and if that voice is singing a racist song… everyone just sings along.
TPM puts together quite a list of bad frat behavior. Actually, it isn’t “bad” it’s appalling and shocking. Here’s a recap of incidents from just this month:
1. SAE’s racist song/chant
This month’s boomlet of fraternity news began on March 8, when a video that allegedly showed members of a University of Oklahoma fraternity singing a racist chant on a bus ride went viral.
“There will never be a nigger in SAE,” the frat members sang. “There will never be a nigger in SAE. You can hang them from a tree, but they’ll never sign with me. There will never be a nigger in SAE.”
Even more shocking than this vile chant is the way it was excused by many. The Morning Joe crew even blamed this behavior on rap music – claiming that these frat guys learned these words, thoughts, ideas from rap. Never mind that the song/chant they sang wasn’t rap, that it obviously was home grown at SAE, all that mattered was that these boys were somehow not responsible for the words that left their mouths. But not being responsible is as common to frats as secret handshakes.
Add to that how the discussion morphed into how these boys weren’t racist. Exactly what do you have to do today to be considered racist? Actually lynch a black person rather than just singing about lynching a black person?
2. Kappa Delta Rho posts photos of nude, unconscious women on FB page
Students at Pennsylvania State University were up in arms against a fraternity accused of sharing photos of nude, unconscious women on Facebook.
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Police have since determined that at least two of the photos could lead to criminal charges, and some of the women pictured in the photos have come forward.
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The anonymous (member of Kappa Delta Rho) student and self-proclaimed “good guy” insisted that the fraternity members didn’t share the photos maliciously. He also argued that the only person who should be punished for the group’s behavior is whoever “snitched.”
“It’s just satire. … Nobody’s sitting there like, ‘Oh … how are we going to victimize these people?’” he said in defense of his fraternity.
Someone doesn’t understand the meaning of the word satire. Also notice where he feels the blame deserves to fall – on the snitch. That mindset is disturbing. What’s even more disturbing is I doubt he’s the only person to feel this way.
3. Pi Kappa Phi – The Notebook
“It will be short and painful, just like when I rape you.”
“That tree is so perfect for lynching.”
Those were just a couple of the jarring comments members of North Carolina State University’s Pi Kappa Phi fraternity wrote in a so-called “pledge book” discovered last week.
Local TV station WRAL, which first obtained the notebook, posted photos of some of its pages that blurred out offensive language. The following statements were legible, however:
“Dude if she’s hot enough, she doesn’t need a pulse.”
“Be kind to the whales for they’ll lead you to the dolphins.”
“The only reason I don’t hook up with fat chicks is I’m afraid I’ll love it.”
“I like little girls.”
This is the stuff of horror movies. Lynching, rape, necrophilia, pedophilia? Anyone would be forgiven for thinking these were the comments of a serial killer – and if they were a serial killer’s words everyone would say, “That makes sense. This guy’s dangerous and obviously mentally imbalanced – Evil”.
None of this falls under the heading of humor. Imagine having someone say things like this at your next dinner party. (Sure, some people will find the fat jokes funny – whatever, not the point) Now imagine any of the other comments being tossed across the table.
So what causes things like this to be written down, posted to Facebook, sang when everyone knows this wouldn’t happen in mixed company? I tend to blame the insular environment of frats. On some level, these fraternities are okay with this behavior. On some level I even think it’s expected. I also don’t think today’s behavior is anything new. We just hear about it today due to technology.
4. Kappa Sigma “F*%k Consent email
Here’s the full text of the email, as quoted by the Huffington Post:
Regardless of the rush shirt let’s get rachet as f*** during rush week. My d**k will be sucked and f***ed in compound basement whether you guys like it or not. Don’t invite any n****r gals or curry monsters or slanted eye chinks, unless they’re hot. Ziggy you’re [sic] girl can come she’s cool. Remember my n***as, erect, assert, and insert, and above all else, f*** consent … d**ks untouched.
Yes, this is one email sent by one person, but the fact that he felt comfortable enough to send this email under his real name speaks volumes. It helps that someone who received and read this email reported it. That gives me hope. But I have to ask myself, like I did with the above example, why are these guys so comfortable with saying these things? To me that implies acceptance of what’s being said and done. And that’s the problem in a nutshell.
5. Alpha Delta Phi – Branding
Dartmouth confirmed this week that it extended the suspension handed down to the fraternity last fall for holding unregistered parties over fresh allegations that the organization branded its new members like livestock.
Branding? Is it any wonder that someone who would agree to be branded (and other hazing rituals) wouldn’t be considered an independent thinker? And as awful as all the other examples above are (and they are stomach turning awful) the branding incident gives us a clear view inside the fraternity mindset. There aren’t many taboos left once you let someone brand you.
So, what do you guys think? Is it time to get rid of fraternities? Do they need more oversight? Regulations? Is there a fix for this behavior? My daughter leaves for college this fall. My husband (who belonged to a frat, btw) told her, in no uncertain terms, to stay away from fraternities.
*And yes, I know there are wonderful individuals associated with frats (Hello? I married one.), but we’re not discussing individuals. We’re discussing an organization – an organization that’s pretty “adept at ducking liability for what happens under their roofs.”