I'm miffed. I pissed. I'm ticked off. Isn't hypocrisy a bummer?
The Greek system is beginning a new season of rushing, which is fine for the Greeks. It's a chance to make new friends, extend their community, and promote what they stand for. But what DO they stand for?
I am outraged by two DTD posters hanging around campus soliciting new pledges. One portrays a woman not-so-discreetly peeling a Vegas-style magician's costume from her otherwise naked body, with the caption: "Experience the magic." The other is an aerial view of a most Bacchus full-color orgy in which a few studly men seem to be devouring and being devoured by dozens of scantily clad soft-porn nyphets.
As any of my close friends can confirm, I'm all for sexiness, all for celebrating passion, and all for enjoying earthly pleasure. I don't have as much a problem with the images themselves as with their connection to a fraternity. I mean, really - is this what your brotherhood is about? Is wild sex what you reduce yourselves to? "Join DTD. Join the orgy! Not sure what that word means? Here - we've taken a picture of one for you." Perhaps the DTD response would be that it's just a joke. Guess what, guys? It's not funny.
I could give two hoots if the ultimate DTD honor was to have sex with 27 women at once, but how dare fraternity brothers become defensive when non-Greeks criticize your culture for being sexist and misogynistic, when some girls (and guys, for that matter) are afraid to pass by the frats, let alone party over there with you. From those posters, at least some of you do have scary ideas about sex and domination, if that's how you choose to portray the nature of brotherhood. And it's that hypocrisy that disgusts me the most. The way you present yourselves reflects on the whole system, whether you like it or not.
As a non-Greek, I have tried to appreciate the good in the system and have even defended it to skeptics. But it's going to be hard to do that again - those posters are a serious slap in my face.
Ariana Wohl, LA '01
