But the All-Knowing, All-Powerful, and somewhat ever present culture of Greek life is far beyond disrepute... for we all know a few things (even if we act like we don't), for example:
- The first inter-collegiate black greek organization was originally created for the purpose of helping black students graduate from a PWI during a point in history where society didn't support the idea of blacks being educated.
- Every BGLO since has been founded on similar principles of strengthening their membership within and allowing that to affect their communities in a positive way.
- These organizations were created to enhance the undergraduate experience of its members... thus we are expected to submit to the NPHC in order to add substance to our campus unity... (I repeat ". . .")
- These organizations and the influence they hold are a privilege (earned) and not a right (self-substantiated)... or are they?
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I'll start today's rant/discussion by talking about the inconsistencies of national tradition. Originally, these organizations were meant to employ efforts from qualified applicants who could add to the greater good of the organizations' purpose - to better the organization and the community it resides within. Over the years you would see the BGLOs claim victory either through not-so-visible national initiatives or through the success of their individual members (who technically didn't do it for the organization)... This proves one thing... these orgs love the STATUS... a synonym for significance (as opposed to substance). It is what they tout, it is what they brag about... it is what they perpetuate.
While these organizations were founded by and for undergraduates, in the status quo it seems it is more made for the business of graduate members... the socialites and bourgeois folks that would like for these organizations' selection process to be so discriminant that they appear to be elite(ist) organizations...
Don't get it twisted, if you go hang around the women at Boule and Delta Nat'ls, I guarantee you their general demeanor is going to be vastly different from the individuals you have met at the undergraduate level. In fact, they act as if they'd rather some of the undergraduates NOT be members.... kinda weird especially when the orgs were made for the undergrads but the graduates are attempting to control everything.... and what's more is that half of active graduates were never active as undergraduates and thus don't (and don't try to) understand the plight, purpose, or pursuits of the undergraduate members anymore. Delta's current President is the first undergraduate member to be Pres in a very long time...
The initiatives of the BGLOs isn't so much directly affected by this divide, but it is indirectly affected by the lack of relationship (or desire for one) between the two groups... The truth of the matter is this... GRADUATE CHAPTERS WOULD PREFER TO KILL THE UNDERGRADUATE PORTION OF GREEK LIFE.--------------------------------------------
Frankenstein's Monster
Written in 1818, Mary Shelley's "Frankenstein" explored motifs of responsibility and abandonment while telling the tale of an abhorrant creation. Catch a full summary of the book here.
Dr. Victor Frankenstein literally created a monster... frightened by its appearance, Frankenstein left his monster behind, not claiming any accountability for its creation or existence until the monster started harming others (in fact KILLING them)... Frankenstein eventually vows to kill the monster in order to keep it from harming others and in order to gain retribution for the blood that is actually on Frankenstein's hands.
So odd, that a white female from the UK could compose a fictional novel in 1818 that would forshadow the current phase of BGLO Life (that started in 1990). For more history behind why the transition happened, I'd recommend reading Black Greek 101 by Walter Kimbrough.
Before I discuss this analogy in further detail... let's get something straight... just like on my blog on "haters", it is asinine, ignorant, and not characteristic of educated (college) people to redefine words for their own benefit. Let's define a word that will be used in this blog from here on out, but only in the way it is TRUELY defined.
pledge (v.) - To offer or guarantee by a solemn binding promise; To commit
While "pledging/business" is a concept all on its own, to pledge seriously ONLY means to commit oneself (which is why I DONT pledge allegiance to the American Flag... I'mma follow a flag?... get serious). Back in the day, when people committed themselves to Greek Life, it was to service, tradition, brotherhood, and success... there were very high standards from individuals who were members of BGLOs. They were expected to contribute to the org and to the community outside of the org, submit to VERY STRICTLY CONTROLLED/"set" rituals and traditions that facilitated their submission to and participation in brotherhood/sisterhood... and all the while, they were expected to do great things and GRADUATE.
What happened? I mean really? If it was all GOOD, why did it ever become a BAD thing... simple reason... cuz PEOPLE STARTED DYING. People started realizing the threat and severity of the actions performed while people were attempting to commit themselves to a "greater purpose". At no point in my preliminary research on Greek Life did they metion military service, armageddon, or saving the world (in the sci-fi movie sense)... so YT-FUCK would I be dying for this?... please... please... try to defend people DYING for greek membership on my comments, I swear I'll dedicate a blog just for your dumb ass.
I digress.... pledging became seen as bad.... It went from a traditional practice to strictly against the law (and against the bylaws of BGLO constitutions) over night... now this is where things get iffy. Thousands of members from EACH organization have participated in, supported, and perpetuated the act of "pledging" on their campuses and even in grad chapters (not anymore usually)... then once it went bad, they tried to tell the undergrads to stop "hazing/pledging"... the undergraduate response was to resist the notion of this being okay for fear that if they didn't they would be ridiculed and not respected by the older members of their organizations (regardless of if they told them not to pledge). Thus pleding continued in something that is now called the "underground process"; it gained this name because people used to pledge in public before then.
Throughout this time, people(undergrad and grad) celebrated in the fact that their traditions were being upheld. Simultaneously, graduate chapters continued to conduct intake but they significantly decreased their frequency of "underground processes"... as a result you have a generation of one doctrine active at the undergrad level, and a generation of another doctrine at the top. As a result of this dichotomy of intake methodology, labels were created to distinguish the difference between those who committed themselves traditionally (Made/Real) and those who SOLELY participated in the newly revised national education processes (Paper). I would say that the two are not completely mutually exclusive because MOST people who are made are certified members of their organization (meaning they have things in common with the Paper folks), but the things that the Paper folks do NOT endure is what separates them... further more the phenomon of Ghost/Renegade (those whom were "made" but never had an approved application...) members would affect the playing field as well. For the most part, the "paper" community would have no voice in undergrad for a long time.
And then... more bad shit started happening... more investigations, more hospital visits, and thus more law suits. The institution of pledging was now not only considered dangerous but expensive. Dues rates in BGLOs would steadily increase over time in order to pay for insurance, court fees, and punitive damages to plaintiffs who sued as a result of pledging becoming illegal. The BGLOs have since taken a hardline stance on hazing/pledging:
- They don't condone or recognize hazing/pledging as related to their membership intake processes.
- They require all aspiring applicants to sign a waiver stating that they will not participate or allow hazing/pledging activities to occur.
- If a plaintiff files suit, they will refer to the waiver, and thus send liability to the specific chapter (usually undergrad)
- If a chapter is pinned, the graduate structure/national organization will turn narc on their brothers/sisters (thus getting them expelled from school, thrown in jail, or removed from the organization) in order to "save" the national organization.
While this makes logical sense... This is so STUPID. How is it that the graduate members (Frankenstein) don't want to own up to the fact that they THOUGHT they were doing something good in the past, and it went wrong... why is it that at the end of the day it was tradition and expected when they did it, but now it is an individual choice that deserves severe consequences? Why is it that the people who started, perpetuated, defended, promoted, lived with a certain tradition are able to abandon it as if they didn't create it??? and then when it becomes a problem, rather than trying to work through something to halt it... they attempt to KILL it... and not even it, the people who are practicing it. How is it that the graduate chapters share NO ownership?....
Frankenstein in this case will do anything to save their own necks, and keep their pockets from thinning... if they say it's because they are cutting off the arm in order to preserve the body, it's a LIE... the body still has members who were hazed, did haze, and do believe in hazing... you would have to kill the organization to eradicate all traces of the malevolent process. If they tell you that they are preserving the true sanctity of brotherhood/sisterhood, it's a LIE... they will throw people to the wolves in order to secure their longevity (I'll show that on future blogs), and the national organization (as an entity) does NOT have control over whom will accept whom as their brother/sister... the divides still do exist, and will continue to until gradute entities take more responsibility for the monster (pledging) that they have created.
This would FIRST start with them fully revamping their intake processes... if they think it's acceptable to change a (let's say) 8 week, 6 day, 1 hr, 35 minute, and 0 second process into 3 days... they're WRONG. You can't become acquainted with individuals, learn information, or familiarize yourself with business at the same level if you reduce the timeframe to 4.7% of the original time invested. This is the dillema between "paper" and "made" individuals... papers attempt to commit themselves to the work of their orgs, and made folks look at them as if they have a 95.3% desparity in commitment. For the graduate population to act as if that is insignificant means that they must not be paying attention to the community dynamics.... but why should we expect them too... they're not even furthering the purpose of their orgs anymore.
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Grad folks effin' up...
Back in 2007, did you that Zeta Phi Beta's National Executive Board expelled a member who discovered embezzlement activities by the then current President? How is it that somebody who is doing their job... being committed to her sisters and stewarding their funds... can be expelled for informing her sisters that one of their own is stealing from them? Furthermore... how did the Executive Board allow this to happen??? maybe because the Exec Board Chair would later become the President... and regardless of her reputation in the world of comedy, She would bring a wide range of criticism to the sorority of "finer womanhood" due to her long history of vulgarity.
And then... this story about a narcissistic "leader" who wanted to imortalize herself with a wax statue, actually thought it would be okay to use $900,000 of AKA's money to get this done.
And again... last year, Fraternity/Sorority Presidents, namely Darryl Matthews of Alpha Phi Alpha, tried to denounce the "n word" on behalf of their entire organizations... how do you do that? What authority allows this kind of audacious promulgation?
I'm guessing Greek Life gives people big nuts to feel that they can do/say whatever they want...
Most recently, a remake of Jay-Z's D.O.A. has been released referring to "paper greeks" has been virally marketed over the internet... the saddest thing about this song is the UNREALISTIC belief that pledging will outlast the national intake processes from this point on... Furthermore, people just do NOT/canNOT seem to learn that if you would like to prolong the traditional ways of intake, the only way that will happen is if NOBODY KNOWS ABOUT IT (which in turn will lead to them diming on you too). Bringing attention to the fact that you "pledged" only brings attention to the graduate structures, the school administration, the community (who will dime you if they'd rather be paper), as well as the police... yes... they are getting involved now-a-days...Furthermore, these processes used to add to the substance of their organizations and their members... the need to brag about it or share it with the public is evidence of feelings of low self worth and esteem... they want everybody to know they pledged in order to gain significance, because the truth is their substance doesn't substantiate their importance anymore.... yep i said it... most greeks now a days are trash and dont deserve it.
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So what's the point... in short....
Black UT is a mircrocosm of our society in the U.S... if all this confusion and disarray was happening, it was bound to hit UT as well... some of us had thought we were already seeing it... Fall 07 would prove otherwise. This continual abuse of powers used to take advantage of those who would submit would eventually place some in a place to be scapegoated as the individuals at fault... all the while, nobody is looking for any type of solution.
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