Jalen
Conway
Writing
340
Public
Intellectual Assignment
February
17, 2019
Greek Life Should, like, Be Abolished, bro
Many individuals and institutions operating
in Western society have made great strides to systemically eradicate toxic
elements of our culture. Instances of racism, sexism, economic inequality, and identity-based
discrimination have been very closely and swiftly persecuted by our society
over the past couple of decades (in everyday discourse, government, and most
notably: the media). And, the frequency and magnitude of these cultural
investigations have been exponentially increasing over the past few years.
So, in the midst of the 21st
century’s cultural awakening, why is it acceptable that a system so intertwined
with all of those despicable characteristics mentioned above could still be
operating so smoothly and with little resistance?
Sorry; the Greek system of American
colleges should be abolished or at least heavily reduced. On the surface, the Greek
system places individuals in physical and emotional danger. Beneath the
surface, Greek life contains a toxic environment that often classifies
individuals by biological identity and economic standing. These two
characteristics are very closely associated with an individual’s self-placement
within our society and are often the metrics by which individuals are discriminated
against in other facets of life. With that in mind, college should be a journey in which students
can detach from these physiognomies and focus on expanding their mind and solidifying
their emotional intelligence. Unfortunately, many college students are fed emotionally
traumatic or physically destructive experiences by the hands of Greek party
gods and goddesses.
Let me assure you, I am not the
kind of person who goes around calling everything that is slightly problematic
or anything that I don’t agree with racist and sexist. In fact, I have a lot of
disdain for individuals who engage in that type of discourse. In this case, there
are simply too many cases of malicious and predatory behavior to ignore, many
of which have taken place just a few blocks from where I am writing this piece.
Not to mention all of the moral offenses that have yet to be uncovered or have
been swept under the rug by spineless administrations across the country.
Sororities are unfortunately common
grounds for body image-related anxiety in young women. In 2015, an email chain
from USC’s Alpha Chi Omega made the news as it laid out a series of hair and
makeup requirements for their events, including this statement: “If you are not wearing the required makeup, I will stop you
and apply it myself,” (U.S News).
For some women, there are also economic barriers to entering the sororities’
expensive living arrangements. These sentiments promote ideals of image-based homogeny,
which almost always means white and wealthy, and not unconditional sisterhood.
Instances of malicious behavior
occur within fraternity houses more frequently and in higher concentration than
virtually any other social setting, especially among those that university students
might find themselves in. Fraternity parties are often the sites of sexual
violence carried out by spoiled studs onto young women. According to Campus
Safety Magazine, women who are members of a sorority are three times more
likely to be sexually assaulted than women who aren’t. This is within the
understanding that sororities and fraternities frequently engage with one
another, especially at the party scene. Additionally, men who are members of a
fraternity have been identified as being significantly more likely to perpetrate
sexual aggression than men who aren’t, which comes from the same study. It is
also disturbing that fraternity culture celebrates the diminishment of women as
sexual accomplishments.
In
addition, fraternities are notorious for brutal hazing incidents that have left
dozens of sons and brothers dead. Tim Piazza, Penn State; Maxwell Gruver, LSU;
Andrew Coffey, Florida State; Matthew Ellis, Texas State (TIME). These are just
a few of the young men who have lost their lives to absurd drinking rituals
under the guise of “brotherhood.”
The first counter-argument that I
expect to hear is: “What about all the non-fratty frats like the engineering
frat or the film frat?” Obviously, the bulk of this argument isn’t in accordance
with the lesser frats. Even so, these frats aren’t without their flaws. Many of
them do contain the same toxic elements as the big frats, just at a much
smaller dosage. They exist in compliance with the traditional frats and therefore serve as a gotcha counter to the notion that frats are universally rape-y. I
understand the desire for minority Greek houses and the spaces that they
provide for students attending a majority-white school. But, other alliances
and organizations exist on campuses that provide the same function. And, if the
purpose of the smaller fraternities is to create social spaces and to promote professionalism,
what is the purpose of the traditional fraternities? It seems like all they do
is host parties and feed women alcohol. Not to mention only allowing women into
their parties, increasing the statistical likelihood of each stud getting what
they want by the end of the night.
The second counter-argument that I expect
to hear is: “Greek life is great for building genuine friendships and making
valuable connections for post-graduate professional life.” Yes, the social avenues made available from being in a
Greek house do amplify your capacity to find social connections, but only
with other members of the Greek system. And, more often than not, these people have
a similar background or share similar experiences to you. This is not an instance
of me hypocritically making a broad generalization about people in Greek houses,
though. The process of selecting each new batch of members favors those who are
perceived to already be harmonious with the existing members and their
lifestyle. Hearing the stories of people who are similar to you is surely less
valuable than hearing the stories of people you never imagined spending time
with. University campuses are already amazing places to find new relationships
and connections because they are congregations of diverse, bright youngsters who
are engaged with a vast array of academic subjects, hobbies, extracurricular activities,
and professional aspirations. Greek life simply isn’t necessary in providing college
students with these interactions.
The existence of Greek life in its
current, most prevalent form directly counters (what many believe to be) the crucial
essence of the college experience: stepping out of your comfort zone. Within
the majority of college “towns,” the Greek system places itself both physically
and socially separate from the greater university populace. By hosting their
own social hierarchies, the Greek houses can dictate how their culture operates
from the inside. They will never have to compromise ideas or values because there
is no opposition from within. It’s all about comfort and maintaining the social
status level attained in high school. The system eliminates social
vulnerability in exchange for emotional and physical vulnerability.
I would like to conclude this
discussion by mentioning the experience of a close friend of mine. I understand
that this is not actual evidence, but I think it says a lot. During the spring
semester of our freshman year, my friend decided to rush one of the big frats
here at USC. He very much enjoyed all of the parties and social events that
came along with rushing the frat. He also greatly appreciated the sense of
community and brotherhood he had developed with “the guys.” But, he abruptly
decided to discontinue his pursuit of campus glory. When I asked him why, he
said, “I couldn’t bring myself to invest (socially and financially) in
something that I found so many moral issues with. It was too much.”
References
Great paper! Very relevant points. I hope this paper can manifest into action or even more awareness for its audience.
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