GreekChat.com Forums

GreekChat.com Forums (https://greekchat.com/gcforums/index.php)
-   Up & Coming National GLOs (https://greekchat.com/gcforums/forumdisplay.php?f=186)
-   -   Does Bi-cultural = Multicultural? (https://greekchat.com/gcforums/showthread.php?t=119319)

Senusret I 04-13-2011 11:38 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by agzg (Post 2046325)
I understand why bicultural organizations may specifically not want to be part of the NMGC, but would they not qualify?

I don't know.

agzg 04-13-2011 11:41 AM

Also, I would imagine it would be hard to be expressly "pancultural." That's a lot of cultures, and where does it stop? How deep does it go? Is there a recognition that Canadian culture may be different than American culture?

Senusret I 04-13-2011 11:41 AM

And programming wise, how many multicultural organizations focus on majority culture with the same fervor as minority culture?

Are multicultural organizations truly multicultural, or are they "celebration of minority cultures" organizations?

Why do multicultural organizations probate/emerge/step and not have "Presents" or other traditions from majority cultures?

These are just questions.... I'm not sure that multicultural orgs necessarily include white cultures any more than bicultural orgs do.

DrPhil 04-13-2011 11:42 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by agzg (Post 2046320)
LOL I guess I better explain more:

I'm having a hard time organizing my thoughts right now but I'm going to think on this - even what's below probably doesn't make any sense (blame it on work or something, I don't know).

My question does relate, though, to the racial or cultural diversity of memberships and how it doesn't change any professed racial or cultural purpose of the group.

If I joined an NPHC organization it wouldn't change that aspect of the groups purpose. That's generally understood.

However, and this is because I'm coming from an NPC context and I think it's pretty clear that in general NPC sorority members are pretty terrible at relating to groups that are not NPC (or even other NPC groups, don't get me started), I see people lumping particularly Asian and some Latino fraternities and sororities with the multicultural groups when serving as a multicultural organization was not part of the intended purpose of the group. And I was just wondering what that means particularly for chapters of the organization that do have a relatively diverse member population, if that makes sense.

For many NPC/NIC members, it's easy to put everyone in the boxes of "NPC," "NIC," "NPHC," and "everyone else." And sometimes just "NPC/NIC" and "everyone else." It's my understanding that by not recognizing the differences between different types of Greek organizations, folks are doing a disservice to those organizations because recognition helps to understand differing points of view and approaches to functioning as a Greek Life organization.

So, basically, not understanding the general principles upon which different types of organizations were founded is poopy doo doo and I want to know if others agree and to what extent the poopy doo doo is.

Please forgive me for acting like dnall and generalizing my perceptions or those of people I know to mean that everyone views it that way.

Okay. :)

diverse membership =/= biculturalism or multiculturalism

agzg 04-13-2011 11:43 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Senusret I (Post 2046329)
And programming wise, how many multicultural organizations focus on majority culture with the same fervor as minority culture?

Are multicultural organizations truly multicultural, or are they "celebration of minority cultures" organizations?

Why do multicultural organizations probate/emerge/step and not have "Presents" or other traditions from majority cultures?

These are just questions.... I'm not sure that multicultural orgs necessarily include white cultures any more than bicultural orgs do.

But is that getting into a:
Q: Why is there no International Men's Day?
A: Because International Men's Day is the other 364 days of the year.

Type of thing?

agzg 04-13-2011 11:44 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DrPhil (Post 2046332)
Okay. :)

diverse membership =/= biculturalism or multiculturalism

Right that's exactly what I'm saying, and exactly what I believe a lot of people (of the majority especially) don't get. And that that's doody.

Senusret I 04-13-2011 11:48 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by agzg (Post 2046333)
But is that getting into a:
Q: Why is there no International Men's Day?
A: Because International Men's Day is the other 364 days of the year.

Type of thing?

Possibly. I don't disagree. But what of the white people who do join multicultural organizations? I would say there's nothing wrong with a white person wanting to see their individual culture(s) reflected in the programming of their own organization, without feeling bad about it.

(I am sure each organization handles this issue in its own way)

DrPhil 04-13-2011 11:49 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Senusret I (Post 2046329)
Why do multicultural organizations probate/emerge/step and not have "Presents" or other traditions from majority cultures?

These are just questions.... I'm not sure that multicultural orgs necessarily include white cultures any more than bicultural orgs do.

Bicultural and multicultural organizations contain more browns and blacks than whites. Beyond the Roberts Rules of Order and other logistics, these browns and blacks are going to do what they consider cultural and historically relevant to them.

There are reasons why BGLOs, for example, adopted some NIC and NPC traditions and not others.

DrPhil 04-13-2011 11:58 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by agzg (Post 2046333)
But is that getting into a:
Q: Why is there no International Men's Day?
A: Because International Men's Day is the other 364 days of the year.

Type of thing?

Yes, we already know that whiteness is the mainstream and dominant.

However, since whites also have race, and ethnicity, and culture it would be fitting that white cultures are celebrated. Whiteness as an assimilated ideal doesn't have to be celebrated but the different cultures that have assimilated into whiteness could be celebrated. There are campus organizations and cultural celebrations that do that at some schools. Students (including first generation Americans and those whose great-great grandparents immigrated to America) from different white diasporic cultures attend cultural events in which they wear traditional attire and share traditions. This has often been reserved for nonwhites except in cities that have cultural events for white ethnicities.

agzg 04-13-2011 12:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DrPhil (Post 2046342)
However, since whites also have race, and ethnicity, and culture it would be fitting that white cultures are celebrated. Whiteness as an assimilated ideal doesn't have to be celebrated but the different cultures that have assimilated into whiteness could be celebrated. There are campus organizations and cultural celebrations that do that at some schools. Students (including first generation Americans and those whose great-great grandparents immigrated to America) from different white diasporic cultures attend cultural events in which they wear traditional attire and share traditions. This has often been reserved for nonwhites except in cities that have cultural events for white ethnicities.

I don't disagree. But since I'm not a member of those groups I don't necessarily get a say in what they do or don't do, and the reasons why they do or don't do them. They certainly won't get a "but that's not faaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaair" from me, and I'm sure that they do the events and things that their membership wants to do.

DrPhil 04-13-2011 12:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by agzg (Post 2046344)
I don't disagree. But since I'm not a member of those groups I don't necessarily get a say in what they do or don't do, and the reasons why they do or don't do them. They certainly won't get a "but that's not faaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaair" from me, and I'm sure that they do the events and things that their membership wants to do.

We're just typing in a GC thread, right?

agzg 04-13-2011 01:01 PM

Yeah I'm rambling at this point. For whatever reason everything I've typed today (on GC and in work communications) has come off as rambly, whiney, or stupid.

Or all three.

I'm just copy/pasting then tweaking email responses from better days now so that the folks at work don't think I've caught a severe case of "idiot."

preciousjeni 04-13-2011 01:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Senusret I (Post 2046321)
I agree with this, but take it even further to suggest that bicultural organizations would specifically exclude anything they consider to be colonial or imperial (white) ideology. I am sure they would take a white member who was down for liberation and such, but the way that exemplify their ideals (say for example, Malik) is militant to the point of alienation.

Beta Kappa Sigma just initiated a woman *I believe* is their first white member at Ramapo College. From my understanding, she has close ties to the members of the organization, which initially prompted her interest. I can't say with certainty what her more developed reasons are for joining. (Not that she doesn't have good reasons... just that I am not privy to that information.)

Senusret I 04-13-2011 01:20 PM

Oh, Ramapo....

preciousjeni 04-13-2011 01:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Senusret I (Post 2046364)
Oh, Ramapo....

lol It's a very special place.


All times are GMT -4. The time now is 02:56 AM.

Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.11
Copyright ©2000 - 2025, vBulletin Solutions Inc.