Glee insulting a GLO
 

Sooo I love the show Glee, but in tonight's episode I was extremely upset with Puck saying the phrase "Easy DZ." As a Delta Zeta, it is extremely insulting to me and my organization. It makes our organization look bad nationally, and whether people got the "joke" or not...it still falls on us. I do not want people seeing Delta Zeta as a whole being known as easy. Just throwing that out there! :mad:

I'm pretty sure people have been saying "Easy DZ" well before you were even born. Guess what -- DZ's doing just fine.

You can't stop people from saying stuff about your GLO. Do you really think DZ's reputation will hurt because of what some silly little boy said on Glee? I think not.

I had that thought earlier. Mindlink?

I didn't see the episode so I don't know the context in which it was used, but I have a feeling it wasn't intended to be a direct slam toward Delta Zeta.

Granted, I'm a member of a different organization so I can't speak for members of DZ.

Well... in the scene Puck talks about bringing an entire sorority to a Valentine's day party because "they don't call them the Easy-DZs for nothing"

He then goes on about how he "ploughed through the entire house one room after the other"

Well, the Tri Delta skits on Saturday Night Live could have been taken as really offensive to them since it did make them look like dingy, vapid sorority girls. They chose to take it in the correct context and (I believe) had fun with it. Remember the statement that all press is good press. If they're big, cool, powerful enough to be named in particular, they must really be something, right? That's how you should take this mention of your sorority.

DubaiSis is right, LSuz. Don't worry about it. Just about every sorority has a "not very nice" nickname and last night just happened to be our turn for a shout out. Besides, the girls were wearing "Lima University" t-shirts and we don't have a chapter there :) Well, actually, it's a made-up school so that makes sense...

Oh, and let me add that I don't think Nationals is too worried about the EZ DZ trope since they had no problem with Drexel University's chapter being called Epsilon Zeta ;)

I can see why the OP would be upset. While I know it has been a saying for years and that there is one for every sorority out there. I am not sure it should be written in to a popular show. It is little degrading especially in the context of the line used on the show last night.

I'm not seeing this as being a big deal. Anyone who isn't Greek probably wouldn't recoginize it as being a slam directed toward Delta Zeta, and anyone who is Greek knows that that's not how it really is.

All the negatives about Greek life are plastered all over the tv, newspapers, magazines, etc. I'm not sure it really matters that they mentioned a particular GLO. In the long run, I don't think it's going to change anyone's opinion, whether they think highly of Greek life or not.

And of course, any intelligent viewer of Glee considers the source: this is Puck we're talking about, whose comments on matters like this rarely should be taken at face value -- they say more about him than about the girls he's talking about.

(That is, unless he's changed a lot this season -- we've recorded all the episodes so far but haven't watched any yet.)

Exactly -- I'll bet the typical non-Greek doesn't even put together that DZ = Delta Zeta = an actual international sorority.

I think it's okay to be offended, but realize that there isn't much you can do about it. Boycott Glee if it makes you feel better! It would make me feel better, because I hate that show.:D

Puck confused Eggs Benedict and Benedict Arnold, so no, he hasn't changed this season.

I caught it when he said it but didn't really think much of it other than "I wonder what GreekChat will have to say about it".

Surprisingly, I actually do think this is a big deal.

People have called my fraternity "Gay Phi Gay" instead of APhiA since before I was born, too, and I would still be pretty offended if a fictional character said that on a popular tv show. And while rational people KNOW all DZs aren't easy and all Alpha aren't gay (not that there's anything wrong with that) it still threatens the brand of the organization.

Yet and still, your only recourse as a member is to take the complaint to your national leadership and see if they will approach Glee for an apology of some sort.

Ah, alright :o

Without seeing the episode I figured maybe he was in a confrontation with someone and was like, "Whoa there, easy-deesy!"

Knowing this, I definitely see where OP is coming from.

I haven't seen the show yet. It's on the DVR. From what I've read here, I do kind of think that it isn't that big a deal. Every GLO has multiple insulting takes on their names.

However, I also think that the show could have made the same or a similar joke without actually calling out an actual organization. It's not that hard to come up with another fictional set of letters.

I agree. It wasn't the nicest thing for the writers to slip in there, but unless your letters were displayed inappropriately or they specifically named your org (not just a nick name), I would just let it slide.... there are so many worse things that could have been said or shown.

And again, its Puck. his character motivation is getting with older women

Well didn't they specifically call out Delta Zeta by saying DZ? Some groups are more known by their nick name than their actual proper names (i.e. Pikes, Tekes, Dekes, SigEp, Kappas, etc etc etc)

But how many non-Greeks are familiar with the nicknames? I had no clue what a DZ/Tri-Delta/TKE/FIJI was until I became Greek.

I'm sure the only people who caught the jab were Greek themselves.

Ummmm....no they didn't. If I remember correctly, a lawsuit was mentioned.

Anytime anyone asks me if I've heard "the song about Chi-Os," I say, "No, I haven't." It usually makes for an awkward moment for the person who asked me, because I just continue to stare at them.

I feel like most Greeks are rational enough to know that the negative nicknames and songs don't portray the organization as a whole. Granted, I'd probably be offended for a short while if he had used something like "A O Pigs", but it wouldn't last. I hope the positive influence AOII has had in the lives of so many people is enough to outweigh an immature nickname. :)

FWIW, my non-Greek mother watches Glee and didn't pick up on the allusion.

So does that makes it ok? I don't watch Glee but I found out about the reference via some facebook posts from DZ's who weren't very amused by the reference. Who are you (generally speaking) to say it's not a big deal or they shouldn't be offended by the reference?

Because, as others have said before, we all have negative nicknames attached to our GLOs. Most Greeks have enough sense to know that they shouldn't be taken seriously.

They did not sue. While I'm sure some individuals said things like "they/we should sue," I would be very surprised if Tri Delta seriously considered it, both because the likelihood of winning would have been almost non-existant and because the possible negative publicity from that would have far outweighed any negative publicity from the skit itself.

Here are two articles that touch both on the "Delta Delta Delta" skit and the wider issue of mentioning GLOs in unflattering ways in entertainment:

The Daily Pennsylvanian -- "TriDelt sisters in snit over SNL skit" (Jan. 14, 1992)

The Daily Campus -- "TV's 'Greek': Get Real (Aug. 29, 2007)

The second article was written by the Senior Director of Operations for Tri Delta. In it she says:

Meanwhle, the first article has this:

I'm not suggesting that anyone is "wrong" to feel offended when their letters are used in this way. But I do think that making a fuss over it can exacerbate things while shrugging it off takes some of the sting out.

I have to agree. The more you throw a fit also brings more attention to it as well. If you want people who didn't notice it to notice it, bring it up some more. Then everyone will know about the EZ DZ moniker.

Um, because there are more important things in life to worry about, besides what some fictional character said on a tv show that only a fraction of the population watches.

Also I think it is different then the SNL skit. In the skit they portrayed members as fitting the sorority stereotype. In this, it is one idiot repeating a stereotype. I honestly fail to see how this is a big deal.

And...it was repeated several weeks. I can't remember how many skits they did with this idea with Delta Delta Delta repeated multiple times during each skit.

I agree. If I were in charge of branding for my GLO, I would be pissed. They took a REAL organization's name, repeated a frequently used negative nickname, and then added the context to make it even worse. Think about how hard our organizations work to debunk the myths of greek life, particularly the "sorostitute" stereotype. We can't do anything about it when shows make up fake sororities/fraternities, but it's a whole 'nother deal when they use a real organization's name.

Glee is a very popular TV show with a young audience that obsesses over its characters, plot lines and performances, and therefore it holds a lot of power when it says or does anything. I hope DZ is all over Glee, Fox and the production company for an apology (at least one on their Facebook page, which has more than 18 million fans. If I were them I'd also be talking to them about making good by posting a DZ video (I'm sure they have one) on their Facebook page so fans can see what the organization is REALLY all about.

Honestly I think I have more of an issue with a popular tv show slamming a false stereotype on a GLO in general. It doesn't matter if they mention a real organization or a made up one, they are still portraying GLOs nationally in a poor light. That is what peeves me, and we should be working hard to dispel these slander and misconceptions. I know I didn't join a GLO for the kegs and sex. I joined it to further my career, open up networking, and learn leadership skills I wouldn't get in the classroom.

well said, it is true.it is unfortunate that the stereotypes persist, but there isn't too much you can do about it other than work hard to build a good reputation for yourself, your org, your campus, etc. kicking up a fuss because a passing comment was made on tv will just bring more attention to the stereotypes portrayed.

As stated earlier I can understand the OP being a little upset.
I have to say I was watching Glee with my D who will be going thru recruitment next fall. When it was looked at me and said is true, do people really say that about them. I told her that all sororities have nicknames and not to take stock in it. (I have been specifically been just talking about Greek Life in general the last couple of years so she will keep an open mind during the process)

You know, at first when I read the OP's post, I understood the annoyance, but figured this:
Puck's character is a womanizing jerk, so consider the source.

But, the more I read through these comments, the more I thought that we, as a Greek community, SHOULD fight back against negative stereotypes when we see them in popular media. How can we expect people to stop perpetuating these stereotypes if we don't make it known that they're unacceptable?

This doesn't mean that we have to become rabid extremists about it - nobody likes "that guy". But an organized, ongoing, respectful reproach of this kind of rhetoric might do us all a lot of good. Our organizations spend so much time, energy, and resources to be so much, much more than the one-dimensional characterizations we get in the media.

This also leads me to a general complaint about the way women are portrayed, both in the media, and by society - slutty stereotypes are perpetuated for ANY group of women or girls. Glee has used the "slutty cheerleader" trope since the beginning of the series. Friday Night Lights used to do the same thing about the rally girls. Any mention of an all-girls school gets pretty much the same reaction. And these are MINORS we're talking about. The flip side is when women are "prudes" with no sense of humor or any other redeeming qualities.There's this razor thin line between slut and prude that women are supposed to balance on, and any deviation from it is socially unacceptable. I think that this has just as much to do with that "EZ DZ" comment as general Greek stereotypes.

I spent too much time crafting my earlier response (and eating dinner/leftover chocolate), and missed these responses, which I soooo agree with:

Yes... which is why it's important to approach it the right way. If we're too angry in our response, we lose people and get made fun of on the Daily Show. We have to push back respectfully and point out how much energy our organizations spend UNDOING these negative images and false information.

YES! EXACTLY.

YES! Totally agree.

I will say that my comments are not targeted at DZ. We as a group do enough to continue these stereotypes and bad comments. As much as we all proclaim our interest in networking, sisterhood/brotherhood, philanthropy and academics, we continually have very highly publicized incidents of hazing, underage alcohol abuse, and other bad behavior that continues to color the public's views of our organizations. A character on a show using an ugly nickname for a group that was made up by other Greeks, by the way, is the least of our problems. Focusing on improving our reputations by cutting out the bad behavior that legitimately gives us those reputations despite all the good work we do is more important. Insisting that they "respect us" will just result in a round of "elitist", "buying friends" etc comments.

I don't think the writers set out to "intentionally" target DZ as I think people believe they did. I think that 1. they were looking at the source of who was making the comment (Puck, which hello, enough said there) and 2. what rhymes with "easy". Heck, which I watched the episode I didn't even catch the "letters" he said.

But I also wouldn't be offended either, because 1. it's a T.V. and 2. the character is a male whore.

First off as a TV show why anyone is taking it seriously I don't understand, but for those who are taking it seriously (I would want to ask why?), look at who said the line!

If it was like a news report, 20/20, Dateline NBC, The Today Show, Good Morning America that made the comment, well yeah I could understand being offended because those are news shows that report facts. Glee is a T.V. that is fake.

So I don't get why some are offended.

And if anyone asks "how would you feel if the comment was about ADPi". I still wouldn't be offended, because I don't take T.V. shows seriously. I would have thought it was funny.

The reason I would take something like this seriously is because, like it or not, casual tv influences our culture. After all it was "Animal House" that started the whole ordeal. People pick up what they see on tv and in the theaters. If its on a popular tv show, people will be more open to what they have to say.

Um, I have a huge problem with this and I'm not even a DZ. I think a lot of people who are giving "political" answers would be up in arms if it was their org. I don't think Glee should have done this.

Trust me, labeling the Greeks started long before this.

The point he makes is true regardless of whether it started with Animal House or not.

How many non-Greeks do y'all think even caught the reference?