"Multicultural" Lingo Mix Up?
 

hello all!

I have found it odd that throughout many campuses, the Greek Life department has decided to dub all cultural organizations as 'Multicultural Orgs', it later hit on my campus as well. I find it rather...confusing as do many regular folks, especially when we have an event like Meet the Greeeks.

The lingo has gone on to have Latino and Asian orgs (more latino than Asians) to say that they are the largest multicultural orgs on campus...while they may mean well, what does this mean to ACTUAL multicultural orgs who may want to get on campus?

I think alot of Mainstream orgs think that because many Latin and even Asian orgs have a multicultural membership that they are actually multicultural, i thought the same of this particular Latina org. What do you all think? Should people stop using "Multicultural" to describe Cultural Orgs (think in regards to PR as many Ethnic orgs are selling this way).

Be sure to check out the following threads:

http://greekchat.com/gcforums/showthread.php?t=60191
http://greekchat.com/gcforums/showthread.php?t=49042

They're pretty interesting reads!

I totally agree, also people need to remember that there is a difference between culture and race. If we really wanted to we could call every GLO a multicultural organization, because they are! (But that's not their mission.) I have noticed this on my campus as well.

No.

You probably did not understand what I meant, I know that those organization's missions are not to promote multiculturalism, but just because people are of the same race does not mean that they are of the same culture, so I meant that those orgs are probably in the literal sense "multicultural" and you cannot argue with that because again it seems as if we are confusing race and culture.

I know what you meant. I know the difference between race and culture.

"No" is my response.

TRUTH!!! and its actually ethnicity...not race, but i digress...

Anywho, to answer the original question, I don't think it is RIGHT to call any organization multicultural if that is not what they were founded on, nor is it right to change the history of your organization to make it seem as if your organization was founded on multiculturalism. (This is completely different from what I said before, I know, I was just typing some BS on here sorry, I had just gotten up and was thinking weird, and read my posts later and wondered what the hell I was talking about, so this is the way I really feel.)

Thank you for citing these posts. We've definitely had this conversation before.