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OK, well argued, dzrose.
So in response, I’ll not make any generalizations or assumptions and I’ll just shoot straight from the hip.
On the “it was going to be melted down unless I bought it” excuse…
On a macro level, I do honestly believe this. OK, if tomorrow I pass on a DZ badge, obviously a sister will be there to bid on it. Obviously it won’t get melted down. I think the point we try to make is, without us, very little of the ebay demand would have ever been there in the first place. Without collectors, most of you would still be unaware of the problem of loose badges. And I believe 100% that right now, today, badges stand a better chance of going “home” with collectors in the world.
It is quite clear that collectors are no longer AS necessary to the “badge saving” equation as we used to be. And you’re right - most people didn’t start collecting out of some grand desire to perform a public service to the greek world. But regardless of what our intentions were in collecting badges “way back when”, a lot of badges WERE saved because of us, which is why we also take it personally when we read some of the nasty things you ladies sometimes say in anger.
Question: Why can’t you go as high in the bidding as a collector? We’re just people with normal jobs in our 20s, 30s and 40s. We really don’t have unlimited income. This is important to us, so it’s what we choose to spend our money on. It’s a spending priority for us, so perhaps that’s why we APPEAR to have so much money.
The fact that some national GLO officers (past and present) are badge collectors would seem to contradict your claim that this practice is somehow disrespectful to greeks.
Having bought and sold quite a few badges on ebay, I can tell you that these “friendly” emails from sisters are hardly ever friendly. Not that that justifies a smartass response, of course. Just pointing out that this is not a one-sided issue.
My research into GLOs goes quite a bit beyond the material contained in pledge manuals and websites. If you’d like me to prove that you in the specific case of Delta Zeta, I will. Privately, of course.
You know, you ask some tough questions there. I’ll just answer for myself. Ultimately it comes down to how I choose to “celebrate” being greek. How I choose to strengthen my own bond. The joy I get from searching for these important bits of history outweighs the objections. I’ve made great friends, I’ve learned a lot about my own organization and others, and I’ve passed on some of that learning to others who became inspired to learn more about their org. Don’t know if other collectors would answer the same way. And maybe that answer doesn’t make me the nicest person in the world in your opinion. If that’s selfish, then so be it. It’s the truth.
wptw
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