much respect...
we all know that the young lady is not going to get a bid after this incident. well actually on the other hand maybe someone will extend her a bid so that there will be no further incidences. Some house that she was really interested in will eagerly extend her a bid so they can be the first to say..."look at us...we're not racist...see." But hey its doubtful.
as much as i'd like to believe that the gentleman in the article was inarticulate about the "feelings" of the fraternities and sororities at Alabama because of alcohol i can only shake my head and say...give me a break. at the very least the drunken "frat boy" probably expressed sentiments that he would have only expressed when drunk. i would give the reporter more credit that he probably attempted to find someone to "discuss" the greek system but was stonewalled. as we all know in most greek systems be they white or black there is something to be said for DISCRETION...in this time of diversity initiatives do you think anyone sober would have the balls to say, "yeah we aren't interested in anyone who isn't white." ummm...no.
and yes it is true that no one was there but the women in the houses and the young woman when she was going through rush. and ultimately when the bid vote was put on the table no one was there but the women in the houses. and yet, we all want to make excuses because we don't want to see the obvious discrimination.
"oh no my not integrated sorority would never discriminate" many of you are ready to run and say...and yet why is it in 2001 there are no blacks in the white greek system in Alabaman and yes, in other places in this nation. and yes, wine & blue *no disrespect* but i, like many other people of color, still look at Alabama the state as one of the most resistant to people of color. and until all people work to change this...that opinion is not going to change. and this "greek system debacle" is just a small symptom of a larger statewide and admittedly nationwide problem.
on other issues of discrimination because a young woman is overweight, too shy, too unkempt etc. etc. i think those are despicable(sp?) too. and possibly a young woman who experienced losing a bid because of the above examples would not have gotten the press that this young woman did. which in my opinion would be unfortunate because that would say something even more dastardly about a system that promotes sisterhood and service. and yet at the same time is extremely superficial.
the young woman, what i would consider to be a BAP (Black American Princess), had no reason not to believe that she wouldn't be accepted. Money, confidence, GPA, Pride, lineage all told her the same thing...you are the best! and in many ways she was probably "better" than her counterparts who did receive bids. She will have to take her lumps with the rest of the women that didn't receive bids...but only her lumps are served with a side of reality. You see...those other girls who for example didn't receive bids because they were shy, overweight, unkempt could change those things...but her skin color will stay the same.
i would describe the lesson that she learned as being much like the "lesson" that Tiger Woods learned when he won his first PGA Masters Tournament and a fellow golfer, Fuzzy Zoeller "jokingly" said "that little boy" better not order collard greens and fried chicken at the Champions Dinner. He learned that he could call himself Cablasian if he wanted to...but in many eyes he was still black. And she learned that she may have been the best but her skin color spoke volumes.
Peace
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