[FuzzieAlum]

I think people, when they do negative or bad things, are frequently regarded as "examples" of their group - especially to outsiders. In this case, they were Greeks and white.

It's especially true when their behavior conforms to our suspicions. If a black man is arraigned on murder charges, you know some people think, "Oh, another black male criminal." If a white man is arraigned on the same charges, people don't look to his race - they latch onto the fact that he lived in a trailer park, for example.

And whether we like it or not, lots of people think the NPC and IFC Greeks are a bunch of stuck-up white dumb snobs. So they see a bunch of good ole boys pulling a stupid racist stunt, and it does confirm their stereotypes.

If I do something, someone out there is going to take it as being typical of (take your pick) women, blondes, sorority chicks, AXDs, English majors, whites, liberals, etc., depending on what I do and what context they are viewing me from. Let's say I get drunk and puke at a party; Miss GDI will say, "That makes sorority chicks look stupid," whereas Miss Rival Chapter says, "That makes the AXDs look so bad."

Now I'm not suggesting everyone thinks this way. But a lot of people do, consciously or unconsciously. And I'm certainly not suggesting we OUGHT to think this way.

Hey, as a white person or a Greek, I may not like being represented in someone's mind by these chapters. But I understand that people are going to do it.