Quote:
Originally posted by concerned451
i'm just feeling things out, and i may have perceived what you wrote incorrectly since i obviously don't know your intent, however, it seems to me that you're merely attempting to back pedal out of a statement that you must admit sounds indicative of encouraging people to avoid exposure. am i wrong?
you're the one who wrote "bad press", so yes, you tagged the media coverage as "bad", but then you go on to say that you DON"T believe the media coverage to be bad. given the nature of this incident that involves deception and blatant irresponsibility, i read your statement "come on people, we should all know by now not to put anything in writing" as more or less a blanket statement regarding how to handle or "get around" matters. maybe i'm reading things too literally, however, people think in language, and i happen to believe that language ultimately gives people away everytime, despite any Orwellian "doublspeak" (i.e. DISCRETION)soft language that only exists to cover and obsfucate truth. it's rampant everywhere in this culture, not just the greek system. i'm willing to bet that the girl who did write that email is denying doing anything wrong at all, and if there had been no email and the encouragement of lying was done only word of mouth, if someone was tipped off about it, most people would deny there being any truth to the "rumor" - so that's why i read your comment about not putting anything in writing the way i did.
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Um, I'm not trying to backpedal out of anything. I didn't imply that people should always cover up mistakes or avoid exposure, and if I did, I'm sorry you took it that way. See the little winking smiley-face next to the statement? That means that my statement was made in less-than-literal tone.
As for me saying the media coverage is bad then saying it's not bad, again, I didn't do that. I think you're interpreting my words wrong. I do think that the media coverage is "bad press" for this girl and her sorority - she made a HUGE mistake and now her sorority has been cast in a negative light. I think it's bad press because now there's a chance that even just one person who reads the story will get a negative image of Greeks and Greek life. However, I think it's good coverage for the Red Cross because now people know that, "Hey, if I got a tattoo 8 months ago, I shouldn't give blood." It's also good because now fellow Greeks see that, "Hey, making a competition out of donating blood might not be such a bright idea. Let's just collect can tabs or clothes next year. Or, instead of forcing our members to donate blood which could lead to deception, let's just sponsor a blood drive in the spirit of philanthropy and human goodness and not in the spirit of competition."
Personally, I think that yes, the girl was wrong, but she was just being over-zealous. I wouldn't donate if I were sick or in a high-risk group or whatever, because I certainly wouldn't want to be on the receiving end of that pint of blood. However, I think she learned her lesson (as did her sisters), and "punishing" them by taking away the points for what they already earned (I think that's what someone mentioned happened) is not what's called for in this situation. I think a formal apology to the Red Cross (and all those involved) is in order, as well as hosting a blood drive later in the year independent of Greek Week, or something to that effect. Possibly a program to educate fellow Greeks and university students about risks associated with donating blood when you really shouldn't be doing so.