Alpha Phi Alpha in pop-culture

[Blackwatch]

I was reading a thread on Omega Psi Phi Ave. where the online magazine HotGirl.com interviewed some members of Omega about their community service and parties. On the post was a link to the site where there was a picture of a few Omegas posing in their letters. There were also links to some of the "Hotgirl Online models", who were black women who were scantally clad, remeniscent of the rap videos that are out today. At the beginning of the post, the poster noted that though the article was superficial, he did appreciate the pub for the fraternity. I have never heard of Hotgirl magazine, but it seems to me to be exploitive of women, though I'm sure that there are many who would think differently.

In the past few years I have noticed an alarming trend, the popular "thug culture" of hip-hop is making its way into fraternities. I have noticed several rap videos that have featured in them Kappas and Sigmas stepping with canes (C-Murda's "Touch Dem") and Omegas stomping (that marching song that was out a few years ago with the guy from Atlanta, I will research and get the name of the rapper and the song.) One time my wife saw one of the videos and commented on why would a fraternity be associated on a national media scale with rappers who openly advocate for drug and alcohol consumption, violence and mysogyny? I noted that you wouldn't see Alpha Phi Alpha associated with anything on a national media scale like that. I actually told her that nationals has to clear something like that, but I really wasn't sure.

Question, should there be a national mandate to prevent some bruhs from entering into contracts to appear in these media outlets (soft core pornographic magazines and rap videos)?

Question for all my frat brothers, As a man of Alpha, do you think there is more of a responsibility to make sure that Alpha Phi Alpha is not seen in this light (moreso than Omega, Kappa, and Sigma) because we are the first and the standard bearers (set the example) for African American fraternal life?

Blackwatch!!!!!!

[Professor]

As a member of Alpha I would like to be able to say that if I go out and get drunk and act in some manner that is not honorable it would have no bearing on my membership. However, as you know, regardless if I have on para. or not folk will still say Professor is drunk - isn't he an Alpha. My point being is that we have responsibility to our family, to our community and to Alpha.

. . . i have to go but will finish shortly

[sphinxpoet]

Phirst of all I think we need to take a look of how we as NPHC orgs are being displayed on TV and Magazines. That being said I went over the the Omega room and read the article. As a whole I think the article fails to touch on really anything of substance. We need to set a higher standard in our langauge, the way we address people and our behavior. I think if there is a "thug" greek out there it is because of the culture of the society. It is now more acceptable to be a thug than it is to be a college educated student. The more we accept this kind of behavior the more it will increase.

I have to say Alpha and All the other Frats are more than just a COUPLE of community programs, stepping/strolling/hopping and parties. We are servants of the community, scholorship, High standards of men, and brothers. We need the best but our best is not available to us as the article below expresses.

06! Sphinxpoet

See Below Article for reference:

Subject: Gender Gap in Higher Education
>
>
>By Tanu Henry
>
>Back to school at Howard University in Washington, DC, the campus
comes
>alive
>with crowds of young, excited students. Fraternities and sororities
are
>strutting their stuff, folks are moving into dorms, the sounds of the
>marching band practicing rises into the summer air as the campus all
around
>bustles with activity - proof that the fall semester has officially
begun.
>But behind this idyllic, A-Different-World-style picture lies an
upsetting
>reality: women continue to outnumber men - not just on this campus but
at
>colleges across America - at growing ratios. This June, a
record-breaking
>high of 57% of new college graduates were women.
>
>The statistics get worse in black America, where studies show that
black
>women earn college degrees at a rate almost two times that of men. At
>historically black colleges and universities, some schools report
margins
>even steeper. At Clark Atlanta University in Atlanta, for example, the
>student body is a whopping 71% female. And at Morgan State's
graduation in
>Baltimore last year, two-thirds of the graduates and nearly the same
amount
>of honor students were female. Pick almost any HBCU, walk on the yard
and
>the
>scenario is similar: hundreds of sharp, ambitious black women
studying,
>organizing, representing their sororities or just hanging out. The
black
>men
>
>might as well be an endangered species.
>
>The situation is disturbing on a number of levels. Beyond the obvious
>concern
>about future employment opportunities for black men who do not have
college
>degrees, some voice concerns about the social impact on the African
>American
>
>community at large - particularly when it comes to dating, marriage
and the
>formation of families.
>
>"Men leave these environments where they are outnumbered by 10 to 1
feeling
>as if they are entitled to four or more women at one time, and women
leave
>feeling that they have to man-share," says Frank Matthews, publisher
of
>Black
>Issues in Higher Education.
>
>In addition, recent months have seen a proliferation of articles on
the
>sharp
>increase of marriage between black women and white men. The Atlanta
Journal
>Constitution, describing the phenomenon as "a quiet revolution,"
quotes
>black
>women decrying the lack of college-educated black men to date, let
alone
>marry.
>
>"Black colleges," Matthews continues, "have a responsibility to
actively
>recruit black males and work to retain them."
>
>Everyone agrees it's a problem. But the causes are harder to parse.
The
>popular explanation during the '80s and '90s was that black men were
more
>likely to succumb to drugs, gangs and prison. But new statistics point
to
>other social factors. A study conducted by the University of
California at
>Los Angeles found that women generally study harder then men, have
higher
>career and personal goals and spend more time preparing for their
future.
>The
>same study found that male high school students are likely to spend
their
>time watching television, playing video games, partying and exercising
than
>studying or planning for their futures.
>
>David Williams, an 11th grade reading teacher at Homestead Senior High
>School
>near Miami, remembers first witnessing the trend during his
undergraduate
>years at Wilberforce University in Ohio. There were "definitely more
women
>on
>campus," he says, and those female students typically outperformed the
men
>there. Sadly, says Williams, he sees the same pattern among the
teenagers
>in
>
>his classroom.
>
>"I think males in general - not just black males - are more pressured
by
>their peers to perform below standard and seek negative attention than
>their
>
>female counterparts," he says. "Women, on the other hand, I notice,
are
>better prepared by their families to leave the nest, get out there on
their
>own and become independent."
>
>So, is it just a case of boys being boys? Or are there circumstances
>particular to the African American experience that may explain the
>disparity.
>According to Carmen Cannon, Director of Admissions at Howard,
historically
>black men have not had much of an incentive to pursue college degrees
-
>even
>
>when they had the opportunity. Male children, she points out, were
expected
>to provide economic support to their families, often forcing them to
work
>full-time while still in high school, or dropping out of school to
work.
>And
>
>then, men have benefited from gender inequity in the workforce -
>"historically, females have required more education to get jobs that
are
>equal in pay to those of their male peers."
>
>Black women have gone to college for a variety of reasons, some
different
>than those of black men - in the past, for instance, many enrolled to
find
>a
>
>husband (ask your mother or grandmother about women seeking the
elusive
>"M.R.S" degree). As women have increasingly entered the workforce,
black
>women have joined their white sisters in seeking higher education at a
>faster-growing pace than men. Black women ought to be lauded for these
>achievements, not held responsible for the skewed ratios.
>
>Still, the numbers are alarming to many. How to solve such an
entrenched
>problem? Isaac J. Black, a former New York social worker and author of
a
>college guide for African American college students, says he has seen
in
>his
>
>interactions with young black males that "the brainiac gets no props.
Our
>boys are being bombarded with negative images, have little support,
few
>mentors and are, sadly, too often left unattended by their fathers."
>
>Eric Ward, Associate Director of Admissions at Lincoln University in
>Pennsylvania - where the ratio of women to men is more than 3 to 1,
says
>the
>
>low enrollment of black males constantly frustrates him.
>
>"You definitely see it when you go out to recruit. Women show more
interest
>and more women apply than men do," he said. "Many of our young men
have
>unrealistic expectations. They all want to go into sports and
>entertainment.
>
>But then again, how do you convince a kid with several unemployed,
>college-educated relatives to go to college?"
>
>Ward says his frustration led to him founding, along with his son, the
Nu
>Juice Foundation, a non-profit venture based in Philadelphia. His
>organization finds mentors for African American boys in middle school
and
>tries to steer them towards college.
>
>In inner cities and suburbs and even in affluent black communities
(where
>underachievement is just as prevalent and the numbers of men going to
>college
>are just as dismal) organizations are sprouting up to help prepare
boys for
>college.
>
>Some small victories have emerged. Black Issues in Higher Education's
>Matthews reserves high praise for two HBCUs - Benedict College in
South
>Carolina and Edward Waters College in Florida - that have actively
sought
>and
>enrolled black men, leveling the gender ratio to almost 1 to 1 ratios.
>Maybe
>
>soon back to school will become an equal-opportunity event in the
black
>community.
>
>First published: August 29, 2002

[Professor]

On the other hand, as members of BGLOs how can we we get pissed if one of our members is in a rap video. Hell, we buy and listen to music so why not be in the video. To me, its' the same thing.

On the issue of ratios, we must understand that there are more women than men. I'm not surprised by a 3:1 ratio.

[Ideal08]

Originally posted by Professor
On the other hand, as members of BGLOs how can we we get pissed if one of our members is in a rap video. Hell, we buy and listen to music so why not be in the video. To me, its' the same thing.

According to your logic, if you buy and watch pornos, you should wear your letters in those, too? I'm just messin', lol, but I couldn't resist, lmao. I'll leave yall alone and let yall get back to the topic at hand. heehee

lmao

[sphinxpoet]

Originally posted by Ideal08


According to your logic, if you buy and watch pornos, you should wear your letters in those, too? I'm just messin', lol, but I couldn't resist, lmao. I'll leave yall alone and let yall get back to the topic at hand. heehee

lmao

LOL You are no good!

Sphinxpoet

[Professor]

Let me know when you are ready for a close up - I bet that I can make you Skee Wee

According to your logic, if you buy and watch pornos, you should wear your letters in those, too? I'm just messin', lol, but I couldn't resist, lmao. I'll leave yall alone and let yall get back to the topic at hand. heehee

lmao [/B][/QUOTE]

[Blackwatch]

I agree with you Professor, it would be hard to object to bruhs in the videos if there are bruhs that buy the albums and listen to the music. My thing is that by appearing in the videos with letters on, it is associating not just individual bruhs with the music, but they are now associating the fraternity with the music. I was wondering what bruhs thought about the fraternity being affiliated with the music or magazines and the such.

This reminds me, when I was an undergrad, I wanted the bruhs to throw a party that would not feature any mysogynistic music whatsoever, but the bruhs thought that we would loose to much money because no one would come . I thought we could make a very powerful statement with a party like that, but parties are expensive to throw, and since we had recently been reinstated, the funds just weren't there. What does everyone think?

P.S. I haven't seen any Alpha letters in any of these videos. Has anyone seen this?

Blackwatch!!!!

[AKA2D '91]

Originally posted by Professor
Let me know when you are ready for a close up - I bet that I can make you Skee Wee

[/B][/QUOTE]

Shame on you...isn't that how you got "caught up before"?

[librasoul22]

Originally posted by Professor
On the other hand, as members of BGLOs how can we we get pissed if one of our members is in a rap video. Hell, we buy and listen to music so why not be in the video. To me, its' the same thing.

On the issue of ratios, we must understand that there are more women than men. I'm not surprised by a 3:1 ratio.

Actually in the grand scheme of things, women only make up 51% of the population.

Also, I can't remember who posted this, but the video was Drama "Left Right Left"

[sphinxpoet]

Originally posted by librasoul22


Actually in the grand scheme of things, women only make up 51% of the population.

Also, I can't remember who posted this, but the video was Drama "Left Right Left"

I think it was Ques and I remember a video with Snoop that had Kappas, Ques and Sigmas in it.

Sphinxpoet

[ClassyLady]

If it is in poor taste for members of BGLOs to be in the videos for these types of songs, is it in equally poor taste for them to play these songs and/or do line dances to them at parties?

I ask this because at my school, just about every fraternity or sorority has a dance that they do to C-Murder's "F*** Them Other N*****". And, quite a few have dances that they do to Ludacris' new song "Move B****." These organizations have become heavily associated with these songs on my campus. Should they discontinue line dancing/strolling to these songs?

[Finer Woman10-A-91]

stepping in a video was Vanilla Ice...ya'll know that chant...and the step...and the org affiliated. That was somewhere around '90.

Anyhoo from an NPHC place I say thumbs down on US exploited in music videos...and boo hiss to the groups that bite our steps for show!

[DoggyStyle82]

Originally posted by Blackwatch
I was reading a thread on Omega Psi Phi Ave. where the online magazine HotGirl.com interviewed some members of Omega about their community service and parties. On the post was a link to the site where there was a picture of a few Omegas posing in their letters. There were also links to some of the "Hotgirl Online models", who were black women who were scantally clad, remeniscent of the rap videos that are out today. At the beginning of the post, the poster noted that though the article was superficial, he did appreciate the pub for the fraternity. I have never heard of Hotgirl magazine, but it seems to me to be exploitive of women, though I'm sure that there are many who would think differently.

In the past few years I have noticed an alarming trend, the popular "thug culture" of hip-hop is making its way into fraternities. I have noticed several rap videos that have featured in them Kappas and Sigmas stepping with canes (C-Murda's "Touch Dem") and Omegas stomping (that marching song that was out a few years ago with the guy from Atlanta, I will research and get the name of the rapper and the song.) One time my wife saw one of the videos and commented on why would a fraternity be associated on a national media scale with rappers who openly advocate for drug and alcohol consumption, violence and mysogyny? I noted that you wouldn't see Alpha Phi Alpha associated with anything on a national media scale like that. I actually told her that nationals has to clear something like that, but I really wasn't sure.

Question, should there be a national mandate to prevent some bruhs from entering into contracts to appear in these media outlets (soft core pornographic magazines and rap videos)?

Question for all my frat brothers, As a man of Alpha, do you think there is more of a responsibility to make sure that Alpha Phi Alpha is not seen in this light (moreso than Omega, Kappa, and Sigma) because we are the first and the standard bearers (set the example) for African American fraternal life?

Blackwatch!!!!!!

Blackwatch, thanks for your vigilance. Just two things. First, in the Drama video for "Left Right Left", the "soldiers" were not wearing Omega letters or colors. Although I've heard the song many times, I couldn't tell you if the lyrics were thuggish or misogynistic. Snoop Dogg had a video called "Woof" which featured Greeks except for Alphas that I recall. Don't know the lyrical content of that song.

As for the magazine piece, I never looked at the rest of the website. The writer appeared to be much like a "groupie" or an admirer of the undergrads. It was a fluff piece, just like many of the threads on Greekchat can be. It seems to have been intended for a very narrow and superficial audience. I also did not "appreciate the pub for the fraternity". Omega doesn't need any pub. My comment was on the fact that someone showed loved for the Bruhs (cause we never seem to get any).

I'm not sure what you mean by "seen in this light". I don't believe that Omega represents itself through pornography by some undergrads being interviewed by a womens magazine, nor promotes misogyny by a couple of Bruhs appearing in a video.

Lastly, Omega doesn't follow any other orgs lead. What Alphas choose not to do or participate in is fully up to them.

[Blackwatch]

Originally posted by DoggyStyle82

Blackwatch, thanks for your vigilance. Just two things. First, in the Drama video for "Left Right Left", the "soldiers" were not wearing Omega letters or colors. Although I've heard the song many times, I couldn't tell you if the lyrics were thuggish or misogynistic. Snoop Dogg had a video called "Woof" which featured Greeks except for Alphas that I recall. Don't know the lyrical content of that song.

As for the magazine piece, I never looked at the rest of the website. The writer appeared to be much like a "groupie" or an admirer of the undergrads. It was a fluff piece, just like many of the threads on Greekchat can be. It seems to have been intended for a very narrow and superficial audience. I also did not "appreciate the pub for the fraternity". Omega doesn't need any pub. My comment was on the fact that someone showed loved for the Bruhs (cause we never seem to get any).

I'm not sure what you mean by "seen in this light". I don't believe that Omega represents itself through pornography by some undergrads being interviewed by a womens magazine, nor promotes misogyny by a couple of Bruhs appearing in a video.

Lastly, Omega doesn't follow any other orgs lead. What Alphas choose not to do or participate in is fully up to them.

Ah Yes, I love conversing with the Men of Omega Osi Phi because you always seem to have the most zeal in the discussions. I think you guys call it "Enthusiam" or something like that. Doggeystyle, the danger with zeal and enthusiasm is that sometimes they can inspire you, but they don't necessarily inform you. Case in point, in your zeal to show Omega receiving "love" as you call it, you neglected to check the source thoroughly. I applaud you reading the article as simplistic and "fluff" as it indeed was, but if you would have checked the source more vigilently you would have seen that Hotgirl Online is a softcore porn magazine, not a women's magazine anymore than Playboy or Hustler is. To me, women's magazines are like Essence, magazines that seek to inform or empower women with articles and news. Hotgirl Online simply exploits women for the "entertainment" of men that find that sort of thing entertaining.

As far as not thinking that Omega would be promoting misogyny or drug abuse by appearing in these magazines or rap videos, I am not quite sure that I understand. When you see a brand name in any form of media, you are seeing that brand name being promoted by the media in which it appears. The simple appearance of the brand name implies that the media affirms the brand name and that the brand name affirms the media, at least enough to not be ashamed to be associated with the media in the minds of the people who may see the media. This is why sometimes when you see editorials on television or on certain news shows, there is a disclaimer that says the views expressed are not the views of the station or the advertisers, because they know that people associate name brands with the media they appear in. So if you have a racist on your show, you want the people not to boycott the advertisers because of it. When any member of Omega appears in a softcore magazine on in a video with Snoop, who openly advocates for drug and alcohol consumption (Smokin' Indo and sippin' on Gin and Juice), violence (My nickel plated .22) and misogyny (I don't love dem H*$#) you associated the name brand of Omega with these ideas, especially when the letters appear on a medium like a national video show or the world wide web. That is what media (speech or imagery that carry messages and ideas) and marketing (using media to form opinions, associations and actions) is all about.

Of course I don't expect any member of Omega to think that they would have to follow the lead of Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity, inc. That is why I addressed that question to the brothers of Alpha . I think the greater issue of historically black fraternity image in general and the type of men that are entering fraternities is important. Are the men that are entering the ranks of the D9 interested in maintaining ideals like "manly deeds, scholarship and love for all mankind" or the aims of Omega Psi Phi, Kappa Alpha Psi, Phi Beta Sigma, or Iota Phi Theta? Because if they are, then I do not see where we have to see the letters of these fraternities associated with the rap videos and such.
Blackwatch!!!!!!