"Paddles"

AlphaFrog · #1 03-12-2003, 11:12 AM

Don't yell at me if I'm wrong, but I've heard a "rumor" that NPC in all of it's "PCness" is getting rid of the term "Paddles" (within the next year). From what I've heard Chi Omega has already done this....they now have "Owl Boards" and the offical NPC name will be "Wood Boards" (sounds a little redundant to me").

Their reasoning for doing this is "Paddle" is a negative thing and has negative connotations...and of course we're trying to be as PC as possible.

For me....I hate all this PCness...the Paddle is a symbol of the Greek Community...it's the symbol of our Bigs/Littles, our friends, our good times, and I know changing the name isn't going to change that...but Jesu Christe pretty soon we won't be able to be "Greek" because it offends those who are of a Greek orgin...we will be "People Who Wear Greek Letters" and eventually maybe who knows what....going by Engish names??? I know I'm going overboard, but can you see where this could be going?

33girl · #2 03-12-2003, 11:27 AM

rock on Jess.

Yeah, "wood board" sounds so much better than paddle.

if they have to change the name, ummm, "plaque" works, except maybe they're afraid people won't be able to spell it, which says something right there.

jmbennett · #3 03-12-2003, 11:34 AM

Amen sistah!

Calling a paddle a "wood board" or some other asinine phrase is about as dumb as calling a secretary an "executive assistent" or a prostitute a "sex care provider."

MereMere21 · #4 03-12-2003, 12:11 PM

AGD has 'plaques' - our chapter doesn't even use the paddle form anymore...we actually converted to using wooden boards with our names, our Sis Mom's names, pledge class and year. We had a renegade movement to use paddles again but that was quickly put out by a tyrant advisor

whatever they want to call them, they are still paddles

oceanphi01 · #5 03-12-2003, 02:21 PM

That's so weird that they want to change the name, especially since we don't do anything bad with them. They're just gifts (in my chapter at least) from little sisters to big sisters. "Wood board" sounds really retarded and "plaque" implies an award that someone gets for doing something well.

shadowstar · #6 03-12-2003, 02:24 PM

*rolls eyes* that is so ridiculous. even if it's just a rumor, it's still crazy. a paddle still means the same thing whether you call it one or not, and i don't know a single sorority on my campus that paddles anyone (although i know one frat does). i think a lot of houses are moving away from the traditional concept anyway. i know that in our house, we call them "paddles" but they can be anything. my big made painted me up a cute wooden book and i made one of my littles a chalkboard and the other a tray and my big a box. i know one girl's big made her a little shelf as her "paddle". it's the significance that matters - come on, NPC, why does it matter if we call them paddles or not? even if i does get changed, i bet people will still refer to them as paddles.

sugar and spice · #7 03-12-2003, 02:35 PM

We have dolphin-shaped (our mascot) boards, not actual paddles, that we decorate. We still refer to them as "paddles" though.

This issue has come up before, and as was pointed out then -- while we see paddles as a symbol of love and respect for our bigs/littles, the non-Greek world sees them as a sign we're smacking people with them. My non-Greek friends even teased me about getting smacked with my dolphin paddle while I was decorating it for my pledge mom, and while I'm pretty sure they know it was a present and not for any violent use, the first thing that came to mind when I referred to it as a "paddle" was that I was going to get beaten with it.

There are quite a few sororities who don't even allow paddle-shaped paddles at all anymore. My chapter (I'm not sure if it's a national rule or not) is one of them. They just don't want people to get the wrong idea.

That said, I don't think changing the name to "wood boards" is going to do much, and if they're really that worried, they should start making a move to replace the paddle-decorating tradition with something else. Still, we all know how PC the NPC is getting and I wouldn't be surprised if "paddle" is the next term to get politically corrected.

#8 03-12-2003, 03:12 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by AlphaFrog
For me....I hate all this PCness...the Paddle is a symbol of the Greek Community...it's the symbol of our Bigs/Littles, our friends, our good times, and I know changing the name isn't going to change that...but Jesu Christe pretty soon we won't be able to be "Greek" because it offends those who are of a Greek orgin...we will be "People Who Wear Greek Letters" and eventually maybe who knows what....going by Engish names??? I know I'm going overboard, but can you see where this could be going?

I'm of Greek origin.....and you guys can feel free to continue using Greek letters.....I'll allow it

Kitso
KS 361

White_Chocolate · #9 03-12-2003, 03:17 PM

it's about the same thing as them changing rush to recruitment and pledge to prospective member. . .

it's all still rush, pledge, paddle to me

fuzzie · #10 03-12-2003, 03:19 PM

Alpha Xi Delta does not allow paddles. They prefer that we give plaques, which just means anything not shaped like a paddle. I personally don't get it. I'm pretty sure you could hit someone with a piece of wood cut into any shape if you really wanted to and it would hurt just as much. I don't really think getting rid of paddles changes what the anti-greeks think really happens in GLOs. Really the only people that know about the change are the people that have already joined and by that point they know they aren't going to get beatten with a paddle. Everything is just so PC lately

.

MereMere21 · #11 03-12-2003, 03:28 PM

paddles or not, rush or formal recruitment, pledge or potential member

it doesn't matter what you call it but no one outside the greek community is going to think any differently of us.....usually if they change their mind, they join one

pinkyphimu · #12 03-12-2003, 09:07 PM

phi mu uses quatrafoils (the shape of our badge for those who are wondering). i think they are much prettier than paddles.

valpogal99 · #13 03-13-2003, 12:11 AM

Like a few of the other groups, ADPi doesn't have paddles. I agree that I don't see the harm in them. I haven't heard of too many incidents where sorority members used them on new members. Why is it that NPC tries to change terms but fraternities still use the traditional phrases without too many incidents.

Little E · #14 03-13-2003, 02:15 AM

We have wooden anchors we decorate, the look better than the traditional paddle and hey it is our symbol so it has more meaning, esp when the get them after initiation. it is a nice silent reminder

Glitter650 · #15 03-13-2003, 03:17 AM

My chapter still does paddles from lil sis to big sis... I have mine hanging on my wall, it's a great source of pride and no one has ever even asked or teased me about being beaten with it or beating people with it. I mean even if they change the name.. it's still a paddle and if people are REALLY that ignorant to think that we REALLY beat people with them... they're going to think we beat people with "wood boards" too.