Cartoon strip defames sorority women

TxAPhi · #1 03-05-2005, 12:26 PM

Excerpt of cartoon:

All panes of the cartoon originally run in the College Life section on 2/25/05 - http://www.thenews.org/news/2005/02/...d-878711.shtml

Response in Opinion section on 3/4/05 from president of the Panhellenic Council - Cartoon strip defames sorority women
http://www.thenews.org/news/2005/03/...n-885481.shtml

Excerpt:
Last Friday, like every other Friday in my four years at Murray, I sat down and opened my copy of The Murray State News. To say the least, I was mortified. Not by all the articles concerning "The Vagina Monologues," but by the comic strip sitting innocently on the bottom of Page 8. It depicted a sorority woman in an incredibly compromising position. After I picked my mouth off the ground, I realized the author of the comic is completely ignorant of what it is like to be a sorority woman. I decided it was necessary for me to educate him and others like him about Greeks at Murray State.

What do you all think of Jessica's response to the cartoon?

bekibug · #2 03-05-2005, 12:31 PM

IMO, good response. But I think most people that read it are gonna be like, "Yeah, but you know sorority girls are sluts when they're not 'working to better themselves.'" It's a little bit long-winded, even though I think she made her statement as concise as possible without using bullet points. Kinda goes back to the ol' "a few bad apples" thingy.

LightBulb · #3 03-05-2005, 01:18 PM

Great response, Jessica!

I think she did well because she acted like a lady, presenting herself intelligently and not just yelling at the columnist.

TSteven · #4 03-05-2005, 01:43 PM

WOW! I know many Murray State alumni (friends and family, Greek and otherwise) with a few friends serving as advisors for chapters there. I'm going to email 'em and see what the word is on campus and around town.

I agree that the "a few bad apples" seems to apply to the cartoonist. (if that is what you meant bekibug) My understanding is that MSU is (has been?) such a Greek friendly campus. Given the vast alumni in and around town, I just don't see Mr. Duckett's point of view as being a campus wide or community view. My feeling is that it is Mr. Duckett - along with perhaps some folk at the student newspaper - who is taking the low road and attempting to be funny with the misguided negative stereotypes of sororities. Frankly, I would not be surprised if there isn't a backlash from the town.

And I too thought Miss Crockett's reply was well done. She showed a lot of class. Which is typical of the sorority women of Murray State I might add.

TSteven · #5 03-05-2005, 02:07 PM

Interesting that in the same edition, there is this article.

Sorority holds events for 'Finer Womanhood'
By Stephanie Salmons
Published: Friday, March 4, 2005
The Murray State News

Quote:

The sisters of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc. hosted Finer Womanhood Week on campus. Proceeds from events will go to the March of Dimes.

Nisha Ganster, senior from Hopkinsville and president of Zeta Phi Beta, said the sorority offered programs this week that benefit women and raise awareness about women's issues.

One of the programs Zeta Phi Beta participated in was "Mirrorless Monday," sponsored by the Women's Center.

"We go into a building and cover all the mirrors and write positive messages for women and men to look at instead of looking at themselves," Ganster said.

The sorority sponsored a lecture called "Empowering Yourself: Living Outside the Plastic Barbie Doll" Tuesday night.

Ganster said the speaker talked about the cultural context of Barbie and how the doll has affected girls and their perception of the history of beauty.

"Historically, the image that young girls have been given is this Barbie doll whose figure is just anatomically not possible to achieve," Ganster said.

Barbie's impact on young girls was not the only topic discussed in the lecture, but also trends throughout history that were once considered the epitome of beauty. Corsets, popular in the 19th and early 20th centuries, foot binding, a popular status symbol in China for centuries, and even collagen lip injections, popular in Hollywood today, were among other "beauty" styles discussed during Tuesday's lecture.

Along with the lecture and "Mirrorless Monday," Ganster said Zeta Phi Beta also set up a table in the Curris Center Wednesday to offer information about breast cancer awareness.

The sisters sponsored a program called "Get Lucky With Zeta" Thursday.

"Thursday night, our bingo night, the money (went) primarily for premature babies," Ganster said.

She said a portion of the proceeds from this event will go to one of the sorority's national philanthropies, The March of Dimes.

"Sororities and other organizations, they have to do community service, promote their organization, get themselves out there, do something for the community," Ganster said. "We're not as much a social organization as we are a business organization and we do try to give back to the community. It's our national principles that we do this."

Laneir Sprague, senior from Hopkinsville and vice president of Zeta Phi Beta, said she expected more people to attend the events but was generally pleased with the people who came.

"I think it could have been a success if more people (had) taken the time to attend our events, but it has been a success for the members of the sorority," Sprague said.

Venishia McGregor, senior from Paducah and secretary of Zeta Phi Beta, said she considered the week a success.

Said McGregor: "The goal this week (was) to show that we do more in the community and have students be aware of what's going on around them."

LightBulb · #6 03-05-2005, 05:21 PM

Interesting combination of service projects. March of Dimes... Mirrorless Monday (a National Eating Disorders Awareness Week event)... way to go Zeta!

Tom Earp · #7 03-05-2005, 05:34 PM

Why is the Human species so hard to train.

It seems, the The Editor and School advisor should be called on the carpet for this distasteful disrespect of Women and Sororitys.

Ignorance is not in born, it is learned.

"Stupid is as Stupid does". Forrest Gump!

Adelphean · #8 03-05-2005, 07:18 PM

Great response, although I would have probably left out the part about "picking my mouth up off the ground"...

mmcat · #9 03-05-2005, 08:51 PM

it's a pity with all that is really going on in the world the artist chooses something like that. kudos to the response. i think i would have been a bit stronger.

squirrely girl · #10 03-05-2005, 09:08 PM

i'm not sure if that cartoon upsets me more as a 'sorority girl' or as simply being a a woman. ehhhhhhhhhh...

- marissa

TSteven · #11 03-05-2005, 09:48 PM

There was a follow up cartoon regarding the charting of Chi Chi Chi (i.e. Triple X) posted yesterday, March 4th. Two Fridays in a row now.

http://www.thenews.org/news/2005/03/...d-885735.shtml

33girl · #12 03-05-2005, 10:16 PM

I find the cartoons too stupid and poorly drawn to even be offended by them.

If the author is using that fat slobby guy as a portrayal of himself, he looks much worse than the sororities possibly could.

roqueemae · #13 03-06-2005, 12:30 AM

Didn't Maxim have a cartoon strip about Tri-Pi's?

Darlinglilred · #14 03-06-2005, 01:21 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by roqueemae
Didn't Maxim have a cartoon strip about Tri-Pi's?

yes they did! In fact for some reason tri-pi is always the name they use for the stereotypical slutty sororities, anyone else remember the movie sorority boys?

LightBulb · #15 03-06-2005, 05:09 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by 33girl
I find the cartoons too stupid and poorly drawn to even be offended by them.

If the author is using that fat slobby guy as a portrayal of himself, he looks much worse than the sororities possibly could.

lol... that is true