Cal Poly - SLO: Questionable Party Theme – Investigation

exlurker · #1 11-22-2013, 07:46 PM

Cal Poly – SLO: Questionable Party Theme – Investigation

Aaaannnnd another GLOCchapter evidently didn’t get the memo. By now, this kind of s##t is just stupid and is practically begging for trouble. :
“Cal Poly officials are investigating an off-campus fraternity and sorority party after complaints that the theme was offensive to women and Native Americans.
Men attending the party — identified in an email as having a “Colonial Bros and Nava-Hos” theme — wore Colonial-era costumes, while women wore sexually explicit Native American-themed attire.
The party took place this past Friday in the area of Foothill Boulevard, with approximately 60 people attending. . . . “

: http://www.sanluisobispo.com/2013/11...#storylink=cpy

ASTalumna06 · #2 11-23-2013, 12:13 AM

Quote:

“Personally, I don’t think it was meant to be racist,” said a Cal Poly student and fraternity member named Daniel, who declined to provide his last name. Daniel, who said his fraternity was not associated with the party, said Greek life involves a lot of “guy-and-girl”-themed parties. Although he could not confirm what the party was called, he said it was meant to fit with Thanksgiving.

“It’s unfair,” he said. “We are taught that Thanksgiving is Pilgrims and Indians.”

smh.

You're in college, and you still think Thanksgiving is just about "Pilgrims and Indians?"

pinksequins · #3 11-23-2013, 12:24 AM

It's unfair??? Daniel, my boy, stupid is no excuse.

MysticCat · #4 11-23-2013, 08:23 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ASTalumna06

smh.

You're in college, and you still think Thanksgiving is just about "Pilgrims and Indians?"

Well, even if he does still think that, and even if it is, Pilgrims and Indians =/= Colonial Bros and Nava-Hos.

Idiots.

angels&angles · #5 11-23-2013, 02:59 PM

Sometimes I think active members get so up their own asses about creating "funny/witty" bro/ho combos that they forget everything else. (As far as these things go, "Nava-Hos" made me chuckle on a purely punning level.)

ebdelt · #6 11-23-2013, 06:53 PM

I've never understood why sorority women would willingly attend these events. It's completely degrading to women...directly in contrast to what their organizations stand for, the empowerment of women. They help enable this type of behavior through attendance and inevitably through how they dress. If sororities boycotted attending events with such a theme and said fraternities all together, the men would notice.

exlurker · #7 11-23-2013, 07:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ebdelt

I've never understood why sorority women would willingly attend these events. It's completely degrading to women...directly in contrast to what their organizations stand for, the empowerment of women. They help enable this type of behavior through attendance and inevitably through how they dress. If sororities boycotted attending events with such a theme and said fraternities all together, the men would notice.

I agree.

DeltaBetaBaby · #8 11-23-2013, 07:09 PM

Sorry, guys, you can't blame the less-privileged group for the behavior of the oppressors.

You're right, women could all get together and boycott until the fraternities change, but the point is that they shouldn't HAVE to do that. The fraternities should stop being misogynist assholes.

And BTW, making this a gender thing REALLY ignores the intersectionality here.

ASTalumna06 · #9 11-23-2013, 07:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DeltaBetaBaby

Sorry, guys, you can't blame the less-privileged group for the behavior of the oppressors.

You're right, women could all get together and boycott until the fraternities change, but the point is that they shouldn't HAVE to do that. The fraternities should stop being misogynist assholes.

And BTW, making this a gender thing REALLY ignores the intersectionality here.

Exactly. Let's not put this solely on the shoulders of the sorority members.

ebdelt · #10 11-23-2013, 07:43 PM

In no way am I blaming or putting this solely on any sorority members. I don't think my posted indicated that. I completely agree the men should be the one's held accountable for the misogyny. My point is if women attend dressed as "nava-ho's", they are enabling (which is different then blaming or being at fault) these guys to keep throwing events with trashy themes. Go hang out with a different fraternity who is more respectful toward women.

MysticCat · #11 11-23-2013, 07:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ebdelt

In no way am I blaming or putting this solely on any sorority members. I don't think my posted indicated that. I completely agree the men should be the one's held accountable for the misogyny. My point is if women attend dressed as "nava-ho's", they are enabling (which is different then blaming or being at fault) these guys to keep throwing events with trashy themes. Go hang out with a different fraternity who is more respectful toward women.

While I think your point is a valid one, "enabling" may not be the best choice of words, given its meaning in addiction contexts. That could lead to some confusion.

The point is, they are participating and tacitly encouraging in the stupid.

Kevin · #12 11-23-2013, 08:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MysticCat

While I think your point is a valid one, "enabling" may not be the best choice of words, given its meaning in addiction contexts. That could lead to some confusion.

The point is, they are participating and tacitly encouraging in the stupid.

Tacitly? More like directly participating and being equally at fault for the stupid. And a lot of alumni of these groups are just as guilty for these things happening. Many of these parties, e.g., pimps and hos, etc., have been going on for years and right or wrong (okay, wrong), we're just now really clamping down.

At my school, it wasn't until last year (or maybe a couple or more years ago, I forget exactly when) that we started having to submit paperwork about our social events which contained warnings that racial stereotypes, gender stereotype themes were verboten.

DeltaBetaBaby · #13 11-23-2013, 10:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MysticCat

The point is, they are participating and tacitly encouraging in the stupid.

Right, but if young women are brought up in a misogynist culture, you can't be surprised that they deal with internalized misogyny. How do you REALLY think the men would respond if a group of women said "we're offended, we're not coming"? You think the guys would change the theme, or you think the guys would tell the women they were being uptight, it's just a harmless joke, etc.?

And, as I said upthread, it doesn't even BEGIN to touch on the race issues, here.

MysticCat · #14 11-23-2013, 11:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kevin

Tacitly? More like directly participating and being equally at fault for the stupid.

Well, I said participating and tacitly encouraging—by not declining to participate.

Quote:

Originally Posted by DeltaBetaBaby

Right, but if young women are brought up in a misogynist culture, you can't be surprised that they deal with internalized misogyny. How do you REALLY think the men would respond if a group of women said "we're offended, we're not coming"? You think the guys would change the theme, or you think the guys would tell the women they were being uptight, it's just a harmless joke, etc.?

And, as I said upthread, it doesn't even BEGIN to touch on the race issues, here.

No it doesn't touch on the racial issues at all, which are huge. And though I see your point, I just don't think I can go but so far with it. Anyone who participates in parties like this gets to share the blame.

As for how the men would respond, some would say lighten up, it's just a joke, and some would get the message. But as far as I'm concerned, it's not even really about trying to get the guys to change their ways. It's about refusing to participate in something that's demeaning, bigoted and tasteless.

DeltaBetaBaby · #15 11-23-2013, 11:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MysticCat

Well, I said participating and tacitly encouraging—by not declining to participate.

No it doesn't touch on the racial issues at all, which are huge. And though I see your point, I just don't think I can go but so far with it. Anyone who participates in parties like this gets to share the blame.

As for how the men would respond, some would say lighten up, it's just a joke, and some would get the message. But as far as I'm concerned, it's not even really about trying to get the guys to change their ways. It's about refusing to participate in something that's demeaning, bigoted and tasteless.

Yes, it's called internalized misogyny, but really, my problem is those suggesting that the women are EQUALLY at fault or that the women could just stop it. Could they take steps against it? Sure. Historically, pretty much the only way a marginalized group has ever gotten more power has been to demand it. I'm just saying that "the women go along with it" isn't anything CLOSE to an excuse for men acting like assholes, nor does it mean they have an equal share in the problem.