Stepshow Behavior

[AKAtude]

I received the following via e-mail today, and wanted to share it with you. I did omit a specific word thinking that it may be offensive. Fortunately, I have never attended a stepshow that exhibited this type of behavior, but this is disturbing and disgusting.


Can you even remember when a stepshow was almost a family event? Can you remember when Greeks had to work hard to get applause, through creative choreography, choice music selection and enthusiasm? Have fraternities
and sororities gone too far? In March of this year, I watched one of our 4 Pan Hel sorority stepteams from a North Carolina University kneel on stage in front of a group of guys, whose backs where turned to the audience, and simulate sex right there on the middle of the stage. I have watched Pan Hel fraternity stepteams bring out whip cream, buckets of water, bed linen, condoms, etc. and do some of the most suggestive things with them. I have watched one particular fraternity Team from Florida make a trip way down to NC to do two steps (which nobody cared for) and the entire remainder of the show was X-rated. They stripped down to their thongs and wet the entire stage, just being vulgar. But all they really wanted was for the crowd to scream. But surely the intelligent college black women were bothered by such lewd behavior. Yeah, right...the "ladies" were pushing each other out of the way and high-tailing it to the stage with cameras, just to get a glimpse. I have seen the another frat group bring out large towels--each one carrying the colors and Greek letters of a different Pan Hel. sorority. They commenced to engage in simulated sex, right on stage for the world to see showing these great sororities just what they could do for them. Were the sororities shocked at such disrespect of their letters? Quite to the contrary, they stood up and shouted their sorority calls as a sign of approval. Have you noticed that, it has lately become the exception, rather than the rule, for a fraternity to start and finish a performance with their shirts on. And for those who do, have you noticed that the audiences look at them as if they have
been ripped off. I have seen yet another fraternity bring an entire queen size bed down from the sky onto the stage as one of their frat brothers stripped down to a towel and give the girls what was seemingly plenty to scream about. I have seen a certain fraternity team come out and "blaze" for the judges, smoking up most of the stage. Usually, these teams just forfeit the trophy and are instead gratified with the
audience's amazement. What is going on here? Is this what the founders taught us, or are we sending our organizations in the mud by selling out to "what the people want?" Where do we draw the line? Who draws the line and when will the line be drawn? I wanted to take some teenagers to a stepshow from a nearby high school, but now, I don't thing that is
possible anymore. However, that hasn't stopped several other high schools and middle school leaders from bringing busloads of our African American Children to these prestigious events. What happened to respect? What happened to men of excellence and distinction and ladies of sophistication and finer womanhood? Do we call a time out when the stepshow starts? What happened to setting the example and not just following the crowd? What happened to a woman's desire to be treated like a person with a mind and not just the object of a man's sexual desire? Is that no longer the case? Have women decided that anything goes now? Have we lost our stepshows to vulgarity? Do we have to always have vulgar comedians host our stepshows? Will two of the fraternities always fight at the end of every show? When the Alpha's say 1-9-0-6 and the ladies of AKA say 0-8, will the Deltas always say ain't sh%@# as they did at UNC's Greakfreak this year? Will the ladies be taking off their shirts next? Will we soon be simulating murder and shooting up? Will we keep pretending not to see the 7-13 year olds in the audience before we perform? Is that not enough to call off our strip-bar performance, or do we no longer care about setting a good example for our youth? Oh...I forgot, we blame it all on the people who
brought the kids there...they should have known better. As much as I I love going to Greek stepshows, lately, I have been disappointed with them... I know, if you don't like it, just don't go. I get it, just give up on something I love and accept that ignorance has won. I don't think so...

This is just my little way of saying: MY INTELLIGENT BROTHERS OF THE 9
PAN HELLENIC ORGANIZATIONS, PLEASE WAKE UP BEFORE WE TURN OUR ORGANIZATIONS INTO SOMETHING THAT IS LOATHED BY SOCIETY INSTEAD OF REVERED BY IT. YOU CAN BE THE CHAPTER THAT MAKES THE DIFFERENCE. BE A PIONEER. DON'T ALWAYS BE A FOLLOWER. RESPECT YOURSELF; DON'T FALL INTO THE ANYTHING GOES MENTALITY. AND FOR GOD SAKES, LET YOUR STEPS SPEAK FOR YOU-NOT YOUR BODIES.

Walter M. Kimbrough, Ph.D.
Vice President for Student Affairs
Albany State University