Quote:
Originally Posted by Ghostwriter
Sounds to me like they really didn't do much wrong. They did the right thing by apologizing. Sounds like the KA's were a little unlucky in their timing and maybe, just maybe, the news corp is making a bigger deal of this then it should be. Wouldn't be the first time they have done so with Greeks.
|
I'd agree that they did the right thing by apologizing, and I assume that no offense was intended. But I don't think I'd say they did
nothing wrong and were just unlucky in timing.
There's a reason that Kappa Alpha Order adopted this bylaw at its 2001 National Convention:
Display of the Confederate Battle Flag. The display of the Confederate Battle Flag shall be prohibited from any chapter house, lodge, or meeting place: a "display" shall mean a visible presence from the exterior of said property and from the common areas within. The Confederate Battle Flag shall not be displayed at any fraternity function or gathering, on or off property associated with Kappa Alpha Order. The Confederate Battle Flag shall not be associated with Kappa Alpha Order by any medium including, but not limited to, fabric pattern, printed material, painted or stenciled surfaces, or computer Web sites. The Confederate Battle Flag shall not be incorporated into the design of clothing or any other items bearing symbolism of Kappa Alpha Order.
Around the same time that this bylaw was adopted, an issue of the Kappa Alpha Journal (which used to be available on-line, but now I can't find it) had a very good cover story on the association between KA and the Conferderate Battle flag, historically and contemporeneously, along with a discussion of why KA would not want to be associated with the negative connotations the flag carries with so many people.
So at the least, it would seem that the chapter violated their own fraternity's bylaws and policies.
I say this as a Southerner with full Southern credientials: The reality is that in 2009, a group of intelligent college students really shouldn't be surprised that appearing in public wearing Confederate uniforms and carrying Confederate flags, as part of a party, will elicit a negative reaction from large segments of the community (including those who think it is disrespectful to the memory of Robt. E. Lee and all other Confederate soldiers).
It's not a matter of whether they have a right to do that. It's matter of which is more important to them: exercising that right or maintaining a positive reputation in the community. It seems to me that the fraternity as a whole has decided that reputation and public perception is more important.
What they did wrong was not thinking about the implications of their actions.
Hybrid Mode
