Earlier this evening, I was alerted to the existence of a website that I will not name. Basically, it consists of fraternity boys (and sorority girls) posting things that make them look like stereotypical asshats. Example:
The worst part of my summer so far has been having to move for my cleaning lady.
Some of them are disgusting. I won’t share any of the truly disgusting ones here. I started to get offended, then wondered if, perhaps, it was meant to be some sort of joke. So I googled.
I found a blog that discussed said website, written by a sorority woman at a university in California. She expressed her concerns about this website, which I definitely share. Then I read some of the comments. Users of the website had come out in droves to attack the blogger, which is why I am not linking or naming it. (you can contact me privately if you want to know.) These commenters all insisted that this website is a JOKE, and god, why don’t you have a sense of HUMOR already. They attacked the blogger personally, called her names, questioned the validity of her claim that she was in a sorority. Some of them were vaguely violent/threatening. The above comment made me especially sad, as it is apparent from the username that this person is a member of the same sorority that I am.
If it IS meant to be a joke, satirical, all in good fun, it’s failing. All it’s succeeding in doing is perpetuating negative stereotypes, misogyny, rape culture, and all sorts of other things that are bad for, well, everyone. And if other people who are/have been a part of Greek life don’t “get the joke”?
Maybe it’s just not that funny.