Post by LogAKAlly <3'n Keef on Jul 13, 2009 12:13:18 GMT -5
(I didn't write this - an Alpha from USC did)
Food For Thought...
Please Read in its entirety...even if you have to come back to it because every sentence has a purpose...furthermore, please send this to everyone that you know in the Black Greek World...even if you do not entirely agree...the mending has to start from somewhere...
This is really directed to all sororities and fraternities who continue to perpetuate the division amongst black greek organizations. So if you feel like you separate yourself from certain individuals from your respective organizations for reasons that stem from their process, then this is directed to you. If you are not adding to this division or do not care for certain individuals for other reasons uninfluenced by Greek life and their process then this does not apply to you. The whole banter back and forth about “he skated”, “she skated”, “they skated”…as a reason not to associate yourself with someone is not at all necessary. As men and women of collegiate institutions, enough is enough already!!! How old are we?? Who makes the decision of what’s “CAT” and whose a “skater”? Who decides whose process is worth recognition? The underground process itself is taboo and the fact that you cannot even recognize people as your frat or sorors perplexes me. I even call grad chapter initiates that hold the aims of my fraternity sandz…At the end of the day…who cares about what process you had, who cares about what process they had…and who cares about what process I had...when it comes down to it, the issue is irrelevant when it comes to the work and greater purpose of our organizations. The only reason why you think people are “skaters” is because your prophytes told you this. 9 times out of 10, you don’t even know those you deem as skaters nor have you taken the time to converse with or get to know them. From the day you cross many of us write them off because of what?? Because of what our prophytes say about them and their chapter?
Everyone wants to liken their process to slavery with chants and struggle, but let’s liken it to slavery now by exploring the way the SLAVE was CREATED. If we look at The Willie Lynch Letter And The Making of A Slave it states that “if you put a slave in a hog pen and train him to life there and incorporate in him to value it as a way of life completely, the biggest problem you would have out of him is that he would worry you about provisions to keep the hog pen clean, or partially clean, or he might not worry you at all.” You have been given an idea of values and told to cherish them. Like the hog pen of a slave you don’t question it’s validity. The letters go on by saying, “by killing the protective male image by creating a submissive dependent mind of the nigger male savage, we have created an orbiting cycle that turns in its own axis forever, unless a phenomenon occurs and reshifts the positions of the female savages.” To all black sororities, as women, you have the power to make this shift but you are complacent with dividing our Greek community. Don’t you get it? Slavery is far from over and the black woman is the first step in getting us there, yet you all have been trained to think that your process is what truly makes an established woman of your respective organization. And look what you are passing down to your neos! This is why Skater begets Skater; because you are passing your own skater traditions of ridicule and slander, which is what the process was supposed to take away. If our founders were alive, to the standards of the "respectable made" Greeks, they too would be skaters. Remember that your process is simply validated by your prophytes…that’s it….as is mine. Remember that before you were Greek you were a man/woman and you can still choose to be the man/woman like the notable members in your organization; like the ones who change the world by thinking for themselves and having respect for others. I guess the comments, distance, and actions of those who enable this plague within the Black Greek community say more about you than they do about those you accuse as being skaters.
There is too much separation between our respective organizations due to the fact that people don’t respect those who don’t have the same process that they have. So my question to you is…whose more of a skater? The person who can take the most wood, or the person who does the work of their organization? Who is CAT? The one who can do the most smile wipes or the one that organizes programs for the community, which develop the leadership that their organizations set out to establish within the Black community? When it comes to any other chapter or organization with the exception of a few, I know what my prophytes tell me. I believe there is burning sand in the Sahara Desert, but I have never been there so I couldn’t really validate it…To my knowledge the people in this feed and many Greeks around the world had some form of a process, but I didn’t see all of you on line so I can’t really validate that either…nor can you validate my process if you didn’t see my line. Do you not see how detrimental all of this hate is on the overall performance of our respective organizations? If we take this negative energy, turn it into something positive –band together within our orgs—we could get so much more accomplished. So what if you think someone skated? At the end of the day, that’s your soror, and that’s your frat! Their process or lack of process has NO bearing on your life and does not make you any less or more of a member of your organization…so why care what they went through? The process is not a requirement to support our community and to think it is, seems…well is kinda CAT within itself. The Willie Lynch Letters go on to quote, “My mammy was a fine weaver, this is her spinning wheel” (Lucindy Lawrence, Slave in Georgia) In this situation, Just because her mother was a weaver, doesn’t mean she needed to be a weaver, and just because her mother was a slave, doesn’t mean she needed to be a slave…and just because your prophytes have problems with certain people doesn’t mean that YOU have to have the same problems with these people.
Understand that this is not an attack by any means...I know I speak for many when I say I'm TIRED of this unwarranted beef that infects the black community. It's really not that serious! It’s one thing to have your opinions, but for it to extend as far as not being able to interact with them in social settings is absurd and childish. When you cross you are told who is “good” and who is a skater, and you are told not to interact with those who are considered “paper”. What did they or anyone who u feel is a skater do to you? Nothing!...yet you choose to not be in their company (if you do know them personally aside from what you know about their process and you do not like them as a person…then disregard this section)...When I don’t want to be in someone's company it’s because I have a strong distaste for their personality and character. I can say that I have befriended many "skaters" because as a man I recognize that a good person is a good person...and a good bruh is a good bruh...and a good soror is a good soror...and a good greek is a good greek…and this all supersedes over any difference that exists between our processes. So I'm wondering, does the man/woman in you not like a skater, or does the Greek in you not like them??? Well some of us don't know the “skaters” personally to make judgment, I can say that it’s the Greek in you that does not like them...but you are a man/woman before you are Greek right??? So I guess I'm confused on how that all works....because a man/woman would get to know someone for themselves before they rush to form such harsh opinions about them.
What ever happened to people being judged "for the content of their character”? But it makes sense how it would be hard to judge one’s character if you have not taken the time to actually get to know what kind of person they are in the first place…so then really on what basis are we judging??? Here-say? Here-say is one of the most invalid forms of a claim in argumentation and is built on the foundation of assumption. It has been proven amongst the fallacies that silence is as affective, and often more compelling in an argument than Here-say and assumptions. Its as if our prophytes are better off saying nothing to us at all about any other chapter...because through their silence, we are then led to assume, because we don't really know, which brings us back to the Here-say that many of us form our opinions on....and then we are back to where we were in the first place. So could one argue that jumping to conclusions with no base of an argument equates to being "CAT"? Your attitudes, mindsets, and behavior would make more sense immediately following ones crossing because we don't really know any better because we are neos...but with age generally comes wisdom and this is ridiculous.
We are taught not to talk to certain people because they did not have a real process…if it is so real why is the shit illegal??? It’s crazy how the majority of the members in all of our orgs don’t even have a "real process" yet they are the biggest support to our orgs philanthropically and financially. So really if you take all the "skaters" away...our orgs would not be close to where they are today let alone even exist...because there are more "skaters" that are doing the work of the org on a grand scale than there are people made. Look at the numbers of undergraduate members that go on to join a grad chapter and stay active, versus the amount of people who are being initiated via grad/alumni chapter.
All who stay true to this immature mindset are embodying the characteristics that Spike Lee is conveying to his viewer about Black Greeks in School Days. Ultimately we are preventing ourselves from reaching our maximum potential of affectivity on our community and the world because we are so busy creating dissonance that pulls us apart versus focusing on the sisterhood/brotherhood camaraderie that brings us all together. Reconciling these issues is not only possible but necessary and it's all in our state of mind. As the alarm goes off at the end of School Days, the alarm has been ringing for years regarding this issue between everyone stuck in this mindset that leads to a dead end. As Spike Lee expresses upon the movie's end, it’s about time for those who are still asleep in the irrational dreamland of superficiality to "WAKE UP". Lets grow up, hold ourselves accountable, stop acting juvenile, move on, and "be the change that we want to see in the world" (Mahatma Gandhi). Deuces
Food For Thought...
Please Read in its entirety...even if you have to come back to it because every sentence has a purpose...furthermore, please send this to everyone that you know in the Black Greek World...even if you do not entirely agree...the mending has to start from somewhere...
This is really directed to all sororities and fraternities who continue to perpetuate the division amongst black greek organizations. So if you feel like you separate yourself from certain individuals from your respective organizations for reasons that stem from their process, then this is directed to you. If you are not adding to this division or do not care for certain individuals for other reasons uninfluenced by Greek life and their process then this does not apply to you. The whole banter back and forth about “he skated”, “she skated”, “they skated”…as a reason not to associate yourself with someone is not at all necessary. As men and women of collegiate institutions, enough is enough already!!! How old are we?? Who makes the decision of what’s “CAT” and whose a “skater”? Who decides whose process is worth recognition? The underground process itself is taboo and the fact that you cannot even recognize people as your frat or sorors perplexes me. I even call grad chapter initiates that hold the aims of my fraternity sandz…At the end of the day…who cares about what process you had, who cares about what process they had…and who cares about what process I had...when it comes down to it, the issue is irrelevant when it comes to the work and greater purpose of our organizations. The only reason why you think people are “skaters” is because your prophytes told you this. 9 times out of 10, you don’t even know those you deem as skaters nor have you taken the time to converse with or get to know them. From the day you cross many of us write them off because of what?? Because of what our prophytes say about them and their chapter?
Everyone wants to liken their process to slavery with chants and struggle, but let’s liken it to slavery now by exploring the way the SLAVE was CREATED. If we look at The Willie Lynch Letter And The Making of A Slave it states that “if you put a slave in a hog pen and train him to life there and incorporate in him to value it as a way of life completely, the biggest problem you would have out of him is that he would worry you about provisions to keep the hog pen clean, or partially clean, or he might not worry you at all.” You have been given an idea of values and told to cherish them. Like the hog pen of a slave you don’t question it’s validity. The letters go on by saying, “by killing the protective male image by creating a submissive dependent mind of the nigger male savage, we have created an orbiting cycle that turns in its own axis forever, unless a phenomenon occurs and reshifts the positions of the female savages.” To all black sororities, as women, you have the power to make this shift but you are complacent with dividing our Greek community. Don’t you get it? Slavery is far from over and the black woman is the first step in getting us there, yet you all have been trained to think that your process is what truly makes an established woman of your respective organization. And look what you are passing down to your neos! This is why Skater begets Skater; because you are passing your own skater traditions of ridicule and slander, which is what the process was supposed to take away. If our founders were alive, to the standards of the "respectable made" Greeks, they too would be skaters. Remember that your process is simply validated by your prophytes…that’s it….as is mine. Remember that before you were Greek you were a man/woman and you can still choose to be the man/woman like the notable members in your organization; like the ones who change the world by thinking for themselves and having respect for others. I guess the comments, distance, and actions of those who enable this plague within the Black Greek community say more about you than they do about those you accuse as being skaters.
There is too much separation between our respective organizations due to the fact that people don’t respect those who don’t have the same process that they have. So my question to you is…whose more of a skater? The person who can take the most wood, or the person who does the work of their organization? Who is CAT? The one who can do the most smile wipes or the one that organizes programs for the community, which develop the leadership that their organizations set out to establish within the Black community? When it comes to any other chapter or organization with the exception of a few, I know what my prophytes tell me. I believe there is burning sand in the Sahara Desert, but I have never been there so I couldn’t really validate it…To my knowledge the people in this feed and many Greeks around the world had some form of a process, but I didn’t see all of you on line so I can’t really validate that either…nor can you validate my process if you didn’t see my line. Do you not see how detrimental all of this hate is on the overall performance of our respective organizations? If we take this negative energy, turn it into something positive –band together within our orgs—we could get so much more accomplished. So what if you think someone skated? At the end of the day, that’s your soror, and that’s your frat! Their process or lack of process has NO bearing on your life and does not make you any less or more of a member of your organization…so why care what they went through? The process is not a requirement to support our community and to think it is, seems…well is kinda CAT within itself. The Willie Lynch Letters go on to quote, “My mammy was a fine weaver, this is her spinning wheel” (Lucindy Lawrence, Slave in Georgia) In this situation, Just because her mother was a weaver, doesn’t mean she needed to be a weaver, and just because her mother was a slave, doesn’t mean she needed to be a slave…and just because your prophytes have problems with certain people doesn’t mean that YOU have to have the same problems with these people.
Understand that this is not an attack by any means...I know I speak for many when I say I'm TIRED of this unwarranted beef that infects the black community. It's really not that serious! It’s one thing to have your opinions, but for it to extend as far as not being able to interact with them in social settings is absurd and childish. When you cross you are told who is “good” and who is a skater, and you are told not to interact with those who are considered “paper”. What did they or anyone who u feel is a skater do to you? Nothing!...yet you choose to not be in their company (if you do know them personally aside from what you know about their process and you do not like them as a person…then disregard this section)...When I don’t want to be in someone's company it’s because I have a strong distaste for their personality and character. I can say that I have befriended many "skaters" because as a man I recognize that a good person is a good person...and a good bruh is a good bruh...and a good soror is a good soror...and a good greek is a good greek…and this all supersedes over any difference that exists between our processes. So I'm wondering, does the man/woman in you not like a skater, or does the Greek in you not like them??? Well some of us don't know the “skaters” personally to make judgment, I can say that it’s the Greek in you that does not like them...but you are a man/woman before you are Greek right??? So I guess I'm confused on how that all works....because a man/woman would get to know someone for themselves before they rush to form such harsh opinions about them.
What ever happened to people being judged "for the content of their character”? But it makes sense how it would be hard to judge one’s character if you have not taken the time to actually get to know what kind of person they are in the first place…so then really on what basis are we judging??? Here-say? Here-say is one of the most invalid forms of a claim in argumentation and is built on the foundation of assumption. It has been proven amongst the fallacies that silence is as affective, and often more compelling in an argument than Here-say and assumptions. Its as if our prophytes are better off saying nothing to us at all about any other chapter...because through their silence, we are then led to assume, because we don't really know, which brings us back to the Here-say that many of us form our opinions on....and then we are back to where we were in the first place. So could one argue that jumping to conclusions with no base of an argument equates to being "CAT"? Your attitudes, mindsets, and behavior would make more sense immediately following ones crossing because we don't really know any better because we are neos...but with age generally comes wisdom and this is ridiculous.
We are taught not to talk to certain people because they did not have a real process…if it is so real why is the shit illegal??? It’s crazy how the majority of the members in all of our orgs don’t even have a "real process" yet they are the biggest support to our orgs philanthropically and financially. So really if you take all the "skaters" away...our orgs would not be close to where they are today let alone even exist...because there are more "skaters" that are doing the work of the org on a grand scale than there are people made. Look at the numbers of undergraduate members that go on to join a grad chapter and stay active, versus the amount of people who are being initiated via grad/alumni chapter.
All who stay true to this immature mindset are embodying the characteristics that Spike Lee is conveying to his viewer about Black Greeks in School Days. Ultimately we are preventing ourselves from reaching our maximum potential of affectivity on our community and the world because we are so busy creating dissonance that pulls us apart versus focusing on the sisterhood/brotherhood camaraderie that brings us all together. Reconciling these issues is not only possible but necessary and it's all in our state of mind. As the alarm goes off at the end of School Days, the alarm has been ringing for years regarding this issue between everyone stuck in this mindset that leads to a dead end. As Spike Lee expresses upon the movie's end, it’s about time for those who are still asleep in the irrational dreamland of superficiality to "WAKE UP". Lets grow up, hold ourselves accountable, stop acting juvenile, move on, and "be the change that we want to see in the world" (Mahatma Gandhi). Deuces
I will honor and defend.. 
"They get two Roos and a snap." ~ perroloco{=}http://s2.images.proboards.com/tongue.gif{/=}{=}http://s2.images.proboards.com/tongue.gif{/=}
