Dearest HON family,
In support of Sexual Assault Awareness Month, my love (Elbows) and I took part in a Jog for Justice. This was a 5K run that raised money and support for the Office of the Victims Advocate on the University of Maryland campus. The purpose of this event was awesome! All proceeds went to the Victim Assistance Fund to help pay for victims' medical needs and mental health appointments. So we were pretty jazzed, because you know I don’t run unless someone is chasing my ass.
Anyways, we got there early, registered, and put on our matching Jog for Justice t-shirts. As we were waiting, Elbows and I took notice of the music blasting through the speakers…actually the phrase “bitches get low” kinda caught my attention. Song after song, I grew increasingly angry. It was all rap, not good rap, no, the “slap your ho, suck my (fill in the blank)” garbage, sexist, misogynistic kind of rap. At first, my optimistic Elbows thought they might be trying to prove a point, as they purposefully skipped over an awesome Matisyahu song. We quickly learned this was not the case, since they played a couple good songs and then returned to the hateful shit. I wanted to scream, “This is a fu*&ing event AGAINST sexual assault! Who the hell is in charge of the music, and why are they here?!?” (I’m getting pissed off just writing this).
Soon, groups of sorority and fraternity kids started arriving at the tent, all wearing shirts and shorts sporting their Greek letters. A couple guys, and even a girl, were all wearing shirts that read “Jungle Jiggle” with a caricature of two girls with bid boobs wrestling (I guess all their other Alpha Delta Asshole shirts were dirty). I don’t know exactly what bothered me the most…the lack of Jog for Justice shirt wearers, the girls shaking their asses to the insulting music, the frat dudes eating all the pizza and bagels, the other frat dudes taking pictures with their frat flag with the parking lot (instead of the Victims Advocate tent) as the backdrop, or the certainty I felt that none of them donated to the cause.
I am certain that the majority of those kids came for the free food, drinks, and socializing. I wouldn't be surprised if some douchenozzle woke his fraternity up by telling them that girls talking about their pu*%ies were gathering by the parking lot with free food. Ok, see, I am being a judgmental bastard, but the whole thing looked like a publicity stunt. Everyone knows that the rate of sexual assault within the Greek system is horribly shocking, and I’m sure there’s a great deal of pressure on these organizations to fix “the problem.” However, I believe they think “the problem” is their image. These kids did not act like they cared about the event; they just wanted to put on their website that they participate in Sexual Assault Awareness Month, it looks good.
I do not like the Greek system, I think they serve no purpose and I think they are dangerous. At one time, I had hope that these were philanthropic organizations where students found friends with similar interests. I do not believe those types of sororities or fraternities exist anymore. I do not understand how countless women have been encourage, and at times threatened, to hide their rape in the best interest of the Greek system. I do not know when this will stop. I wasn't expecting these kids to be as sympathetic to the issues surrounding sexual assault as Elbows and I are. They are young and they don't know anything. I just don't think it's that difficult to donate some money and pretend like you give a shit.
Signing off,
A Judgmental Bastard
Friday, April 18, 2008
Am I a Judgmental Bastard?
Tuesday, September 11, 2007
Do people have nothing else to worry about?
Dearest Bloggers,
I ask you, does the sight of a woman in a short skirt offend you to the point where you feel you can't be in the same vicinity as her? Well, supposedly the idiots that answered yes to that question were on a Southwest flight to Arizona a couple days ago. I want you to check out the link and tell me how on earth this is ok. This poor girl wants only an apology from the asshole airline... I say clean them out sister!!! http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/20638479/from/ET/
Monday, August 13, 2007
Heroes of the day
Dr. Denis Mukwege, who treats rape victims in the Congo, and Eve Ensler, the author of the Vagina Monologues, who had the courage to talk to the survivors and experience some of the worst violence against women anywhere in the world.
This article is fantastic, and you should read every word. It took me about an hour to get through it - parts are so graphic I had to put it down to keep myself from shaking or crying, so you might want to wait until you're not at work to read it. But you should.