[19417] in APO-L
Re: All Male
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (Jeffrey N Woodford)
Tue Oct 20 18:45:40 1998
Date: Tue, 20 Oct 1998 17:44:40 -0500
Reply-To: Jeffrey N Woodford <jwoodfor@UNLGRAD1.UNL.EDU>
From: Jeffrey N Woodford <jwoodfor@UNLGRAD1.UNL.EDU>
To: APO-L@LISTSERV.IUPUI.EDU
In-Reply-To: <2b91f091.362c9549@aol.com> from "Jrhmdtraum@AOL.COM" at Oct 20,
98 09:51:05 am
Jrhmdtraum@AOL.COM wrote:
[snip history]
> Retrospectively, I sort of wish we had gone the legal way. It is of no doubt
> that going coed "saved" the fraternity. The chapters that are still all male
> see no reason to change and, I believe, won't unless they are forced.
This is contrary to historical precedent. In fact, every co-ed chapter
today, which existed prior to 1976, chose to go co-ed on their own.
> Why
> force them now. I believe that you and I and all of our brothers thus
> indirectly support discrimination by allowing some of "our" chapters to
> discriminate.
To be polite, this is hogwash. Do we "indirectly support" starvation
and homelessness by "allowing" some of our fellow citizens to starve
and be homeless? Because the problems of starvation, homelessness, and
discrimination have not been eradicated completely, failure to do so
does not mean we support such things, indirectly or otherwise. We must
be prudent in the methods that we use to tackle such problems.
> I hope that you and the members of your chapter consider this
> and consider how you would feel if it were not sex but race that we are
> talking about. One of the problems with America today, in my opinion, is that
> we do not consider race and sex the same. That is why women get paid less
> then a man for doing the same work, etc.
Personally, I believe the same thing about racial discrimination as I
do about gender discrimination. I find both practices to be morally
wrong. But I am not about to force bigots not to discriminate -
because it _does not solve the real problem_. Is a bigot any less of a
bigot after you have used the power of the National Fraternity, or the
power of the courts, to force him to change his ways? Fundamentally,
no. He is still a bigot at heart. But if you use the tools of reason
and education to convince him, that acting in a bigoted manner is
contrary to his own self-interest, then you have fundamentally changed
the person. You have truly removed the bigotry from the person. THAT
is what I think we must do. We must convince the all-male chapters,
with words rather than with directives, that being all-male in this
day and age is silly and it is time to go.
Plus, do not forget the fact that if we adopt your plan, and force
all-male chapters to go co-ed, many currently all-male chapters would
rather quit the fraternity rather than integrate; and with their
departure goes the opportunity for others on those campuses to
experience Alpha Phi Omega.
I suggest to you, put away your legal briefs and spend some time
trying to covince the members of Delta, or Sigma Xi, or Nu Mu, that
their discriminatory practices are wrong. After all, they are not some
anonymous mob of thugs. They are our brothers; they have taken the
same Oath of Loyalty and Service that you and I have taken. I think
they deserve at least that much, before you try to force them to
accept a change that they are unwilling to accept at this time.
> Yes, some members might quit if forced to change. At about the same time that
> the above was first being seriously considered, the Stanford Band which had
> been all male for years was forced by the University (Title 9) to go coed
> (1973, I believe). A lot of members quit and the Band was not as good as it
> had been for several years. It is now as good as it ever was and perhaps the
> best college Band in the country again.
>
> So, I would urge you and your brethern to look at the issue as if it were race
> and if some of our chapters did not let blacks or hispanics join. How would
> you feel about the issue then. If you still believe that a forced change
> would be bad, then that is your opinion. If you would feel that we must allow
> blacks to join, then I would urge you to feel the same about women.
I believe, that unless there are no other options available to us,
that the means we use to solve a problem should be commensurate with
the quality of the ends which we want to achieve. That is, if the goal
we want to achieve is noble and righteous, that we should not use
deceptive and underhanded means to accomplish those goals. Put another
way, "the ends do not justify the means". You and I are in 100%
agreement with the ends: the elimination of gender discrimination from
the Fraternity. We only differ over the means.
-Jeff
Alumnus, Kappa Chapter, Carnegie Mellon University
Brother, Alpha Sigma Chapter, University of Nebraska-Lincoln
--
Jeffrey N. Woodford jwoodfor@unlgrad1.unl.edu photon.unl.edu/jeff/home.html
"...the public expression of ideas may not be prohibited merely because the
ideas are themselves offensive to some of their hearers." - Street v. New York
