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MEDIA ISSUES:
Female Point of View Needed to Balance “Wonderboy
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As part of the general mission
of the column from the Carolina
Association of Black Journalists,
we explore various types of media
in the local community, one of
which is Black Ink. As we all
know. Black Ink’s Wonderboy has
gained support as well as
opposition. Although this
opposition is present, the issues
that Wonderboy discusses deserve
attention.
First of all, Wonderboy provides
a platform for topics that need to be
addressed by both black men and
women. This platform can initiate
discussion and help solve some of
the communication problems
between the sexes. Granted it’s
hard to take this one-sided view of
Wonderboy, it’s necessary.
Some readers have complained
that the column is biased or
chauvinistic. They complain that
the article implies that women are
just “trifling” and are just after
money or looks.
Wonderboy humorously
presents serious issues in a way
that can make us laugh at ourselves.
The reader who takes this column
literally is missing the main point
and not to mention the humor.
The intention of the column is
to give students a laugh while also
making them think about issues.
McCann. McCann realizes that he
exagerrates in his column, but at
the same time he hoj>es to provoke
discussion about it or action against
some problems in the black
community. The column is an
effective way to get people to talk
about things that normally would
not be discussed, said McCann.
Female readers have also said
the column supports stereotypes
that black people have been trying
to fight. They believe that in cases
where readers read the column
literally, it could be deu^imentai to
the black community. They also
have said that McCann ’s purpose is
a vahd one, but there might be a
said the column writer John more effective way to achieve it
other than through the words
Wonderboy speaks.
True, Wonderboy does exhibit
stereotypes that we have in the black
community. We have to start
combatting them before we can
expect others to disregard them.
This column is an effective tool to
dispel these myths through the
discussion it will cause. Because of
the column, readers will likely be
willing to speak out against them.
McCann said although the
column reflects societal
stereotypes, there is a grain of truth
in the column. But in order to
reflect the entire “grain of U"uth,”
there is a need to include a female
point of view so both sides can be
equally represented.
To present this female
perspective, the Ink is inU"oducing
... Wondergirl. This column will
be an opportunity for readers to
respond to Wonderboy’s opinions.
These responses can prompt more
meaningful discussion in the black
community. They appear to be a
way for us to address the black
man’s image and opinions. This
type of discourse can certainly help
us learn a little something about
each other.
Media Issues Committee writers
were: Tiffany Draughn and Stacey
Beinavis.
Greek Organizations Have Pluses, Minuses
Terrence Garrison
Guest Columnist
Why do black people call
themselves Greek?
This is a question which I think
I am particularly well-equipped to
answer. I know what it is like to be
“non-Greek” and I also know what
it is like to be “Greek”; therefore I
can speak from experience and
offer both perspectives.
To answCT the question let me
begin by stating that I do not call
myself ‘‘Gredc”. I am a member of
an African-American Fraternity.
Only people who are anxious to
criticize and reluctant to understand
apply the label “Greek”.
I know very well what I am;
only a fool would assume
otherwise. Even if I did apply this
term to my fraternal or African-
American brothers and sisters, it
has been written by some historians
that the first people to inhabit the
peninsula of Greece were African. I
really don’t know fw sure.
A more relevant question
concerns the continued use of our
slave siuTiames (Williams, Jones,
etc.) when we ki»w full well that
the origin of such names are
European, while most of us are
note than likely, predominantly
\frican.
What is the theoretical basis
or the supposed greatness of
JHcan American Sororities and
Garrison
Fraternities?
Members of these organizations
are taught that black people have
been deprived of their history and
therefore, their self-esteem as well.
An intensive program of
educational indoctrination
involving instruction on the
“glorious past” of Africa and black
people is supposed to provide
members with a sense of history
resulting in a sense of confidence
and achievemenL
This is the principle behind the
membershipprocess of the Masons,
The Nation of Islam and black
sorority/fraiemity organizations,
especially on black campuses. Even
the Ku Klux Klan, based on my
research and experience (of course
I’m not a member) use a similar
method of indoctrination although
it lacks the validity of more
socially accqitable groups.
To sum briefly, success of
individual members is based on the
principle that “if there is no struggle,
there is no progress” (Frederick
Douglass).
Is the Black Fraternity/
Sorority a divisive element in the
African American community?
Yes. A fraternal or sororital
organization is inherently
discriminatory and like any
discriminatory organization it is
prone to produce an elitist attitude
in its members.
Fraternities and sororities
discriminate on the basis of sex,
grade point average and a wide
variety of subjectively evaluated
criteria. It seems ironic that black
males and females in organizations
created in part to fight racism,
discriminate against other blacks.
There is little justification for this
except to say that neither the
organizations nor the individuals
that attempt to become members
are perfect.
Like being admitted to a
university, some people make it,
some don’t-simple! However, the
attitude of some black “Greeks”
toward “non-Greeks” is inexcusable
and not consistent with the original
principles upon which these great
organizations were founded.
Why pledge?
There are many reasons. I
pledged because I was attracted to
and impressed by the tradition,
principles and activities of the
fraternity to which I belong. Others
pledge because their parents did.
Some people pledge for “dap” while
others simply feel lonely and need
sisterhood or brotherhood.
Does pledging stifle ones
individuality?
Sometimes it does, sometimes
it doesn’t. It depends on the
individual.
As far as I’m concerned,
pledging brings out the individual
by providing a protective social
forum, thereby allowing relatively
uninhibited freedom of personal
expression on the part of its
members.
It has been said that pledging is
an intimate and dynamic laboratory
of human interaction. One must be
a member in order to grasp the
profoundness and truth of this
“laboratory”.
What do I think about recent
changes in black fraternities and
sororities?
I think that African-American
fraternities and sororities are a part
of our American history and
tradition.
Also, these organizations add
cultural diversity to this campus
and serve as a vehicle for political,
social and economic changes in our
communities. Its U'aditions should
be preserved through any legal
means necessary.
Unfortunately,black fraternities
and sororities are not evolving as
part of African-American culture,
but digressing and becoming more
like their white counterparts. They
are becoming like (Supreme Court
Justice) Clarence Thomas, lost from
their African roots.
Closing Remarks
It should go without saying that
African-American Greek letter
organizations have made a
significant contribution to blacks
in America and in some instances,
around the world. Membership has
its privileges.
But we - as African Americans
first and black “Greeks” second —
must learn to: preserve our
traditions, put them in proper
persf)ective and evolve and not
digress.
These organizations havepluses
and minuses. At present, I think the
pluses outweigh the minuses. But
we (all blacks) must restore lost
traditions, maintain those that
remain and promote the sisterhood
and brotherhood of all humanity,
even though we (Africans) were
here first.
Garrison is a senior political
science major and member of Alpha
Phi Alpha Fraternity.