Last week, I wrote an article that received a lot of heat. I thought I'd clear up a few things and set a few things straight.
To begin, the article I wrote is about the reasons why I didn't rush. I didn't get rejected from a sorority and I'm not insecure, regardless of what this reader thought she knew:
I tried to look past the mean comments I received about being "dumber than Hillary Clinton," or how my writing is "junk." I tried to look past this into why you're actually mad.
The article was intended to encourage Greek-involved individuals to reflect on the message they send to those considering rushing. The stereotypes that every single one of you commented on me using, that was my impression of Greek life. You're exactly right. They're stereotypes. And those stereotypes kept me from rushing or from thinking anything positive at all about Greek life before college.
But now I'm going into my junior year, and I've experienced Greek life first-hand. I lived with three AOPs my freshman year. Three wonderful girls, who very quickly became good friends of mine. They know they're the reason I have anything positive to say about Greek life. So, no, I don't "blanket" an entire group of women who are Greek. I know there are some bad apples, and I also know that there are some good ones. But before I came to college, I thought it was all bullshit.
Since I've been at an SEC school, I've experienced sorority girls who were mean to me, and some who weren't. I'm friends with some of you (well, I was friends with some of you), and I'm not friends with others. I've sat in class with some of you, hungover from your social gathering the night before, and tried not to roll my eyes. It's your choice. If you want to live your life that way, have at it. But I don't wish I would've subjected myself to that when I was a freshman.
I didn't mean to completely offend the hell out of all of you, just simply wanted to point out the reasons why I didn't rush when I began my educational journey at an SEC school. The items I listed were all valid reasons in my mind why I wasn't going to rush.
Most of what I said was misinterpreted by 99% of you. I applaud you all for having each other's backs, for standing up for one another, and for sharing my thoughts over 10,000 times. I appreciate that each and every one of you had a response. I can tell by the emotionally charged words and phrases that you used, I struck a chord.
But I guess, in the end, it's good for all of you to see the kind of impression you're putting off. It's good to see how you're affecting high school seniors who are trying to decide whether or not to rush. And for the girls who read my article, in hopes to find some guidance, they read all of your mean comments and hopefully decided not to be a part of a belittling environment.
I hope you're glad you rushed. I hope your sisters are the greatest thing since sliced bread. But for me, I want to stay out of Greek life altogether. The comments, Facebook messages, voicemails, middle-of-the-night phone calls, and text messages just confirmed my decision to not be a part of an organization that values degrading those with differing opinions.
No matter what you think, your "philanthropies" aren't the first thing people think of when they hear Greek life. It's definitely not what I think of. I think about the sorority moms I grew up around who made me feel like shit about myself, and the Greek-affiliated individuals I've met who are jerks.
And the heartbreaking stories of suicidal girls who had a horrible experience during recruitment, who were just trying to belong to something, who ended up in a ball of tears on the floor.
I'm thankful for your responses. I'm thankful you care about what people think about your organization. And now it's time to start changing the impression you're broadcasting to the world... if you want.
