Swarthmore GDIs Try To Referendum Greek Life Away

Bronan the Barbarian12 years ago

In a classic example of trying to force your views on others and intolerance for different lifestyles and beliefs, Swarthmore’s independent students have started a petition to have Greeks removed from campus via referendum. Joyce Wu is the incredibly tolerant, open-minded originator of the referendum, calling for it in a Phoenix editorial a few weeks ago and sparking a campus-wide debate over ending the recognition of the organizations.

That debate, of course, being whether the Greek chapters at Swarthmore should be allowed to exist because their existence can be negative, “cause discomfort,” and promote drinking. Her intention, she claims now, is not to remove Greek life (which she outright admits she has a vested interest in), but to spark debate and ensure that the student population of Swarthmore gets what they want.

You know, except for the current Swarthmore Greeks. Fuck them.

Those of you familiar with classical philosophy (or who paid attention in history) might be familiar with the concept of a majority getting everything they want because they’re a majority, and the resulting general shitting-upon of the rights of others: tyranny of the majority. Democratically dismantling student organizations because they make you personally uncomfortable isn’t the way to voice your opinion. It’s how you act like a 5-year-old who didn’t get what they wanted, but on a larger political scale.

Freedom of speech and expression doesn’t mean you get to say what other people can’t say. Freedom of association means you shouldn’t get to shut down a student organization because you, as a biased individual, don’t like the things you believe those organizations stand for. Doing these things, because fuck people who are different or who hold different opinions, is no better than the stereotype supposedly being combatted here and the supposed injustices students could suffer under a campus with a thriving Greek community.

Luckily, the referendum seems to not be happening according to the student council, which apparently understands that stripping students of their organizational recognition because some of the population buys into hateful, ignorant stereotypes is silly.

Don’t like Greek Life? Don’t join and don’t associate with them. Trying to eradicate the community because you see their existence as an injustice makes you an anti-American hypocrite. Our 1st Amendment guarantees the rights of all groups to exist and associate freely, and the Founding Fathers didn’t stutter when they said that.

[via The Phoenix]

Image via Swarthmore Mountain Justice