UPenn Fraternity In Trouble After Alumni Quote Classic Internet Video

El Taco9 years ago

A University of Pennsylvania fraternity is in some hot water after what would seem to be some racially-charged emails. Instead, we’re pretty positive the emails were just quoting a hilarious video that’s been on the internet for almost a decade.

From The Daily Pennsylvanian:

Just before midnight on April 21, former Pi Kappa Alpha member and then-College senior Curtis Harris sent an email to the group’s listserv — of current members and some alumni — about offensive language. He had recently become frustrated with members’ use of racial slurs such as the n-word in joking contexts.

‘To put it in perspective saying the n-word (the term that is used negatively towards the African ethnicity) or the f-word (the term that is used negatively towards the LGBT community) is just as bad as using a term that the Nazi’s would have created for Jews,’ Harris wrote in the email. ‘I hate to get that deep, but I’m f[***]ing sick of the bigotry.’

Some members and alumni responded in agreement, but others responded in a more joking way. One alumnus used the word ‘n*****f**gots,’ which was a reference to a video posted in the listserv. After another alumnus asked if someone ‘[could] use it in a sentence?’ a Pike freshman responded to the prompt.

‘Sweetgreen employs n*****f**gots — the gay, black guy that served me lunch,’ he said in the email.

[The freshman later said,] ‘Me, being brand-new to the listserv just responded to his request about using the term in a sentence,’ the student said in an interview. ‘I was just like, ‘ok, is this how things are done?’ I did not mean any offensive at all to the African-American or the LGBT community and that was addressed in the apology email.

Fucking freshmen.

Okay, so using the term “n*****f**gots” to refer to a guy working at a health food shop is wrong. I think we can all agree on that one. Using that term in an email to active members and alumni was just as dumb. That kid’s been suspended, but let’s be honest he was probably gonna get picked off anyway. He doesn’t seem like the sharpest tool in the shed.

As for this Harris guy, come on. You’re comparing fraternity guys (of which you’re apart of) to Nazis. Really? We gonna go there? Last I checked, fraternities haven’t killed six million people because of their religious beliefs. Find me evidence of that and I’ll adjust my views.

Harris has deactivated himself from the fraternity and reportedly doesn’t have any plans of coming back.

As for those alumni, I don’t think they’re all that guilty here. Now, we don’t have access to the emails or what exact video was posted in what seems to be a serious email gone awry, but I’ll bet money it was this one:

Yes, that is actor/rapper Donald Glover/Childish Gambino in his early days.

The video is highly quotable — just probably not in email threads. Do I believe they were being racist and/or homophobic? No. Could they have expressed better judgement? Yes. Should we shut the fraternity down? Should we shut it ALL down?! Obviously. These fraternity men have gone too far.

Ride together, die together — GDIs for life, brother..

[via The Daily Pennsylvanian]

Image via YouTube