Looking down on some Frat Row members

I participated in the Take Back the Night March and Rally. For those of you who have never taken part in such an event, I urge you to participate next year. Take Back the Night is about speaking out against sexual violence against women. It is a powerful and moving experience, and the committee who organized this year's event deserves much kudos. I also want to thank all the women and men who took part in the march. However, what I found appalling was the behavior of some men who are part of Fraternity Row. I am not trying to call out all fraternities and all men, just the few guys who seem to think it is an act of courage to shout at women from moving cars or darkened windows, or throw a water balloon from the second floor of a house on the other side of the road. I guess I have a different perspective; I see these as acts of cowardice and ignorance. Where is the courage of expressing yourself anonymously rather than having the guts to look another person in the eye and engage with them in an honest conversation? What are you really saying with your actions, you are in favor of sexual violence against women? I pity you. I hope some day those cowards will understand what it means to have courage, and to be man, not a scared, immature boy. I want to highlight that this was a small minority of men who engaged in these spineless acts. The problem is that these behaviors happened in Fraternity Row, and thus the behavior of a few dullards paints the rest of the men in the fraternity system with their brush. So the stereotypes about fraternity brothers are allowed to continue on unchallenged. Or are they? Perhaps the majority of men in the Greek system would care to speak out. Perhaps the majority of the men in the Greek system would like to make a strong and continued statement to the men who seem to think it is OK to support violence against our sisters, friends, daughters and mothers. Perhaps the majority of the men in the Greek system would like to make a commitment to ongoing efforts over the next year, or longer, to find ways to counter the cowardly minority and show us the true mettle of fraternity men. What do you say, guys?

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