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from The Gray Area:
It goes without saying that the SAE fraternity song recoded on a bus this past weekend was shocking, distasteful and uncomfortable. I really don’t think anyone enjoyed that episode. Certainly not the participants, the fraternity or the university. All are in 24/7 damage control.
But this item does beg the following question. How many of you have been involved, either directly or indirectly, in the privacy of your home, with a couple of friends, in a small group, or in a larger setting, in something you are not particularly proud of? Something inappropriate, sexist, homophobic, crude, rude, distasteful, and/or racist? Something that made you feel unclean, disgusted, stupid or sorry you were even there? If you answer this question no, you are lying. I heard someone asked a similar question on the radio today and he replied “never”. This man was late 60s, but even if he were 19, the same is true. The answer to this has got be 100% yes. Another on the radio today said if he was on that bus he would have gotten up and gotten off, no way he would have stood for that. Ha, ha, nice grandstanding after the fact.
Relax everyone, it just makes you human, living in a world with other humans, all of which are flawed. We all try to do better and sometimes we mess up. It doesn’t necessarily make us bad people, just flawed humans for the most part who are prone to occasional lapses of good judgement.
So, what was different in the situations you thought of, or if you answered no to the questions above, those which occurred that you have obviously blanked out of your mind? What was different that keeps you from having to defend your actions, participation or lack of public revulsion? A camera.
Today cameras are a ubiquitous as eyes and ears. They are everywhere. In cellphones which are in everyone’s pocket, purse or hand. On street corners and in stores. In police cars and private cars. Because of the technology we enjoy and benefit from everyday,noting is a private moment. Remember about a year ago, when Los Angeles Clippers owner Donald Sterling had a voice recording published of comments he made in the privacy of his own home with one other person. If not for the recording, he still owns the Los Angeles Clippers. If not for the fact that none of our private “moments” were recorded, we too would be defending our motives, our biases and our relative “ism”.
But now it is a big issue. Everyone who has an agenda is using this incident to further their positions. Making much more out of this than it truly deserves. Are all these kids racist? Should they have been expelled from OU? Is the fraternity racist? Should the fraternity be shut down? Is no one allowed to have an opinion, good or stupid, on any subject? And on, and on, and on. Is anything positive happening as a result of this incident? No, just everyone with an agenda getting their pound of flesh.
None of this is to excuse what happened. No matter what the reason it should not have occurred, period. But sometimes it does, for all of us. So when you go to sleep tonight once again thank your God, or if you are a non-believer, your lucky stars, your pet rock or whatever, that these kids aren’t you or yours. Realize the difference between political agendas, out of control political correctness and just stupid stuff. And realize most importantly, with the technology of today and that which is coming shortly, just how much more guarded we all have to be, even our most private moments. Its not fun anymore.