August 19, 2015

A video promoting a University of Alabama sorority has been taken down because it was perceived as blindingly blonde.

"The university was quick to disavow the video. A statement from the school’s associate vice president for university relations, Deborah Lane, said that the video 'is not reflective of UA’s expectations for student organizations to be responsible digital citizens.'"

"Blindingly blonde" is my expression. I was going to say "insufficiently diverse," but that didn't really convey the problem. Here, see and judge for yourself:



ADDED: For context, here's a Buzzfeed article from last year titled "University Of Alabama’s Sororities Still Resist Integrating/Seven months after allegations of racism were raised, little has changed. 'There is a strong sense of ‘There’s nothing you can do about it.'" Excerpt:
UA sophomore Khortlan Patterson, a black woman from Houston, was offered multiple bids to join Alabama’s traditionally white Panhellenic sororities but turned them down. “I don’t want to pay $6,000 a year to get criticized and ostracized,” Patterson said. “I don’t want to pay money to be a part of that.”

Instead, Patterson pledged Alpha Kappa Alpha, the first historically African-American sorority. She considered joining a Panhellenic chapter in order to push change from the inside, but ultimately, Patterson decided it would have been more of a trial than an opportunity.

“No one’s going to say flat out, ‘You can’t hang out with us because we don’t consider you to be our sister.’ But I think that in their actions it would probably be communicated in that way.”

156 comments:

Expat(ish) said...

In my experience sororities and fraternities are more racially segregated than high school lunch room tables.

For example, the AKA's home page is 100% black: http://www.aka1908.com/

Disclaimer - I worked a *ton* of Habitat builds with AKA's and found them to be a ton of fun and really friendly, so not picking on them, they were just top of my head.

-XC

Thuglawlibrarian said...

Does the university have an issue with the video or the sorority?

Jason said...

Where de white women at?!?!?

Mike (MJB Wolf) said...

I prefer to focus on the few lovely brunettes rather than the surplus of lovely blondes. Is that wrong too?

Swifty Quick said...

Maybe blonde sells best.

Mark said...

Love the token black, playing football of course.

Not sure I saw even a single redhead. Couldn't they have Photoshoped them in like we do at UW Madison?

bridgecross said...

I had to watch that 4 times before I could make an informed decision.
But seriously, that doesn't appear to be an advertisement for prospective sorority members as much as a draw for male students to attend their campus parties.

rehajm said...

The university has attacked the last institution where fit blonde white female students could find sanctuary from ridicule and discrimination.

Charlie Currie said...

So now Carrie Underwood is the poster child for white privilege...the face of the oppressor...an idol to be shunned...

Tari said...

Oh good grief, they're just a bunch of silly sorority girls at a not-very-great school. Let them have their fun, find nice husbands and enjoy life. Not every woman wants to wear all black, major in women's studies, and live in Brooklyn after graduation.

If there's proof that this sorority or others like it actually discriminated against women based on race, then go after them for that. But if we're just judging them by how they look ... well, a lot of people have been telling me since I was a little girl that it's wrong to do that.

robother said...

I've read that, in controlled studies, when shown pictures of mostly blonde women, men tend to pick out the single brunette as more attractive.

Sydney said...

Isn't a sorority by definition a discriminatory body? I'm surprised the greek system is allowed to remain on today's correct thinking campuses at all.

Eric the Fruit Bat said...

Last night I watched Marnie (1964) for the first time and I very much preferred Diane Baker to Tippi Hedren so make of that what you will.

Eric the Fruit Bat said...

Perhaps I should add that I preferred Suzanne Pleshette, so maybe that means something.

Michael K said...

That video brings fond memories of better times. In 1956 at USC, the Delta Gamma sorority looked like that. I hope they all lead happy lives and have nice families. I married a Kappa who were mostly brunettes.

Kyzer SoSay said...

I see only one problem with that video. It's lacking a 21-year old me. The sororities at my college were a joke - their parties were lame and their members were all either stuck-up and waiting for a rich guy (good luck with that one) or LUGs. At least, the dozen or so members I knew personally.

Bobby said...

Where is Laslo? I clicked on this thread specifically to read Laslo's comments...

Jim in St Louis said...

Tari- Agree. Harmless.

Mike Sylwester said...

A statement from the school’s associate vice president for university relations, Deborah Lane, said that the video “is not reflective of UA’s expectations for student organizations to be responsible digital citizens.”

That statement seems to be a micro-aggression against students who are not citizens ...

... and a double micro-aggression against students who are not digital citizens


... and a triple micro-aggression against students who are not responsible digital citizens

Also, does the school have an official handbook documenting its "expectations" for responsible digital citizenship?

Michael said...

I agree with bridgecross. This is really just a recruitment video for males to attend Alabama.

Etienne said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
David Begley said...

Roll Tide!
Beat Wisconsin.

tim in vermont said...

So these girls are today's two minute hate? It's so hard to keep up.

Scott M said...

Holy shit...seriously? At what point does a society become affluent enough that crap like this becomes a problem?

Freeman Hunt said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Titus said...

That video was hilarious.

So Alabama-so southern-so hideous.

YoungHegelian said...

That video was horrible, an offense to my natal state of Alabama.

Those young ladies must be punished for this infraction. I'm gonna take every single one of them, put 'em across my knee, and give 'em A GOOD HARD SPANKIN'!

Is it hot in here or is just me?

D.D. Driver said...

"Oh good grief, they're just a bunch of silly sorority girls at a not-very-great school."

The ironic part of this is if the young women were acting provocatively, no one could criticize the video. That would have been slut-shaming. It's only because the young women were acting goofy and inoffensive that video is so damn offensive.


Freeman Hunt said...

Heh. That's exactly what I always imagined sorority life was like. Therefore, I don't see anything wrong with the video. Truth in advertising.

PoNyman said...

Everyone had about the same hair length.

MadisonMan said...

The Twittersphere loves a good hunt. So yes, tim, they are today's prey.

Does the university have an issue with the video or the sorority?

The video only. UA floated Alpha Phi somewhere north of $11M to build their Chapter House on the campus. That's how Fraternity/Sorority houses are built in Alabama -- the University loans them money.

kcom said...

Yes, we'll promote diversity by ruthlessly crushing anything not going straight down the humdrum middle. Anything unique... gone!

Sebastian said...

“is not reflective of UA’s expectations for student organizations to be responsible digital citizens.”

Independent thought, even if silly, will not be tolerated. Toe the line, sisters.

Freeman Hunt said...

Lots of dressing up and makeup and glitter and girlie sisterhood. Some gitls love that stuff. They want to live in a flowery manor full of girls like them. Okay.

kcom said...

The left has been slowly assembling their mighty hammer over the last few decades. Now everything they see looks suspiciously like a nail.

Tank said...

Everyone hates a place where there are scores of slim, attractive, white (couple of Asian and Indian I think), young ladies, dressed in white and smiling and dancing and having fun.

Everyone hates that.

Tank said...

I hated it the second time too.

MadisonMan said...

From the Times Article:

I don’t think these girls are to blame,” she [Abbey Crain] said, referring to the women shown in the Alpha Phi video. “In writing my article, I was not trying to call out this huge group of women for all being racist bigots

How kind of the reporter from the University of Alabama newspaper.

In a similar vein, I'm not calling out writers for the UA newspaper for all being students who slept with their professors to get onto the paper staff.

Freeman Hunt said...

I don't see why the university would bother commenting on the video. Seems beneath an institution of higher education.

"This video is too silly!"

Or are they claiming,

"Oh, goodness! We had no idea that sororities were usually racially self-segregated and generally conformist in appearance!"

Bob Ellison said...

I tried to join that sorority, but was judged over-qualified.

Greek Donkey said...

There were plenty of brunettes in the video. Hair coloring tech has come so far you just thought they were blonde.

Matt Sablan said...

"I don't see why the university would bother commenting on the video."

-- To hopefully blunt the coming storm from embarrassing the school. The girls are to be the sacrifice to appease the PC hordes.

tim in vermont said...

So Alabama-so southern-so hideous - Titus


Said Titus from his comfortable Archie Bunker chair.

Douglas B. Levene said...

Damn, I knew Alabama had great looking babes, but this nails it.

Roughcoat said...

Can we dance wif yo dates?

ken in tx said...

I went to Alabama, off and on from 66 to 75, joining the Air Force in between. I can honestly say they have the most beautiful young women there that I have ever seen, before or since. However, they were not nearly as friendly as the ones at Clemson.

This video looks like harmless fun to me.

policraticus said...

I... don't get it.

It is Alpha Phi. Of course they are blonde, pretty and preppy. And bitches. That is what it means to be Alpha Phi. By definition. Just like Alpha Omicron Pi were kind of ordinary looking and smart. Alpha Chi Omega were sporty and brunette. And Alpha Kappa Alpha were black. And the girls at Kappa Kappa Kappa were all really rich. Granted, these are judgments from the University of Delaware circa 1986, but still, Greek organizations are remarkably conservative and traditional. Is the point that none of these organizations should be distinctive or is it that Alpha Phi is somehow especially bad because... reasons?

Isn't there something more important we should be talking about?

Tank said...

policraticus said...

I... don't get it.

It is Alpha Phi. Of course they are blonde, pretty and preppy. And bitches. That is what it means to be Alpha Phi. By definition. Just like Alpha Omicron Pi were kind of ordinary looking and smart. Alpha Chi Omega were sporty and brunette. And Alpha Kappa Alpha were black. And the girls at Kappa Kappa Kappa were all really rich. Granted, these are judgments from the University of Delaware circa 1986, but still, Greek organizations are remarkably conservative and traditional. Is the point that none of these organizations should be distinctive or is it that Alpha Phi is somehow especially bad because... reasons?

Isn't there something more important we should be talking about?


You wanna look at this video again, or would you rather look at the video of Hillary Clinton talking to two ugly black women?

Tank said...

Incidentally, this IS important.

Matt Sablan said...

"Isn't there something more important we should be talking about?"

-- Loads of "more important things." But, if I wanted to talk about them, I wouldn't have clicked on this link. Incidentally, I think it is important to look at how people who are against this video are trying to shame the women in it. Because, that's part of what this is -- "Shame on these women for acting in the way they want!"

Matt Sablan said...

[Though, I think most of us are waiting for the train wreck that will be Laslo.]

Roughcoat said...

Long blond hair and long legs, creamy complexions, pert boobies ...

Yes, Tank, I agree: this is very important.

ken in tx said...

Also, what's wrong with the Hammond B-3 sound track. Sounds great to me.

Ron Winkleheimer said...

Oh good grief, they're just a bunch of silly sorority girls at a not-very-great school.

Auburn grad?

richard mcenroe said...

Ann, you do realize that being blindingly blonde yourself, you are obliged to give up your proffessorial seat to a womyn or LGBT of color too, eighty?

Freeman Hunt said...

An Arkansas sorority video. And here, you can see pictures of that house because it is being featured in Southern Living.

They sell a certain lifestyle.

richard mcenroe said...

Eighty? = Android conspiracy to disrupt the public dialogue = right?

Michael K said...

"That's how Fraternity/Sorority houses are built in Alabama -- the University loans them money."

The universities are all trying to take over the Greek houses and run them into dormitories. I hope the Alpha Phis resist. At U of Oklahoma in the 50s, my fraternity was given some oil wells by an alum and that paid for the house which was on a city block. I was envious as they did not get house bills. All was paid for. Needless to say they were in great demand by rushes.

The newer house is different. Maybe the wells ran dry.

Nichevo said...

BTW why doesn't she delete you any more? You two have an offline come to Jesus moment? Maybe a little pussy eating one way or the other to lighten your moods? You certainly haven't been toilet trained.

Eric the Fruit Bat said...

Weird thing happened while watching Marnie last night. There was a close-up of Tippi Hedren's nose (I think it was when Sean Connery finally gave her a smooch) and I was totally awestruck by its beauty. I said to my wife, "Those are some fine-looking nostrils she's got going there." My wife agreed.

Later on, there was a profile shot of Diane Baker and I was all, like, "Damn! There's another great-looking nose, too!"

Then my mind started drifting and I started pondering whether all of the women in Hitchcock movies are gifted in the proboscis department.

More research is required!

MacMacConnell said...

A harmless video, young gals having fun.

In the first part, all dressed in white looking like an old Tampon ad all they had to do is synchronize them periods and not use napkins. They would have been celebrated by progressives.

The Cracker Emcee Refulgent said...

When I first read about this I thought it was the usual PC outrage bullshit. But after watching the video I have to admit the critics may have a point. There's no way you assemble a group that looks like that without very deliberately discriminating on the basis of race and appearance. It looks like a Beach Boys video made by Leni Riefenstahl.

Nichevo said...

Nonsense. The problem is that people like us who have grown up in New York, for instance, don't see herds of natural blondes everyday. I just drove a friend out to Ohio helping him move, and we stopped in a Western PA McDonalds. The wait staff was like Children of the Corn. Blonde on blonde on blonde. I think it's just the demographic. (They had two brunettes. It wasn't wall to wall. Can anyone assess the video's blonde count of natural vs dye-jobs like Althouse?)

Skeptical Voter said...

Geez they looked like the Alpha Phi's at San Diego State in the early 60's. Thin, blonde, pretty. Campus hotties. The Thetas and Pi Phis gave them a good run for their money looks wise, but the Alpha Phis were the cream of the crop. As for the goofiness, they watched too many reruns of some of the Beatle's movies. But then sororities have usually had their minds 50 years behind the times. Some things never change.

Michael said...

Everybody! Listen. Lighten the fuck up.

CStanley said...

Ridiculous faux controversy.

For some funny photos of another blond, check out Hot Air's current home page.....hilarious.

Warning - definitely not a cute perky coed!

www.pointsandfigures.com said...

maybe if they were heavy, and sort of monosexual in nature it would be okay.

Anonymous said...

Nice to see Diana Moon Glompers earning her paycheck.

She's been such a busy little bee lately. I hear she was in Georgia just the other day on a mission to ban hoop skirts and banish that work of Satan, the iconic Southern Belle, from our cultural landscape.

I think we can all agree that only a racist or sexist would ever in a million years so much as idly speculate that the purity of our DMGs' wholesome crusades might be, well, just the weensiest bit tainted with the crusaders' own psycho-sexual, er, issues.

I'm not sayin', I'm just sayin'. If you know what I'm sayin', which I'm sure you'd never say. Or think.

campy said...

"That shouldn't be a problem unless you're a racist who hates white people."

That describes 90% of lefties.

Shootist said...

What? There is no Right of Association? Really?

JAORE said...

Panties in a wad, boxers in a bunch. Part 76934.

SteveR said...

At this point, its all good. Don't care if someone's offended or whatever. This is all additive, more of something good.

Lem the artificially intelligent said...

A framing...

Link

Big Mike said...

Thoughts based on the video and the controversy:

(1) In a sea of sweet, lovely blonde clones, a gorgeous brunette really stands out.

(2) It seems to me that female empowerment means -- or ought to mean! -- that a woman has the right to decide to do what she wants to do and not what some lame opinion writer wants her to want to do. Next time Alpha Phi does a video they need to use "You're Not the Boss of Me" as their theme song.

(3) The author writes that the Alpha Phis are "72 women who could be a united front for empowerment, not poster children for detrimental stereotypes and clichés." Really, who's to say that they aren't empowered? There could be a future Nobel Laureate in the group, as well as future wives of well-to-do husbands. Would a future Nobel Laureate have to wear thick glasses and have ratty hair, or can she be as pretty and as feminine as Marie Curie in her youth?

(4) In a follow-on interview the author says "I did not previously have an agenda to target anyone or sororities or girls or anything like that. I had no premeditated plan to ever talk about that subject in terms of sororities, at least. I have strong feelings on feminism and the way women are portrayed in the media, and raising young girls – I have two daughters – in this media-heavy society, things like that ..." My take is that she is caught up in some notion that sororities are contrary to feminist principles, but why should that be the case? As I wrote before, being free to choose means that a woman may choose something other than what you would choose for her. Who made A. L. Bailey the arbiter of what a college-age woman should and should not do, and with whom they should choose to associate?

(5) There's another A. L. Bailey (Amy) who lives in Birmingham and blogs about fashion. Some people, including MSNBC (don't they ever get anything right?), leapt to the assumption that she was the author of the hit piece. It's worth reading what she wrote to AL.com in response. Among her points are "I do not write to judge," "I do not shame," and "I mentor young women, I do not bash them."

(6) That last point is particularly important. If older women are going to dump all over young women for being young and pretty, then who will mentor these young women as they enter the work force?

(7) I'm going to assume that this post has nothing to do with the upcoming Alabama - Wisconsin football game, but just in case I'm going to say "Roll Tide!!!"

Etienne said...

A degree from UA is like a high school diploma in 1954.

CarlF said...

University of Alabama associate vice president for university relations, Deborah Lane, quoted in the article is, of course, a white blond woman.

J. E. Burke said...

Jeez, send this around to male high school students and this college will be deluged with applications.

'TreHammer said...

What happened to the original sound track for this video? The video I watched yesterday had a techno-style audio that better matched the "mood" of the video.

Nichevo said...

There is no again, I have not watched it at all. Seeing the still photo on old House page is not watching.

Static Ping said...

Coupe: A degree from UA is like a high school diploma in 1954.

You say that like it is a bad thing.

Laslo Spatula said...

Sadly, I don't think I can share my 'sorority girls' story due to reasons of decency and good taste.

Really.

Let's just say the girls belonged to the Sorority ATM.


I am Laslo.

Brad Lips said...

I am more disturbed by the music.

Renee said...

No fat chicks, either.

PD Quig said...

I can see why the video drives feminists nuts. What I don’t understand is why is it such a burden for them not to view it?

furious_a said...


MMMmmm...I'll be in my bunk.

Known Unknown said...

Coupe: A degree from UA is like a high school diploma in 1954.

Which resulted in a better job than 2015. Hmmm.

Tari said...

Ron Winkleheimer,

Ha! :-) Nope, Colgate, so no relation to Alabama whatsoever. My only knowledge of the place comes from living in Texas, where Ole Miss, LSU and Alabama are considered good choices for kids who can't get into UT. We're just starting to look at schools for my older son, and we'll look elsewhere for his safeties, I think. For one thing, he hates Vineyard Vines, so how would he fit in at Bama?

Known Unknown said...

Why do I give a shit what Shontal Cargill thinks?

I use Twitter, and don't really have a problem with it. I do, however, think it's odd that the NYT uses a Twitter post to validate Shontal's POV.

sean said...

There are more brunettes in the video, and more natural blondes for that matter, than in the Althouse household. So I'm not sure what "problem" she sees, but the problem I see is the usual professorial hypocrisy and censorship.

William said...

There's a certain amount of self parody in that video. There's also a certain amount of self parody in the criticism of that video. The girls are parodying their flightiness, perhaps Intentionally. The critics are parodying their political correctness but not intentionally.

damikesc said...

So, only SOME women can choose how to look and dress.

Rush was right --- Feminism is to allow ugly women to have access to society.

Feminism seems pretty down on pretty girls.

However, they were not nearly as friendly as the ones at Clemson.

Know what they call a pretty girl at Clemson? A tourist.

Go Cocks!

It is Alpha Phi. Of course they are blonde, pretty and preppy. And bitches. That is what it means to be Alpha Phi. By definition. Just like Alpha Omicron Pi were kind of ordinary looking and smart. Alpha Chi Omega were sporty and brunette. And Alpha Kappa Alpha were black. And the girls at Kappa Kappa Kappa were all really rich. Granted, these are judgments from the University of Delaware circa 1986, but still, Greek organizations are remarkably conservative and traditional. Is the point that none of these organizations should be distinctive or is it that Alpha Phi is somehow especially bad because... reasons?

I read somewhere that Lambda Lambda Lambda was kinda nerdy...and black.

lemondog said...

Hey Deborah M. Lane, how ‘bout the fatties, the buck-tooth, the acne plagued, the knock-kneed and bowlegged......?!!

Renee said...

UA ranks #88

About the same for Michigan State/University of Vermont/Loyola University

http://colleges.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/best-colleges/university-of-alabama-1051

damikesc said...

We keep lamenting the pathetic hyper-sensitivity of students --- and then when students are not being offensive or whining, people will whine about that.

Jessica said...

Is the problem that:
(1) they're all white?
(2) they're overwhelmingly blonde?
(3) they rebel in conventional femininity and/or sex appeal?

I'd be interested in a discussion of the problem, I'm just curious which supposed problem Althouse objects to.

damikesc said...

Do these feminists not realize how few women under 30 identify or agree with feminists?

Levi Starks said...

I was pretty sure it was offensive after the first time I watched it, but watched it 2 more times just to be sure.

Sigivald said...

"Responsible" meaning, I guess, "makes the University look good to people on Tumblr"?

Or what?

That Associate Vice President has mastered the art of saying nothing while appearing to say something, so at least she's got that going for her.

(Contra Jessica immediately above, I'm not sure that Althouse has a problem with the video or sorority.

But the University administration sure seems to, for reasons they aren't being open about.

Probably because being open about them would open them to far too much criticism and mockery.

"They're just not our kind of people, dear.")

Michael K said...

"all they had to do is synchronize them periods and not use napkins."

My first wife, who was a Kappa at SC, said that after about six months, the girls who were roommates had pretty much synchronized periods. I don't know if any randomized trials were ever done or if it was just Kappas.

Sororities and fraternities are just remnants of the better world we had 50 years ago. I remember it well. A high school diploma in 1954 is about equivalent to a Harvard Law School degree today.

James Graham said...

As has been said, harmless fun.

As has not been said, it is a very slick video.

If it was produced by students they should have no problem getting jobs in that profession.

Tim said...

As my wife and I were watching this play on the news (why is this considered news again?), my wife remarked to me she was glad we were no longer young, fit and flirty, as that had become offensive.

To anyone this offends: YOU are Miss Grundy, the one we made fun of in the 60s and 70s. Get over yourself.

Fernandinande said...

kcom said...
Yes, we'll promote diversity by ruthlessly crushing anything not going straight down the humdrum middle. Anything unique... gone!


"Diversity" = conformity and sameness, but mostly it means "white people are bad and should be discriminated against".

Alpha Phi: http://www.alphaphialabama.com/Home

Tank said...

If Phi Asian Sorority made a video of slim, attractive, 100% Asian girls, would anyone complain?

If Phi Afro Sorority made a video of slim, attractive, 100% Black girls, would anyone complain?

If Phi Latina Sorority made a video of slim, attractive, 100% Latina girls, would anyone complain?

No, no and no.

Jason said...

Why don't southern sorority girls go to orgies?

A: Too many thank you notes to write.

Jason said...

My God! That sorority is almost as white as the New Republic masthead!

David said...

s not reflective of UA’s expectations for student organizations to be responsible digital citizens

it may have been fluffy, or silly, but just what about the video was "irresponsible?" Perhaps the irresponsibility was in revealing the truth. The article has two rather striking facts. (1) Only 25 African American females got sorority bids in the previous bid process. (2) Alumni play a strong role in determining who gets bids.

If the University has a valid concern, those should be the concerns. If the sorority system is excluding black females, it's a problem for the institution. It hardly matters whether the exclusion is a result of some legal violation. (It could be that the black girls do not want to join. That would be unsurprising to me.) But if the system is this racially isolated, it's not good for the school, and more importantly it's not good for the students.

I am well aware that there are many fraternities and sororities that are almost exclusively black. (Whether they exist at Alabama I do not know, but it seems not.) I strongly support the idea of freedom of association. But the result is not a great one for the school. Changing this without the divisiveness of a lawsuit would require sustained effort and strong leadership at many levels.

Change would be hard, as both students and administration would have to take on some entrenched interests. (Alumni.) It's so much easier to put out a disapproving press release.

Birches said...

Oh brother.

And though I realize that most of the men probably enjoyed the video, I don't think it was aimed at men.

David said...

Funny, Jason. An old joke but still funny.

Freeman Hunt said...

It's absurd for anyone at the university to pretend that they just noticed sororities and fraternities are segregated.

This reminds me of back when we were all supposed to believe that everyone in the NFL was shocked to find out that Donald Sterling made racist comments.

Freeman Hunt said...

Universities have allowed this to go on for 100 years.

Michael K said...

"If the sorority system is excluding black females,"

At the present time, we are in a period when integration is less a desire of blacks than whites. My fraternity has black members. I suspect that black girls right now might be under some pressure from SJW types to stay away from mostly white sororities. What with the rape hysteria, I would not be surprised. Obama and his ilk have done a lot to set back race relations about 40 years.

Anonymous said...

Seems to me, in the more sane world (of 150 years ago or so) most of these young ladies would be well on their way to having their second child. Married at 14 or 15 to some equally young lad and both now working a plot of land not to far from one of their parents. Working hard so they could put enough away to survive through the winder.

I guess they call this progress. Ain't progress grand.

steve said...

Kill Whitey, no fun allowed, pretty women trigger me, etc. etc.

Bill said...

Outrageous. The university is denying the lived experiences of Women of Pallor!

Ralph F said...

This sorority is obviously discriminating ... against ugly girls.

MayBee said...

I wonder if the University would have taken it down if all the girls were black.

How would people react that that video? How would people react to taking it down?

Do we think blonde girls and black girls are that different?

n.n said...

Denigrating individual dignity is a principle of [class] diversity doctrine.

Michael said...

http://bama.ua.edu/~nphc/index.php


Michael said...

Young black fraternity and sorority men and women at the Uof A. Having fun. Smiling.

virgil xenophon said...

Funny, nobody seems to be criticizing black fraternities or sororities for being either "all" black or "too black" despite the existence of just such organizations on campus that are JUST as exclusionary as the white ones. Looks like a one-way polarized ideological street to me..

Sam L. said...

Tell me why I should care, and try to persuade me of your point of view.

CWJ said...

I'm prefer responsible analog citizens.

readering said...

Was that an ISIS recruitment video?

virgil xenophon said...

I should also note that if one wants to research this matter in more detail the academic literature on this subject is replete with "findings" (i.e., conclusions) that white fraternities and sororities convey negative social experiences for their members insofar as they tend to be "inward-looking", "exclusionary" and "limiting" in their social outlooks and, as such, are deemed to be a negative influence on campus life, while, OTOH, similar black organizations are seen, contrary-wise, to enhance the self-esteem of their members and thus are seen by the academic community as being " 'jes fine" and a positive contribution to the overall campus social milieu.

fivewheels said...

I think the NCAA is going to have to investigate whether running back Kenyan Drake received any, ah, "extra benefits" for appearing in that video.

JAORE said...

re Black sororities: "Whether they exist at Alabama I do not know, but it seems not."

In fact, they do.

Michael K said...

I wonder when white leftists will start considering self immolation ?

By the way, another fake black life has surfaced, speaking of self immolation.

This is just a symptom of civilization breaking down. Those girls are enjoying life and I doubt we will see one carrying a mattress or shooting her own porno video.

Birdwatcher said...

Dear Ann Althouse,

I know you were born a redhead, but ever since I've been reading this blog & seeing you on bloggingheads videos, I've felt that you've been blindingly blonde. That has happened over time to some other redheads I've known. Just sayin....

effinayright said...

If I had my way, Andrea Dworkin and every other fug-ugly feminazi who ever has lived or ever will live, will be forced to watch that video each hour for all Eternity.

Whilst residing in Hell, of course, which is what they deserve.

stan said...

""Blindingly blonde" is my expression. I was going to say "insufficiently diverse," but that didn't really convey the problem."

Problem? Apparently, Ann has a problem. This video is just a group of young people having fun and showing other young people they might want to join in the fun.

A lot like some beer commercials we've seen. Not anything like a Victoria's Secret show. Or some fashion shows in NY. Or Hollywood movies or TV.

This isn't a rap video praising cop killers.

Of all the things that people can get angry about this has to be the least offensive. Geez, liberals need to get their heads out of their asses. This is beyond ridiculous. Beyond parody.

Ann, tell us about your problem. Convey to us the problem.

Michael said...

Another thing or two. These blonde white girls who are having fun in a sorority are going to marry guys who are in fraternities and who they will meet at the University of Alabama. They are going to live, most of them, in their home towns or suburbs of major southern cities. They will raise children, they will teach their children to say yes ma'am and yes sir and they will take them to church and to ball games and to school. And many, maybe most, will live happily and will not share a single concern of those in the feminist movement.

You can see why these girls are hated with a passion.

Sebastian said...

"if the system is this racially isolated, it's not good for the school, and more importantly it's not good for the students"

You mean, like racially isolated HBCUs are not good for students?

Or is it good for blacks to be isolated from whites but not for whites to be "isolated" from blacks?

Mary Beth said...

Brad Lips said...

I am more disturbed by the music.

8/19/15, 11:54 AM


That it was horrible or that it just stopped over half a minute before the video was over?

Michael K said...

"You can see why these girls are hated with a passion."

Exactly.

"Feminism. The haunting fear that someone, somewhere, may be happy." Adapted from
H. L. Mencken

I Have Misplaced My Pants said...

I just watched the video with my three daughters (13, 11 and 9) and we had a great discussion about freedom of association, diversity and tolerance. From a parenting standpoint, I take every opportunity I can to drill into their heads that the world is full of know-betters who will tell them how to live their lives, but the truth is that it is up to them (my girls, not the know-betters) to decide with whom to associate and what their guiding values will be, and anyone who presumes to tell them otherwise can simply get bent.

One of my favorite bits of verse, from Dr. Seuss:


You have brains in your head.
You have feet in your shoes
You can steer yourself
Any direction you choose.
You're on your own. And you know what you know.
And YOU are the guy who'll decide where to go.

You'll look up and down streets. Look 'em over with care.
About some you will say, "I don't choose to go there."
With your head full of brains and your shoes full of feet,
You're too smart to go down any not-so-good street.



Note it says nothing about tearing down that which is not for you. All you have to do is say, "Not for me," and move on. But that's not good enough for today's petty fascists. They know better than you what you should do, and even what choices should be available to you in the first place.

Hagar said...

I watched part of the video.
I think that would have been embarrassing even in the 1950's - and I am not talking bout skin colors.

jr565 said...

I remember the movie Revenge of the Nerds where the Nerds are trying to get a fraternity to be part of or they'll be kicked off campus. They eventually decide upon Lambda lamda lamda and they are the only frat that doenst' reject them outright. specifically because the Tri Lambs are an all black fraternity and the Nerds forgot to put a photo of their membership so the Lambs assumed they were all black.

So, if you can have an all black fraternity, what's wrong with an all white fraternity?

jr565 said...

By the way, how is transgenderism going to play into the fraternity lifestyle. If a male transgender identifies as a woman and tries to join a fraternity as a woman is everyone going to be up in arms about the bigoted fraternity? Even assuming they are culturally diverse?
Why then even have fraternities based on sex? Frat boys should identify as women just to get itno the fraternity so they can sleep witt the women.

Brando said...

Having seen this video, what on earth can people be complaining about? It's a little silly, but hardly risqué, and I thought good feminists were against slut shaming, but apparently white southern sorority girls are just too politically inconvenient for them. Typical SJW hypocrisy. If this were an all black sorority making the same video, and anyone complained, the leftist morons would be coming out of the woodwork to defend it.

If anyone has a problem with this group being all white, then they can go screw themselves because unless the sorority is specifically excluding blacks, then I suppose we should be mocking them because black girls didn't want to join them. Frankly, if they showed only one or two black girls in the video, we'd be hearing about tokenism. And as noted above, I'm sure if this was an all black sorority I'm pretty certain we wouldn't hear a stink about a lack of diversity.

As for the fact that they were wearing shorts and prancing around, I guess some people prefer the liberated culture of Saudi Arabia, in which case I ask shouldn't you be walking ten paces behind your husband? Sorry, some of us prefer America. Burqas are strictly optional!

Joe said...

DINGO: Oh, wicked, bad, naughty, evil Zoot! Oh, she is a naughty person, and she must pay the penalty -- and here in Castle Anthrax, we have but one punishment for setting alight the grail-shaped beacon. You must tie her down on a bed and spank her!

GIRLS: A spanking! A spanking!

DINGO: You must spank her well. And after you have spanked her, you may deal with her as you like. And then, spank me.

VARIOUS GIRLS: And spank me. And me. And me.

DINGO: Yes, yes, you must give us all a good spanking!

GIRLS: A spanking! A spanking!

DINGO: And after the spanking, the oral sex.

GIRLS: Oral sex! Oral sex!

GALAHAD: Well, I could stay a BIT longer.

Original Mike said...

"A statement from the school’s associate vice president for university relations, Deborah Lane, said that the video 'is not reflective of UA’s expectations for student organizations to be responsible digital citizens.'""

WTF does that mean? It's telling that they are embarrassed to express their objection clearly.

Michael K said...

"If a male transgender identifies as a woman and tries to join a fraternity as a woman is everyone going to be up in arms about the bigoted fraternity?"

Dick check.

Freeman Hunt said...

I have to object to the idea that white and black Greek organizations are equivalent. The black ones started because the white ones wouldn't let black people in. That is an important difference, I think.

MayBee said...

started

Started.

MayBee said...

Anyway, my point wasn't about whether the sororities are the same, but about whether our response to the videos is the same.

An all-black video would be considered inclusive. A blonde and black video would be inclusive. But a blonde-laden video is bad. Is that the way we treat individuals these days? Or groups of individuals? You are bad because of what you look like, and some of you shouldn't hang out with other people who look like you.

Brando said...

"I have to object to the idea that white and black Greek organizations are equivalent. The black ones started because the white ones wouldn't let black people in. That is an important difference, I think."

It doesn't matter why they started--what matters is if today such organizations discriminate based on skin color.

Ann Althouse said...

I don't know why people are talking about my problem with the video. The post clearly states that the video was "perceived" a certain way. My use of the word "problem" was in connection with identifying what was being perceived and that seemed to the perceivers to require taking it down. I never said I had a problem with it. In fact, I tell you to watch the video and judge for yourself. I avoided telling you what to think.

Tank said...

In that spirit, last night I showed the video to Mrs. Tank and asked her what she thought of it.

Mrs. Tank: Where are the fat people?

Unknown said...

Do they all talk like Mandy Pepperidge from Animal House?

MayBee said...

I never said I had a problem with it. In fact, I tell you to watch the video and judge for yourself. I avoided telling you what to think.

There's a big difference between telling people what you think and telling people what to think.

You can say what you think and we are still able to make up our own minds about what we think.

Char Char Binks, Esq. said...

They must have been trying to recruit black men.

Nichevo said...

If you haven't noticed, professor, everybody doesn't line up to agree with you. You're pretty safe telling us what you think and not worrying about us being swayed.

Black's Book Of Challenges said...

The fact that this video is even an "issue" is blatant racism. But apparently it's okay to be racist against blond-haired races in the US. Racism is always based in FEAR, why are people terrified of blond people? Not specific blond people who bullied them, but of blond people in general. I have three male Italian friends who are polite and friendly to me, all the rest I know are ridiculously stuck up and narcissistic, I've been severely harassed by several for absolutely no reason except that I was standing there. So I guess I should despise Italian men, then? Since I've only known a couple who weren't total dickwads? And whenever I see Italian men together... gee are they making some kind of exclusive CLUB? Nahhh... LOLOLOL

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