Sexism in Frats

It is really disappointing that this day and age misogyny is still so prevalent. I wish I could claim I was only referring to the more subtle aspect of sexism, such as the double shift or the glass ceiling, which is bad enough. Unfortunately I am referring to blatant, in your face, efforts to treat women like shit.

            This is an article in the Huffington Post about a website called UniLad. This is supposedly a website and magazine that acts as a guide to ‘getting laid’ for university boys (I refuse to use any term that may suggest maturity here). Recently the website post an article called “Sexual Mathematics” in which it is stated: "85% of rape cases go unreported…. That seems to be fairly good odds.” When I read this I was at a loss for words. How disgusting could these children be? Surely they wouldn’t condone rape? Well, as the HuffPost piece says, the article ended with: "Uni Lad does not condone rape without saying 'surprise'."
            And this is not the only instance of this I have seen recently. Not too long ago I was linked to this blog, which posts an email that was circulating around a university fraternity. In the email the author requests a “weekly gullet report” which seems to be a “who slept with who” gossip report to figure out which girls ‘put-out’. He then goes on to suggest a ‘creed’ that he and his brothers should live by which is prefaced with: “Note: I will refer to females as “targets”. They aren’t actual people like us men. Consequently, giving them a certain name or distinction is pointless.” The rest of the email goes on to list some slang terms and some rules for those that would follow this disgusting mentality. Some other gems from the email (to further highlight the point) include: “Non-consent and rape are two different things. There is a fine line, so make sure not to cross it” and “Don’t fuck middle-eastern targets. Exhibit some patriotism and have some pride. You want your cock smelling like falafel? Filth.”
            One point I’d like to make about both of these is that they seem to be masquerading as humour, at least within their target subculture. While I need not state that there is nothing funny about these to an ethical audience, there are select audiences out there who will find this funny. There are two major issues with this portrayed as humour: 1) humour is less likely to come under critical analysis by the audience and thus is largely overlooked rather than attacked, and 2) humour can be a powerful tool for persuasion.
            Another interesting thing to note about this is the source from which they both came, namely, universities. A university, in an ideal world, should be a place for progressive and positive ideas. I guess in a real world they come with some social garbage too. Part of this may be due to the age of the boys. A peak in the sex drive paired with a new found independence can lead to a desire to sleep with multiple partners. I suspect, however, that a lot of it has to do with the nature of fraternities. Cramming a bunch of people into rather tight living quarters and you will see them bond to some degree. This is exaggerated when you consider that the individuals in question are young, many just leaving their parents homes, and then they are thrust into new surroundings. But what do they bond over?  Well the one thing they have in common of course: being male.
            Our societies’ idea of masculinity has some largely negative aspects associated with it. The emphasis on action may belittle the need for rational thought for example. The biggest example is the need for men to legitimize themselves by having sex with women. We’ll call it the ‘stud mentality’. This can quickly become exaggerated due to the aforementioned sexual peak.

So what do you get when you cram a bunch of sexually active boys together with nothing in common other than their societies’ ‘stud mentality’? Well I think we have seen the result.

*Important note: action is being taken in both cases. The world is not hopeless.