Frat Made To Apologize Over Anti-Sexual Assault Banners

[RJ 17]

A frat at Northwestern University hung banners around the outside of their frat house during Sexual Assault Awareness Month (which was in April). These banners had such slogans as "We Support Survivors" and "This Is Everyone's Problem"...messages that show they're fully behind Sexual Assault Awareness Month and wanting to do just that: raise awareness about sexual assault on campus.

So why were they made to take the banners down and apologize [http://www.nationalreview.com/article/435044/campus-sexual-assault-fraternity-in-trouble-for-being-anti-assault] for it? I would have to imagine that this kind of thing is exactly what Sexual Assault Awareness Month is supposed to be all about: frats were notorious for being dens of drunken sexual assaults, now we've got them hanging banners acknowledging that there's a problem and showing solidarity towards the cause.

 

[Barbas]

Neither article names the person responsible for allegedly forcing them to remove those banners. Whoever did should apologize and consider resigning from whatever position of authority they hold for the benefit of the university as a whole. It was a stupid decision, seemingly made with little prior thought or human empathy, and if I were a student there I certainly wouldn't want such a person claiming to speak for me.

 

[nomotog_v1legacy]

Inserting. I was expecting it to be a misleading thread title where it turned out the frat was doing something like victim blaming or something, but no they aren't doing that. They aren't doing much and that seems to be the issue people found.

 

[RJ 17]

Inserting. I was expecting it to be a misleading thread title where it turned out the frat was doing something like victim blaming or something, but no they aren't doing that. They aren't doing much and that seems to be the issue people found.

While I certainly do agree that hanging a banner doesn't do much in terms of fighting against sexual assaults on campus, it at least shows that the frat supports the cause. My question is why were they made to apologize for supporting the cause and participating in Sexual Assault Awareness Month by hanging the banners?

 

[nomotog_v1legacy]

Inserting. I was expecting it to be a misleading thread title where it turned out the frat was doing something like victim blaming or something, but no they aren't doing that. They aren't doing much and that seems to be the issue people found.

While I certainly do agree that hanging a banner doesn't do much in terms of fighting against sexual assaults on campus, it at least shows that the frat supports the cause. My question is why were they made to apologize for supporting the cause and participating in Sexual Assault Awareness Month by hanging the banners?

I don't know. Why would we care if some random frat at some random university had to apologize. People be sensitive I guess.

 

[RJ 17]

Inserting. I was expecting it to be a misleading thread title where it turned out the frat was doing something like victim blaming or something, but no they aren't doing that. They aren't doing much and that seems to be the issue people found.

While I certainly do agree that hanging a banner doesn't do much in terms of fighting against sexual assaults on campus, it at least shows that the frat supports the cause. My question is why were they made to apologize for supporting the cause and participating in Sexual Assault Awareness Month by hanging the banners?

I don't know. Why would we care if some random frat at some random university had to apologize. People be sensitive I guess.

Just seems silly to me that people campaigning against the "Rape Culture" on college campuses would turn around and demand an apology from a frat that's now supporting their cause. Shouldn't they...you know...praise the frat for at least helping to spread awareness?

I guess the simple fact of the matter is that there's a lot of people out there who are actively searching for reasons to be offended.

 

[aegix drakan_v1legacy]

I do NOT understand people sometimes.

When someone's on your side, you don't ***** at them. You go "oh goody, they're on my side". If they're not on your side ENOUGH yet, encourage them, don't make them feel like they're unwelcome! Oyy....

 

[nomotog_v1legacy]

Inserting. I was expecting it to be a misleading thread title where it turned out the frat was doing something like victim blaming or something, but no they aren't doing that. They aren't doing much and that seems to be the issue people found.

While I certainly do agree that hanging a banner doesn't do much in terms of fighting against sexual assaults on campus, it at least shows that the frat supports the cause. My question is why were they made to apologize for supporting the cause and participating in Sexual Assault Awareness Month by hanging the banners?

I don't know. Why would we care if some random frat at some random university had to apologize. People be sensitive I guess.

Just seems silly to me that people campaigning against the "Rape Culture" on college campuses would turn around and demand an apology from a frat that's now supporting their cause. Shouldn't they...you know...praise the frat for at least helping to spread awareness?

I guess the simple fact of the matter is that there's a lot of people out there who are actively searching for reasons to be offended.

Ya know the irony of that last part right? I mean that is where you need to put your little jokey smiley face.

Though no you don't really get brownie points for putting up a sheet with words. That is like the bare minimum. Couldn't even spring for poster board.

 

[RJ 17]

Ya know the irony of that last part right? I mean that is where you need to put your little jokey smiley face.

I would have put it there, but I wasn't being ironic. I look at situations like this and it seems to me that there are indeed a fair number of people who are specifically looking for reasons to be offended at something.

The fact that there were apparently people offended at banners designed to raise awareness of sexual assault during Sexual Assault Awareness Month seems to stand as pretty solid evidence of this.

Though no you don't really get brownie points for putting up a sheet with words. That is like the bare minimum. Couldn't even spring for poster board.

Do they deserve brownie points for doing the bare minimum? Perhaps not, and I'm not saying that there should have been a parade thrown in their honor to celebrate the hanging of a few banners.

But do they deserve to be admonished, told to take down the banners, and have an apology demanded of them? I'd say no, they don't.

 

[happyninja42]

Well, if nobody else was actively hanging up signs, it could be a "it's reminding me of bad things" kind of thing? I've known people who were victims of trauma, sexual and otherwise, and it's not uncommon for them to say that seeing signs up like that can bother them, because it brings the memory to the forefront of their minds again. I've heard this about breast cancer awareness month as well. That women suffering from, or having suffered from breast cancer in the past, don't like a month long reminder of what is possibly one of the most difficult events in their lives. So it might be something like that. *shrugs*

Or, it could be, and this is ENTIRELY SPECULATION on my part, that the person who complained is a victim of sexual assault from someone at that frat, and they feel offended by the hypocrisy of the statement. "oh yeah sure, they say that now, but last semester they were more than happy to assault me while I was drunk". Or something similar. They are perhaps unwilling to come forward with the incident (very common sadly), but are still reminded any time they walk past and see the posters. *shrugs*

No clue either way though. It very well could be just someone who is a professional offenderizer, like those protesters in the movie PCU, who just actively went around protesting everything. I have no clue. But I can think of a few semi-reasonable reasons that someone might not be happy with the banners.

Personally, I think it's unfair, and contrary to the point of the month. If the frat is being genuine with their attempts to show support for the cause, then punishing them, even just socially for showing their support, well I just don't see how that can help in any way.

 

[Strazdas]

"This Is Everyone's Problem"...messages that show they're fully behind Sexual Assault Awareness Month and wanting to do just that: raise awareness about sexual assault on campus.

First, why do we even need Sexual Assault Awareness Month when sexual assaults are at an all-time low?

Secondly, no, "This is everyon's problem" is not raising awareness, it is accusing people, vast majority of who has nothing to do with sexual assault.

frats were notorious for being dens of drunken sexual assaults, now we've got them hanging banners acknowledging that there's a problem and showing solidarity towards the cause.

No, they were notoriuosly lied about being dens of drunken sexual assault [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Rape_on_Campus]. In fact campus areas are considered the safest possible location when it comes to sexual assault.

 

[Thaluikhain]

When someone's on your side, you don't ***** at them. You go "oh goody, they're on my side". If they're not on your side ENOUGH yet, encourage them, don't make them feel like they're unwelcome! Oyy....

If they are on "your side", but do something wrong, do they get a free pass?

Not that I'm saying this was something wrong, no idea about the particulars of this.

First, why do we even need Sexual Assault Awareness Month when sexual assaults are at an all-time low?

Because they are still a serious problem?

Secondly, no, "This is everyon's problem" is not raising awareness, it is accusing people, vast majority of who has nothing to do with sexual assault.

So, only those directly involved, rapists and victims, have any reason to care about the problem? Everyone else can cheerfully ignore it, and saying otherwise is an accusation?

 

[Strazdas]

First, why do we even need Sexual Assault Awareness Month when sexual assaults are at an all-time low?

Because they are still a serious problem?

What makes them more seriuos than, say, a more common crime - murder?

So, only those directly involved, rapists and victims, have any reason to care about the problem? Everyone else can cheerfully ignore it, and saying otherwise is an accusation?

You are confusing two things. Caring about a problem and it being their problem. I can care about a problem that i had no hand in creating, but that does not make it my problem, it only makes me care about it.

 

[RJ 17]

Snip.

Guess what? Your issues with my wording have absolutely nothing to do with the topic at hand.

You don't like that there's a Sexual Assault Awareness Month? Too bad, there is one.
You don't like that one of their slogans is "This Is Everyone's Problem"? Too bad, it is.

Now do you have anything to contribute to the actual topic of discussion? That being a situation involving a frat being made to apologize over something that - judging by your previous responses - you'd agree they shouldn't have apologized for? Or did you just stop by to vent your frustration over the very existence of Sexual Assault Awareness Month?

 

[Thaluikhain]

What makes them more seriuos than, say, a more common crime - murder?

Murder isn't more common, but anyway, assuming that it was, murder would still be more serious. This is not to say it's not also a serious (if less serious) concern.

You are confusing two things. Caring about a problem and it being their problem. I can care about a problem that i had no hand in creating, but that does not make it my problem, it only makes me care about it.

I'm not seeing much distinction myself.

 

[Strazdas]

Snip.

Guess what? Your issues with my wording have absolutely nothing to do with the topic at hand.

You don't like that there's a Sexual Assault Awareness Month? Too bad, there is one.
You don't like that one of their slogans is "This Is Everyone's Problem"? Too bad, it is.

Now do you have anything to contribute to the actual topic of discussion? That being a situation involving a frat being made to apologize over something that - judging by your previous responses - you'd agree they shouldn't have apologized for? Or did you just stop by to vent your frustration over the very existence of Sexual Assault Awareness Month?

Yep, too bad people are so easily hijacked for campaigns and then go on to blame everyone regardless of their actions. Too bad you completely ignored me correcting your statements in OP that were flat out wrong in order to make a snarky response.

Now to answer your question, i dont think they should have been forced to take these signs down because i believe they should be allowed to hang whatever signs they wanted on their building. This belief is rooted in freedom of expression rather than furthering any agenda however, so its probably not what you want to hear.

 

[RJ 17]

Yep, too bad people are so easily hijacked for campaigns and then go on to blame everyone regardless of their actions. Too bad you completely ignored me correcting your statements in OP that were flat out wrong in order to make a snarky response.

I ignored your "correcting" because it had nothing to do with the topic, and as such was utterly pointless to the discussion at hand.

Now to answer your question, i dont think they should have been forced to take these signs down because i believe they should be allowed to hang whatever signs they wanted on their building. This belief is rooted in freedom of expression rather than furthering any agenda however, so its probably not what you want to hear.

And now that you have added something of discussion value to the topic, I'll respond to it in kind:

If you hadn't noticed, the reason I posted this topic was to point out how ridiculous it is that those pushing a feminist agenda will attack men even when said men are attempting to support women's rights.

Maybe next time you go into a topic you'll do so with an open mind and willingness to have a civil conversation rather than a chip on your shoulder and a bag full of assumptions. Judging by your post history, however, I doubt that'll be the case.

 

[Strazdas]

I ignored your "correcting" because it had nothing to do with the topic, and as such was utterly pointless to the discussion at hand.

If you hadn't noticed, the reason I posted this topic was to point out how ridiculous it is that those pushing a feminist agenda will attack men even when said men are attempting to support women's rights.

Maybe next time you go into a topic you'll do so with an open mind and willingness to have a civil conversation rather than a chip on your shoulder and a bag full of assumptions. Judging by your post history, however, I doubt that'll be the case.

If they had nothing to do with the discussion, why did you include them in the opening post of the thread?

Given that i have seen this happen before, i do not find it ridiculous, more like sad. But thats what happens when you have to invent issues to fight against.

I suggest you discuss the topic at hand rather than my posting history.

 

[lionsprey]

wait what? a frat has hanged up a anti sexual assault banner and then told to remove it and apologize because feminists complained.
did i accidentally step through a portal and end up in some kind of mirror universe?

 

[happyninja42]

Actually I'm not going to be discussing anything with you moving forward because - despite the fact that you evidently have conservative values to some degree - your method of conversing is markedly liberal. You seem to prefer attacking someone else's wording and then attempting to confuse and twist the topic rather than discussing the actually points of the topic itself.

Questioning someone's wording isn't automatically "attacking", in fact, of the two of you in this argument, you are the one who is coming across as the aggressive poster at this point. While we might disagree with some of the things the birdy said, their tone was reasonable and level. From my viewpoint, the escalation is coming from your end. Posting a thread to the public is going to invite opposing viewpoints, lashing out at them doesn't solve anything. In fact, all it's done is totally derail your thread about the subject in question, into a semantic debate about wording and intent.