After four years of college, countless hours at the library and a more-than-passing grade in biochemistry, one of my proudest accomplishments is that I am the owner of a Fall 2014 “Rush ZBT” T-shirt.
I will wear this shirt with no reservations — despite the fact that many would consider it something to be ashamed of, in light of recent events — and I will always keep in mind the U.S. justice system’s creed of “innocent until proven guilty.”
Although it’s been around for ages, the general public ignored that simple notion when the media unleashed yet another fraternity-culture witch hunt, alleging that UF’s ZBT chapter was guilty of anti-veteran actions during its Panama City Beach getaway for Spring formal.
The story had the perfect villains because, these days, everyone hates fraternities and the ostensibly toxic culture they perpetuate.
The media crafted a tale that fit their agenda, ethical reporting standards and practices be damned, taking allegations and portraying them as facts —“facts” that I can’t reconcile with the young men I know in this fraternity. And, yet again, the public rushed to the front row of the media circus, which entails little investigation and a whole lot of assumption.
And even though we’ve all seen the consequences of media sensationalism (remember the Duke lacrosse players of 2006? Or the UVA fraternity men?), we’re still rendered powerless and impressionable at the hand of powerful headlines and veiled accusations.
Via: David Duke
During the week Fox News was camped outside the ZBT house on UF’s fraternity row, ZBT president Tyler Drescher received over 100 death threats and was forced to leave Gainesville and head home early. Police also escorted a strange man out of the house after he was found wandering, asking for the ZBT president.
A day after the story broke, all of the students living in house were asked to vacate the premises for their own safety. The police was stationed outside for weeks afterwards to prevent backlash.
As for those of us existing outside the immediate realm of the scandal, we were all quick to judge. We let the unfortunate outcomes of false accusations of the past slip from our minds, inadvertently contributing to the damage caused by the media.
ZBT-gate may not be as dire as its predecessors, but it’s a fresh example of the dangerous trend of unequivocal scapegoating.
These days, the general public chooses to blindly accept allegations and assume the worst about men, especially those who belong to fraternities in our nation’s many universities. It should, instead, take facts at face value and view each case individually.
Claims that fraternities are hotbeds of sin and dens of evil, full of entitled and privileged white males, aren’t entirely baseless. They are not immune to groupthink. Some would even argue that they are uniquely vulnerable to the phenomenon — a large proportion of members are under 21 and most others, if not all, are under 25, the age which most psychologists claim the adult mind reaches maturation.
The men of ZBT I’m personally acquainted with are high-achieving young men with impressive GPAs. They regularly engage in philanthropic efforts. They create a culture of brotherhood, which its members carry for decades beyond the day they graduate from UF.
They’re good people.
I have had the privilege of befriending and watching this particular group of men, complete strangers before college, become a support system for each other within a few short weeks.
I have overheard various conversations, where older brothers counseled younger brothers, encouraging them to stay the course in challenging areas of study or advising them in matters of the heart.
Yes, I have also been treated like furniture by brothers who realized I wasn’t a viable sexual prospect. I’ve watched some take drugs, and others act like moronic Neanderthals. But the very same could be said about men who are not part of ZBT, or even the Greek community.
This particular incident was likely little more than a particularly unfortunate scenario of drunk people acting like drunk people.
It was a combination of college shenanigans and U.S. war veterans, made worse by myopic media coverage.
Via: WordPress
Veterans are put on a pedestal, and in most regards, rightly so. They’ve sacrificed so much for their country. But holding them in such high regard has made it so even questioning their integrity is sacrilegious. So we were all quick to throw ZBT members under the bus.
The university chose to view the accused not as individuals, but as a whole; it turned its back on the entire chapter by way of expulsion. Ultimately, UF significantly contributed to the biased treatment of the Greek system.
And the media, in their crusades to further vilify “fraternity culture,” failed to investigate. Instead, they chose to sensationalize. After all, hatred of fraternities has become de rigueur in past years, and not capitalizing on it would simply be bad business.
Feature photo courtesy of WUFT
