AN APPEAL TO MY FRIENDS WHO ARE MEMBERS OF FRATERNITIES: CAN THIS BE THE LAST DEATH OR SERIOUS INJURY PLEASE? The Chancellor of UP Diliman has issued this statement, and what it tells us is that there was a fraternity incident that is being investigated, but privately, because the family of the student involved requests that their privacy be protected. As it is that is fine, except that this statement has become public in the context of a senseless death in another school from another fraternity incident. And the statement describes the family as seeking justice. Which implies that a wrong has been committed. This is my question: When did this incident in Diliman happen? Did it happen before, or after, the incident at Benilde? If it happened before Benilde, and thankfully did not result in any deaths, could it have served to prevent the senseless loss of life in Benilde had it been made public? My father joined a fraternity at the UP College of Medicine. Many of my good friends from UP Elem and UP High joined fraternities in Diliman. I respect their decision to join these brotherhoods just as they have respected my decision to join the brotherhood of barbarians. I remained a barbarian because, like many others, I was -- and am -- bewildered by the practice of beating someone black and blue as a physical and mental test -- even to the point of death -- of ones commitment to become a brother. Surely there are other, more ennobling ways to determine whether an individual is worthy of being accepted into a brotherhood. And I have met such friends and built such bonds through the years, without any of us having to raise a hand -- or a bat or a club -- at any other. And of what use is a dead brother? A test of the brotherhoods ability to cover up? To my friends in fraternities: enough of all of these please. Remember : we are the barbarians, not you.
Posted on: Thu, 03 Jul 2014 09:45:52 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015