The recent "controversy" over the recruitment video for the University of Alabama chapter of the Alpha Phi sorority was baffling. One critic, op-ed writer A.L. Bailey, rightfully derided the video as "so racially and aesthetically homogenous and forced, so hyper-feminine, so reductive and objectifying, so...unempowering." Snapchat provided live coverage of sorority rush week this past weekend, and anyone could readily observe that the problematic behavior criticized in the video is not only expected but is the norm.
I watched the Snapchat feed and was at first bemused by its absurdity; so many thousands of college-age girls, each indistinguishable from the next, jumped around giddily and eventually sobbed at the big reveal.
But after a few stories, I felt a sense of pity for all of these girls.
They seemed to have traded their authentic selves for something else: being the girl in the recruitment video, a façade of beauty and success.
They had been reduced, through the processes of commodification and assimilation, to a series of dimensions and price tags.
As happy and beautiful as they appeared, one must admit that they too are victims of an impersonal, coercive system.
The shenanigans of rush week represent a whole system that runs counter to and distracts from the academic mission of not only UF, but all respectable institutions.
Our school is diverse and comprised of students from all walks of life.
One would never come to this conclusion by observing the media and reality of Greek life, which is defined by "keeping up" and attending a stream of social events.
It is a costly lifestyle, which inadvertently excludes those who do not originate from privilege or who do not conform to a very specific image.
Diversity and difference should not be grounds to create distinction, and, insofar as Greek life capitalizes on extant privilege to create more.
It represents a definite obstacle to actualizing a truly meaningful integration of the student body.
This all proves to be a fundamental distraction to our education and a detriment to initiatives that strive to create an inclusive university that aptly prepares us to actively participate in our democratic system.
In light of any consideration of merit or personal "worth," we must remember that those who value us as human beings do not appraise us based on our appearance or material possessions, but rather they judge us per the measure of our compassion, solidarity with our friends and strength of character.
That is to say, beauty is fleeting, but goodness endures.
Furthermore, in our academic context, we are judged as students per our ideas and our ability to convey them in a way that promotes an academic exchange that in turn has the potential to improve the world.
This requires that we be true to ourselves and take our studies seriously.
Bearing this in mind, and as we start or resume this marvelous chapter in our lives, we should consider exactly why we have pursued higher education at this excellent university.
The quest for knowledge can be informed by our environments and social surroundings.
But in the end, our academic pursuits must come from within and be motivated by something intrinsic, personal and ultimately individual.
Superficiality and conformity have no place in this pursuit and ultimately constitute an unfortunate and omnipresent distraction.
Jordan MacKenzie is a second-year UF linguistics master’s student. His column appears on Wednesdays.
