Link to article: http://www.nytimes.com/2005/01/09/magazine/09FRATS.html?_r=1&scp=1&sq=ban%20of%20brothers&st=cse
The article “Ban of Brothers” by Benoit Denizett-Lewis was printed in the New York Times with the intention of bringing to light the recent debate about whether fraternities should be dry in order to better fulfill their original purpose. The article came to my attention for a different reason and that was because it highlighted the way fraternities act out masculinity and how that affects the gender relationship. The article tells the story of Denizett-Lewis returning to his alma mater, Northwestern, to observe frat activities and see if they can survive and be fun once they are declared dry. As he describes what he finds the scenes are all to familiar to me, but an outsider’s perspective made me more critical of the culture. Throughout the article girls are always in the background referred to as adoring, loving and even called groupies of the frat boys. The way that fraternities are conceived now creates an image of masculinity similar to that seen in militias, which in both cases fosters a rape culture.
Both fraternities and militias are closely associated with the idea of masculinity, the men in them are expected to act in accordance. There is a paternalistic mentality in both organizations, which helps to support the masculine image. For militias there is a sense that the men are going out and risking their lives in order to protect and care for the women. In frats the men take on the role of being the providers for their female counterparts. Non-dry fraternities host the parties with plenty of alcohol, which is given to the women at no cost. While this may seem beneficial to the women’s pocketbook, in reality in strips them of all their power. Men get to decide who can come, who is not allowed to come and even when to kick people out. By taking on the role of providers for women fraternity boys are once again feeding into their masculine identity. Along with this image of masculinity comes the need for competition. In competitions between men women often become an object to acquire in order to prove ones manliness. This phenomenon was clearly demonstrated at Tailhook and it also applies to competitions between fraternities. In the article it talks about one frat being pleased that Theta is going to have homecoming with them. This shows that when girls bestow favor on them then it gives them a boost of popularity. Once again this creates a mirage of female power, but it reality all it does is reduce women to object that men compete to obtain.
This competition mentality is what keeps the rape culture alive in both fraternities and militias. Once women become objects there is no longer any need to be concerned about their emotions or to believe that they are even human. This dehumanization of women allows men to rape women without feeling the guilt that should be there. Suddenly the more women a man is able to sleep with or the more he degrades a woman the more his masculinity is reinforced. Once having sex with as many women as possible becomes the goal and a way to achieve power then rape becomes the reality. In Brownmiller’s article “Against Our Will” she discusses the way in which rape is the ultimate expression of masculinity. With this in mind it makes sense why groups, such as militias and fraternities whose identity is inextricably linked to masculinity would turn to rape.
In militias rape is seen as both a tool to power and even a bonding experience for the men. Men with more power provide the women to the lower ranking men, therefore both degrading the enemy and creating closeness among the troops. Within frats clear-cut rape is often not the case, instead rape is hidden behind the disguise of drunken sex. The men in these organizations invite girls to their houses then provide them with plenty of alcohol in hopes of having sex with one of them. Then if a girl claims that she was raped there are always assertions that she is at fault because of what she was wearing or the amount of alcohol she consumed. In cases where a girl drank too much it is sad to see what a high price she will have to pay because she made a mistake. Again this reminds me of the Brownmiller article where she discusses how rape is a tool men use to constantly keep women in fear. Whenever attending a frat party a girl must enter with the mentality that she cannot get to drunk or she will get raped.
Fraternitity parties are advertised as groups of friends getting together to have a good time. How is it that within a group of so called friends half of the people must be afraid that they will get raped? In the letter that the professor at Zenith [Wesleyan] University professor wrote to her students it is clear that this dynamic is not a healthy way of life. It has become the norm and people within the rape culture cannot see clearly, but having a professors opinion brings up some concerning points. Not only are fraternities creating a rape culture similar to one seen in Militias but they are also perpetuating a culture that is unfriendly to anyone who tries to speak out about being raped. In the “Ban of Brothers” article Denizet-Lewis talks about how his frat used to be much tougher and references an incident where they threw stones at a group participating in a take back the night march. Somehow we have come to a point in college culture where disrespecting and degrading women has become the idea of masculinity.
The conclusion the Denizet-Lewis ultimately reaches is that perhaps fraternities becoming dry organizations is not the worst idea. What I wonder is why are there organizations that have become so out of control that the presence of alcohol leads to rape and other criminal acts? Perhaps though alcohol perpetuates the culture the real problem lies in the structure of an organization that prides itself on being the masculine ideal. In a world of “Enlighten Sexism” where we believe that all of the hard work is behind us and that women are equal, why is it still necessary to have organizations that divide be gender? All this accomplishes is the creation of groups striving to achieve the ultimate display of masculinity or femininity. Some think it is fine because sororities are the female counterpart therefore women have an equal opportunity. The reality is that these organizations may be separate, but they certainly are not equal. As long as men and women are kept separate in these Greek organizations women will continue to be objectified and seen only as pawns in a game of power. In any organization that is all male and strives to achieve ultimate masculinity, rape can quickly become a strategy to gain power. It is essential to recognize that this is not only happening in the military in a country far away, but that it is happening in college and universities all over our nation.
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