You Mad?

Consider this a part 2 to "The Black Card."

Sometime over the weekend, the Sprite Step Off occurred. I don't know all the details about it because I'm getting old stepping hasn't been a major part of my Greek life, but I know it was a national competition and in advertisements it appeared to be strictly a D-9 event (meaning just the historically Black Greek Letter Organizations). So imagine the surprise and outrage by some of my fellow Greeks when a white sorority, Zeta Tau Alpha, not only entered, but WON over the other sororities. It's been a week full of "that was rigged," "why were they there" and "who do they think they are" on one side, and "they deserved it" and "stop being sore losers" on the other.

I haven't watched any of the videos from the competition (they're all over Youtube though), so this isn't about how well the white sorority did/didn't do in comparison to the black orgs. This is really to say, so now you mad? From what I've gathered, this group was taught how to step by members of a black sorority. And I've heard from Greeks who attended PWIs that they participated in "unity" events that involved NPHC orgs teaching Panhell orgs how to step. (Never heard of any kind of reciprocity, not that I'm surprised. Sidenote: I love my HBCUs!)

No doubt, when all this sharing and caring was going on, nothing was being taught about the origins of stepping and its significance. Hell, many D9 members can't tell you that themselves! But now that money was on the line and it was "stolen" by a white group, people want to be pissed about it. Why not be pissed enough to not participate in the aforementioned activities from jump? You can't give away your traditions and then yell "Whitey stole that from us just like everything else!" They can't steal what you hand over.

Why not be pissed enough to not commercialize our traditions? You got movies like Stomp the Yard and have Sprite sponsoring a national show, you think others won't pick it up? And if you know that many things are set against us, why help further tip the scales in their favor?

So for those who are mad, I'd love to know if you are mad at Sprite for allowing them in the show, ZTA for winning/stepping/existing/whatever, or fellow Greeks/yourself for giving away what was once a part of Black Greek culture, then resting on your laurels instead of stepping your game up.