To Be or Not To Be

The same way you would get reprimanded for misrepresenting the company you work for is the same way Sororities and Fraternities feel, for that matter, about 'mis'representing our organizations. You may be loud, brash, crass, just straight ignorant in your personal life, you may even be that way out in public; but you can not wear your company shirt or broadcast that you work for a company, district, or association behaving in any such manner that is not conducive or productive to the policies and standards of that organization. 

In yet another colorful conversation with my book club someone felt that the television show Sorority Sisters is no different than watching the Housewives' franchise, or Basketball Wives, or Love and hip hop. They felt you can't ban one, without banning the other because they are the same. (Side eye) With me being actively apart of a sorority my opinion was questioned, although I've never seen the show. I've only heard about it, so quite naturally I can't speak intelligibly about something I don't know (the show). What I can say, however, is that if you are apart of something and the image of that "something" is reflected on a national platform weekly; then you should have an opinion. These reality shows are not a black/white thing! Being upset about misrepresentation is not a race issue. There are dozens on top of dozens of sisterhood organizations of all races and cultures. These organizations are life-long and truly just begin once you graduate college, trust me! I am an active, financial member! There are millions of housewives, and many basketball wives, and certainly a few folks that have love and listen to hip hop. The difference is grouping and finance. Women that go on those franchise shows don't represent a brand. They don't represent an incorporated entity. The franchise shows represent individuals. Those individuals happen to categorize themselves as a wife...most of which, in actually don't represent the typical "housewife". Let's be clear: a housewife by all definitions has never held a "job" outside the home and a housewife is most certainly MARRIED. That's just one example though. 

Society chooses to make those shows, along with everything else in the world, about race. No one is boycotting (and taking seriously) The Real Housewives' franchise because those are women from all cities and all nationalities and believe it or not, all socio-economic backgrounds, being themselves and responding to stimuli that producers bait. (A little lesson in television from a communications major with an emphasis in radio AND television) Some shows like Jersey, represent family-groups, at best, but even some individuals in those said families would disagree that the show is a fair or acceptable representation of them. 

I don't expect everyone to understand or even agree with the airing of any or either of the shows, and honestly, again; I can only speak for the Housewives' franchise because that's the only one I watch and I don't just watch Atlanta just because I'm a Black woman and the majority of the cast is Black. I watch all of them from Beverly Hills to New York, with Orange County being my favorite.  

Boycotting has nothing to do with "secrets exposed", "showing true colors", "they're too old for that". It has everything to do with wearing the banner of a brand or an incorporated entity, without acceptance from that brand, and representing them on a national platform without prior permission or a recognized acknowledgment. 

If you don't take anything away from what I'm writing you should take this: If you don't want to watch it (boycott), don't watch it. If it's not offensive to you, move along. If you don't understand why others are boycotting or don't agree, ask, but then don't talk over the explanation confirming that you still won't understand tomorrow because you didn't listen. The issue is NOT the same.

Your brand is EVERYTHING! Perception is KEY!