I have a small bone to pick with one of the sororities here at AU - Alpha Epsilon Phi.
Well, I have nothing against the AEPhi's in particular. I know a few of them, and they all seem to be pretty swell people. And their mascot is brilliant. The giraffe. Giraffes have many of the qualities that a group of young, educated women would want in a mascot. Much like the women of AEPhi, giraffes are majestic, self-reliant, and are rarely eaten by lions.
My problem with AEPhi lies in its choice of advertising. Both its autumn rush posters and their "Welcome" signs make reference to the cultural phenomenon known as "Sex and the City." Whether it's "AEPhi in the City" or a flyer that features that disturbing looking skeleton-woman hybrid known as Sarah Jessica Parker, I have had my fill. "Sex and the City" needs to be exposed for what it is: A terribly written television program that offers up a life of meaningless sex and shopping as an alternative to "real life."
Let's focus on the writing first. I won't mince words here. Whoever writes for this show needs to have their Writer's Guild card destroyed. It's bad enough that this show focuses completely on narration, which is a big no-no in the world of television and film. But why must the narration in every episode include a ridiculously trite epiphany?
"I realized that spending $3,000 a week on handbags and shoes was a shallow waste of time, and that it was time to pursue the accessory to my life, not to my clothes." Gee, thanks Carrie. I am glad that you got that figured out. What would I do without your sage advice?
Whenever the show doesn't depend on narration, it instead leans on the greatest of all attention-getters: shock value. Enter Kim Cattrall stage right. Every episode seems to be a game of "Top This!" where the writers try putting her in situations that get more and more ridiculous. One week she is involved in a threesome with a pair of gay men, the next she has a dominatrix girlfriend. OK, let's put Samantha in a gangbang where she has goat's blood poured all over her naked 45-year-old body. I dare someone writing for that show to top that! The unfortunate problem with that challenge is, someone certainly will and it will be aired for the show's countless fans to see.
(For anyone keeping score, "gangbang" is now an acceptable term in news media thanks to California Gubernatorial candidate Arnold Schwarzenegger's past indiscretions and has now been used on Fox News and CNN. Another victory for the First Amendment!)
So why would I focus so much time and energy on a silly television show? A fair retort to this column would be that if I don't like the show, I just shouldn't watch. Fair enough. However, I would like to have my readers question their allegiance to a show that is both bad and inclusive of highly questionable content.
Frankly, the show has become too large for me to ignore. I have been kicked out of lounges so flocks of women and gay men wearing PJs and slippers could have their "Sex and the City" night. I look on as friend after friend purchases one of those expensive "Sex and the City" DVDs. Every Sunday, my AIM Buddy List is filled with away messages that say the same thing: "Watching Sex and the City." This column is all I have left to defend myself from it.
As for AEPhis, I really do wish them the best of luck in recruiting members this fall. I know that pledging is incredibly competitive and can make or break a sorority's reputation. Greek life can get pretty cutthroat. However, it saddens me to see an excellent sorority using "Sex and the City" as a way to get an advantage over other sororities. Promising students a life of promiscuous sex and expensive shopping excursions is nothing more than promising a pursuit of shallow living. The Greek phrase from which AEPhi got its name, Aei Esto Philio (may friendship be everlasting), should be more than enough to attract members. I guess now we value some things more than everlasting friendship. That's a shame.
