A lot has been written on the blast that shook De La Salle University at the end of the 2010 bar exams last Sept. 26, 2010. Read notes and status(es) on FB and you'll see what I mean. Once again, people are scrambling to make sense of the events that unfolded. Reports show that the blast is frat-related. Violence and fraternities. Really.
Once again, words like brotherhood and omerta are being bandied about. Once again, fraternities have closed ranks and issuing statements like "That's not us", "We're not that kind of fraternity", "We didn't do that", "Not one of our members will do that". Once again, authorities, schools and parents are calling for stricter control and harsher punishment for the perpetrators.
What's different this time is that they saw fit to throw their grenade in the middle of a crowd of people in the middle of what is supposed to be a joyous occasion. (let's face it, the mere fact of finishing the bar exams IS cause for celebration.) Ok, so maybe the grenade's a first too.
When I first heard the news on Sunday night, I thought "fraternities". As more news filtered in the idea that it was frat-related became more concrete. Sucks. I even entertained the idea that the people involved may be people I ACTUALLY know. In the course of my work, I've met a lot of other lawyers from other schools and some of them are fraternity members. I sometimes can't get my head around the fact that some of them went through hazing and later on hazed their incoming "brods".
While I'm not totally for or against fraternities and sororities (I was almost part of one, and they're great women), I also have to remind myself that fraternities and sororities have done some people some good. There's this one classmate who would've dropped out of law school if not for the intervention of the fraternity, the assistance they give during bar ops. Or how about the job opportunities and connections that you develop and foster through being "brods" and "sisses"? Of course, there are also the great fundraisers to benefit their various causes. Those can't be denied.
But still, a grenade in the middle of an innocent crowd? Really. It's just a pointless, meaningless, "I'm dumber than you are but my explosions are bigger" shit.
(C'mon, what good would a grenade be in the middle of empty space, huh?)
I hope the responsible parties get chewed and eaten alive (very sloooooowly) by fire ants and slugs and leeches AND that they see it happening.
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