National Weed Day

Ok, so this is not going to be popular. But I was told by my fifth grade teacher "What is right isn't always popular and what is popular isn't always right." We all do unethical things. We all broadcast things that we shouldn't. It's human nature (especially in this generation) to want to go against the system.

Thing is, there are still real laws out here people. Tweeting or posting Facebook statuses about/alluding to how much marijuana you smoke is the same as someone who steals candy from the corner store every day doing the same. The crime isn't murder or anything but it is a crime whether you agree with it or not. And if you believe so much in your right to smoke marijuana, write your elected officials. But waiting around until it is made legal is pretty much validating the stereotype that potheads are lazy.

But I did not write this post for every pothead in the nation. I really am writing this to the leaders. More specifically, as Du Bois coined the group, I am writing to The Talented Tenth. And, looking at it even more microscopically, I am talking to those of us who are in college and are members of fraternities or sororities. People listen to what we say. Freshmen, who are impressionable, look up to us. These are tomorrow's leaders... if they don't have a record for possessing illegal drugs. As a senior, you might know how to evade the system so that you can break the law and if you do it in the privacy of your own home and aren't putting anyone else at risk, that is your business. But why are we compelled to broadcast our illegal pastimes to everyone else? And all these young people are thinking is "Deryle the Alpha does it and he has three presidencies under his belt and is on this committee and that committee and he is the manager in the student center and he has a great girlfriend and is at all the political events on campus." So if a freshman sees an apparent role model doing all of those positive things on campus and simultaneously tweeting/openly discussing doing illegal things, he might just decide to try to be just like this quasi-successful individual.

I'm not knocking you alls weed habits because I honestly don't know enough to say that it is worse than tobacco or alcohol. What I do have a problem with, as I said before, is it being broadcast. And you might say "I'm not Kappa Alpha Psi/Delta Sigma Theta/etc./etc. I'm just me." Well then denounce your letters because until you do, your actions represent what we stand for. These are not just fraternal organizations, they are businesses. You cannot be fired but your membership can be revoked if you're not doing your job.

Don't agree. That's cool. Comments are appreciated. It's still all love. One of the brothers I am closest with smoked until recently and I never has anything but love for him. All I am saying is think about the fact that you are an Omega/S-G-Rho/Sigma telling people it is ok to break the law.


Litera scripta manet. - Unknown