Pilam (as it stands) is Inherently Hypocritical due to the Misogynistic

and Bigoted Nature of all Nationally Recognized Fraternities, and

Masquerades as a Safe Space when in Reality it’s a Haven for

Narcissistic Outcasts who think Painting the Walls of their

Mansion is a Political Movement: A Concept

And y’all are pulling the wool

 over your own eyes and living in a fantasy

world where cognitive dissonance is

 apparently nonexistent. Wake up sheeple!

**TL;DR on last page**

The Revolution Is Here… Are You?

Hello. For those who don’t know me, my name is Olivia Pawling. I’ve been observing Pilam for over four years, from an OUTSIDE perspective. I heard about Pilam for the first time in high school. My friend Ashley invited me to BBQ 2014, because her boyfriend’s band was playing. I had no idea Pilam was a fraternity, because it was presented to me as an integral part of Philadelphia’s DIY music scene, which I have admired since I discovered DIY ethos in roughly sixth grade. From the moment I walked in, I was head-over-heels in love with Pilam, and everything the organization stood for. I admired the dedication to radical self-expression and inclusion, as well as being an amazing venue for parties and shows alike. I thought maybe one day, I would be “cool” enough to live in such an amazing house.

Fast forward three years: After a couple weeks of living in the haus and meeting everyone, I started to come to terms with the fact that Pilam was not nearly as radical (or even as ~alternative~) as the faces of the organization would attempt to make it out to be. I found that the “progressive,” attitude was just a thin veil after only a couple short weeks. I began to notice many hypocritical inconsistencies, dramatic/ toxic situations that went (and remain) unaddressed, wildly irresponsible relationships with drugs, and the fact that for some strange reason, Pilam seemed weirdly different from the way it was pitched to me when I first toured the house as a potential boarder. I’m embarrassed it took my best friend and next door “neighbor” getting assaulted by a brother to realize that Pilam was never a safe space. I would even go as far to say that Pilam is one of the most unsafe spaces I have ever encountered.

 I will illustrate precisely why I feel this way with the following points:

**Disclaimer: I have personally contributed to many of the issues I am about to present. I am just as accountable for the direction this organization is headed.**

1. Literal harassment/ assault happens all the fucking time. Sure, most of it isn’t nearly as serious as what happened to my friend. A lot is subtle, brushed of as “just a joke,” or completely ignored. But it’s there. We all see it. And if you don’t see it? Ask yourself why.
2. AT ITS CORE, PILAM IS A FRAT. In order to be nationally recognized, Pilam needs to have a certain number of “Penn males” in various positions of power. That’s not something any truly progressive individual needs to be associated with… like at all.
3. Pilam is in cahoots with the police. Wow, the “punk frat,” (majority made up of wealthy white kids) contributes to the corrupt and objectively terrible police state, for the sole purpose of being able to throw sanctioned parties so they can bask in their own clout? Who woulda thunk.
4. Pilam attracts weirdos and outcasts. Though not necessarily good or bad, this dynamic creates a haven for people who might’ve been “cast out,” for a perfectly good reason. Aka bigots, false punks, and most importantly: ABUSERS.
5. Pilam is an island in the Philadelphia DIY scene. This organization doesn’t even attempt to collaborate with neighboring venues and promoters, even though the haus was situated within walking distance of about thirty of them.
6. Pilam brothers have a general lack of motivation to incite local political change or even slightly attempt to better the community. Radical change is needed. The apathy level of many brothers at Pilam is astonishing and worrisome. This is not an “@” directed at everyone. A lot of you are doing your best. However, a lot of you are just doing whippets.

The goal of this message is for my thoughts to serve as a wake-up call. Ask yourself:

1. Why did I join this organization in the first place?
2. Why have I tolerated the behavior and verbal musings of outed abusers and misogynists for so long?
3. Do I actually care about the self-proclaimed “progressive” and “radically inclusive” agenda this organization has promoted for decades?
4. If yes, have I positively contributed to the political climate of Pilam to the best of my ability?
5. Do I actually care about the tight-knit and ever-growing DIY punk music scene in Philadelphia? Or do I just want to get fucked up in front of some cool murals while weird music plays in the background?
6. What do I want to be when I grow up? Do I want to use mym intelligence and talent to better the world? Or am I just trying to snort whiter coke in a Rittenhouse loft while jerking off to a polaroid photo of my own fat stacks?
7. Do I “get off” on living in a disgusting/ unconventional haus because of some weird internal need to be seen as “grungy” or “alternative,” with total disregard to all other aspects of the organization as a whole?

These questions are important because there is a clear distinction between those who deserve the title of “brother,” (because they failed to get a “bid” at their “first choice” frat ((WHY ANYONE WHO WANTED TO RUSH A STEREOTYPICAL PENN FRATERNITY OR SORORITY IN THE FIRST PLACE WOULD BE AT ALL ATTRACTED TO PILAM IS BEYOND ME. YOU ARE THE ANTITHESIS OF WHAT WE ARE SUPPOSED TO STAND FOR))) and those who deserve the title of, ya know, “badass individual who wants to change the world in a radically positive way.”

I propose a revolution. Pilam will cease to exist, and from its ashes we will build a community/ collective that fosters positive growth, radical creativity, actual inclusion, etc. This sounds like I’m trying to start a cult but stay with me here; it could be an awesome cult. Just think of it as a “start-up,” or whatever nifty buzzword is floating around these days.

Before I lay out my game plan, there is some very important context everyone should understand. If you’re already well-versed in the contemporary Philadelphia music scene, you can skip ahead.

Many members/ brothers/ friends of Pilam seem to think “DIY” is just a cute synonym for “alternative” or “edgy.” However, that is NOT AT ALL the case. DIY is not just some meaningless word people throw around for clout points… at least not outside of this convoluted, intensely misogynistic, and disturbingly unaware circle-jerk of (a lot of) pretentious children. Here is a crash course on DIY ethics:

“All of those [Philadelphia] bands, what they have in common (or at least they should have in common) is we want a safe space and we want to pay five to ten dollars for a show and we know that the money’s going to the touring bands and that’s how its been riding for years now. It’s more of the community thing or more of the mentality of it rather than what [the music] actually sounds like.”

The above excerpts are taken from an academic paper titled “Consuming Authenticity: Deconstructing ‘Do-It-Yourself’ Punk Rock Ethics in Philadelphia,” by Patricia Ann Kotrady.

I’ll provide a link for the full essay here:

https://scholar.dickinson.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1238&context=student_honors

This paper provides excellent criticism of the contemporary DIY punk scene in Philadelphia. It highlights the FLAWS found within this ideology, but provides little insight on how to handle the problems within our music scene and community in today’s wildly volatile and polarized political climate. The conclusion was simple and eloquent: DIY must transition to DIT- Do It Together. DIY preaches inclusion, and although many artists and promoters are working to combat this, marginalized groups such as POC and LGBTQ+ individuals still feel left out and talked over. The Philadelphia music scene needs to be open for everyone who deserves it; not just upper-middle class fake woke cuckboys with bowl cuts, and white femmes who think just because they cut their own bangs and have a Frieda Kahlo stick and poke means they can’t be problematic. We’re all in this together, so we have to start acting like it. And yes, you have to pick a side. By doing nothing, you become part of the problem by default.

I have been involved in the Philadelphia music scene for over eight years as an observer, as well as a consumer, promoter, volunteer, fan, artist, in addition to running and booking shows at a north philly DIY venue for a short amount of time. In all the years I’ve been involved with the music scene in this city, I’ve noticed one thing that all objectively safe spaces have in common: lack of sentient life forms. People who believe that safe spaces should be held to a god-tier standard of morality are just as delusional as the ones who think safe spaces shouldn’t exist at all. These are the type of people who abuse call-out culture and incite witch hunts with their clout/ pull in the scene. That is not what I am about. I want to make it clear that I am an intersectional feminist (not a feminazi or TERF), I am a “social justice warrior,” if being an SJW means that I stand up for marginalized individuals and groups of people who deserve to be heard. I do not identify with any political party. I take my core political values from socialism, libertarianism, anarchism, and honestly, probably twitter. Since age fourteen, I’ve worked minimum wage jobs, sometimes three at a time in order to be a person. I’ve lived an unconventional and apathetic existence for the majority of my adult life, due to a four-year bout of major depression. My mental illness resulted in extreme cognitive decay in many areas; including memory, logical reasoning, processing information, and of course, a (seemingly) never-ending freefall into a deep pit of despair.

I recently remedied this problem by simply visiting a new psychiatrist who switched my medication around. Within a month, I felt neurotypical for the first time since the summer after my senior year of high school (2014). This is important to note, because I spent many years abstaining from any type of activism because I didn’t see the point in living, let alone helping other people. I’m just now starting to see the point. It’s a pretty big point actually; kinda hard to miss.

I get the feeling that many brothers discovered Pilam due to attending Penn, Drexel, living in the neighborhood, or accidentally stumbling into the living room on a Thursday night. I am not saying there’s anything wrong with those perspectives. However, that is not my background. Because I am well versed in the history of various DIY venues in Philadelphia, as well as the history of the safe space movement, I feel I can provide valuable insight on where to go from here. I will do my best to present this argument in a cohesive and comprehensive way, and as objectively as possible.

**TL;DR STARTS HERE**

Although I respect the idea of DIY/ DIT ethics, as well as the concept of a safe space, I would like to introduce a “new” concept: fun, friendship, and humor as some of the main components to whatever happens next with this organization. As in, we take all the wonderful and beautiful aspects of Pilam: the parties, “never stop hanging out,” lighthearted spontaneous celebration, and the weird/ alternative quirkiness we’ve all experienced in a million different ways. All of that should stay. I’m really not trying to rain on anyone’s parade; I want whatever happens to be just as wild as living in the haus with you guys. But god damn do things need to change if y’all want to claim the title of “safe space.”

This is what needs to happen:

1. Pilam should not be affiliated with “nationals,” regardless of any “perks,” that might result from being nationally recognized as a fraternity. Practice what you preach, binches.
2. Pilam should have a zero tolerance policy for physical sexual harassment and sexual assault. If you touch someone inappropriately aka without their consent, you don’t deserve a second chance. Sorry not sorry.
3. Pilam as an organization should avoid contact/compromise with corrupt and bigoted institutions at all costs. As in: any police force, corporation, or organization with vastly conflicting moral values.
4. Pilam should have no place for racism, classism, homophobia, xenophobia, fascism, the alt-right, etc. Like at all. Members should always consider the intersectional perspective when it comes to issues pertaining to any established minority group.
5. Pilam should be radically inclusive. No one should be turned away due to their appearance or background, only their actions and opinions. (Obviously case by case).
6. Pilam will not judge members based on level of clout (style, popularity, wealth, connections) but by their ideas, aspirations, empathy, and values.
7. Pilam should strive to better the community and political climate through art, music, friendship, humor, and radical self-expression.
8. Pilam should actively promote the destruction of the patriarchy, gender norms, probably societal norms in general, the trump administration, slut-shaming (you know who you are), double standards, unfair power dynamics within the organization, capitalist values, and any notion that the fucked up shit that’s been happening since the dawn of time is in any way “ok.”
9. Pilam members should be constantly striving to better themselves and their environment, be willing to stick up for what they believe is valid, and denounce evil actions/ malicious words without a second thought
10. Pilam should be fun and safe. Safe in the sense that no individual should have to worry about persecution due to factors beyond their control. Yes, we can still do drugs and smash bottles and swing from the rafters. Physical safety is overrated anyway. We’re all about that sense of community.

So… who’s with me? Let’s dismantle this oppressive establishment board by board!