There has been recent controversy over the infamous site Total Frat Move. TFM is a satirical online journal that is devoted to college humor and features accounts and photos of irrational people and events. Some argue the content on the website is sexist and degrading, while TFM takes itself less seriously than its critics.
The controversy gained new attention when the New York Times published an article titled “Is Sexist Rhetoric a Total Frat Move?” Essentially, the argument was that anyone who is associated with the site, whether a member of Greek life or not, is sexist, degrading, and vulgar. In true TFM, balls-to-the-wall fashion, one of the “custodians of the site” issued a witty and blunt response, detailing the strides the website has made for feminism, specifically in regards to sexuality.
The Times article calls out TFM for their comment section, saying it is full of “crude and harmful jokes.” However, TFM argues that a website or online journal should not be judged based off of the comment sections, otherwise NYT should check their comment section to make sure it aligns with the values of the newspaper.
While the pictures of the girls who chose to subject themselves to TFM’s audience are degrading, the debate boils down to TFM as a site devoted to college sarcasm and humor. Most of the content is meant to be funny and entertaining, not taken seriously and if you find it offensive, don’t spend your time searching for it just to ruin everyone else’s entertainment.