Quote:
Originally Posted by giftedchick
well isnt that a point of a club?.. that members are in someways different from others... ppl in a chess club like/play chess... you wouldnt join if u were in no way interested in the game (unless just to annoy the members)
i suck at chess :(
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A club is meant to help people of similar interests meet another and explore these interests. People who like chess can join the club, but people who just like to watch it, or even just want a nice resume bump can join as well and it wouldn't be at all out of place. Things become very, very different when you deal with things like religion and culture, which are, to a large extent, a permanent, and unchangeable characteristics. Could I (as a Caucasian, Catholic female, for example), really join something like a Male Chinese Muslim Association?
Not really. Sure, they can't officially discriminate based on things like race, culture etc. But that's why I said by convention as well. I'm sure the people at the MCMS would be quite nice, but how could I fit in? Would I have nay desire to join, knowing how much I would stick out? How I would be considered something of an outsider, despite being a card-carrying member and participating in events? Would I have much of a chance of an Exec position? Probably not.
The point is male Chinese Muslims would join the club, and pretty much no one else. Never mind also that club meetings might be conducted in Mandarin, or have a prayer component, which could either exclude or offend non-typical members. The things the club is based upon, religion, culture and gender, is not a fluid thing (by and large) that you can develop or learn. It is also something that is important to a person's ind entity, and, in the case of religion essp, their morals and belief system. Nor is it an interest in the same way chess or Starcraft is, which potentially includes every student at the university (vs the MCMA, which would appeal to male Chinese Muslims)
tl;dr Religion and culture should not count as a club, unless its something like "Students of Faith" or "Around the World," which would attempt to deal with as many categories as possible.
