Fraternity stories

[Ganymede]

Hey, man, we're on the same level. This is what I was interested in discussing. It's very odd, but in some contexts what passes for "gay" would be completely "straight" in another context, if that makes any sense.

Please share more about your experience here. This is very interesting. I'm of Italian descent, so I'm interested in what you say about this topic. I don't get what you mean about the New York/clubbing/Italian scene. Thanks.

 

[iyikedralling]

Part of the reason we as fraternity members value brotherhood is because It represents a small part of life. The reason we call them brothers is because we were forced to push past our pettiness and get along for the benefit of our chapter. In my opinion anyone where you can work past their thoughts and still call them brother is a true brother. Like it was said before there are some brothers I dislike and some that are my best friends but when it comes down to business, and truly that's what we all are, a business, then we work together.

 

[Ganymede]

For me, brotherhood should be more than business-based, though. Bottom line is that this all just goes back to money. It cost you money to be in college and to be in the frat. And you were at college to learn how to make money. I think the brotherhood should go beyond that. I don't mean to belittle any of your experiences. I'm just sharing my opinion. And thanks for sharing yours.

 

[mustang43]

Everything people have said about brotherhood for life, camaraderie, and academic aspects of fraternities seems pretty true. I am in a frat currently at a school where we pretty much run the social scene entirely. There are guys who say they dont want to rush, but by the time they are sophomores or juniors, they realize they're missing out on a whole lot. Being selective is all part of having a powerful, popular and fun fraternity, as well as choosing smart, ivloved guys who will bcome involved in the house and the school. I don't want to toot my own horn but we are among the top 3 frats on campus and we have to be very selective with our kids so we can maintain this position. And to address the whole homosexual thing, none of that happens. keep dreaming

 

[iyikedralling]

I agree with Mustang, my fraternity is also probably number two or three of the fraternities on campus, and is much different from when I rushed, my pledge class turned my fraternity around and every year we have to be more and more selective and we offend a lot of people in the process. It's about maintaining an image (which is what any respectable business will do), and staying loyal to people within the organization whether you like to or not.

 

[68306]

I left uni the day I got a few shy girls confessing their interest then being ambushed by a massive mobile-phone co-ordinated group of girls wanting to discuss their thesis on the kama sutra.

Yup, i'll be fine as long as I got feet to keep shooting at.

 

[novice_btm]

Again, comparing frat boys to Japanese culture... apples and oranges. Comparing ANY group of American guys, to most Japanese groups of guys, is going to give you the same contradiction. Your initial question was about frats. To suddenly juxtapose them to world cultures as your defense, especially when there shouldn't be an arguement when all that's being done is soliciting experiences, is a new topic of discussion.

Do you want to know about frats? Or do you want to know about the "fraternity" of servicemen? Or, clubbers? Do you just want a thread to rail frats because you (reason irrelevant) don't like them? Do you want compare them to the societies of traditional Southeast Burmese youth organizations? What is your point here?

I really don't care if people do, or don't, like frats. It's not my concern. But it seems like you had a preconceived notion of them, yet asked an opinion of them anyway, and then used the most unrelated items against them whenever someone countered that notion, or didn't join in with your opinion.

Why bother? Here, lemme help. Go to the "Random Thoughts" thread, and post, "I don't like fratboys, and think they all act like homos." There, it's that easy. It's outta your system. We can all move on, and we don't have to waste our time as though this was an actual discussion. :biggrin1:

 

[68306]

Rioting stories, now there's a topic worth mentioning.

 

[oscar]

Anyone interested in posting which fraternities they are in? It'd be interesting to see if any of us are brothers!

 

[Ganymede]

Uh-oh. I better clear some things up here.

1. I love frat boys. I think they're beautiful, youthful, inspiring creations.
2. Though I love them, I myself would never make a good one because I'm too much of a loner. Being in a group of more than two often stresses me out; too much structure, and working within a large group, stresses me out.
3. The implication was that when groups of guys get together they get boisterous simply because that's what happens when boys get together. My point was that that is what happens when boys get together -- in cultures that encourage outgoing behavior.

I also mentioned that marijuana is illegal in this country despite the fact that there are little to no cases of deaths as a result of marijuana use, and yet beer is legal despite the fact that it causes deaths of thousands per year. I then added the speculation, which I heard from a dietician at one point (I think his name is Andrew Weir) that marijuana, which causes introspective behavior, may be suspicious to a culture like the US where outgoing behavior is encouraged; and this may be why beer is legal here, because alcohol promotes outgoing and social behavior, which is the preference in the US.

Forgive me if I'm wrong, but aren't frat boys famous for getting drunk a lot? Isn't there some pressure within the frat community to get drunk a lot? Would this have any correlation to the outgoing behavior caused by beer and alcohol and the fact that US culture prefers outgoing behavior to quiet, introspective behavior?

Again, comparing frat boys to Japanese culture... apples and oranges. Comparing ANY group of American guys, to most Japanese groups of guys, is going to give you the same contradiction. Your initial question was about frats. To suddenly juxtapose them to world cultures as your defense, especially when there shouldn't be an arguement when all that's being done is soliciting experiences, is a new topic of discussion.

Do you want to know about frats? Or do you want to know about the "fraternity" of servicemen? Or, clubbers? Do you just want a thread to rail frats because you (reason irrelevant) don't like them? Do you want compare them to the societies of traditional Southeast Burmese youth organizations? What is your point here?

I really don't care if people do, or don't, like frats. It's not my concern. But it seems like you had a preconceived notion of them, yet asked an opinion of them anyway, and then used the most unrelated items against them whenever someone countered that notion, or didn't join in with your opinion.

Why bother? Here, lemme help. Go to the "Random Thoughts" thread, and post, "I don't like fratboys, and think they all act like homos." There, it's that easy. It's outta your system. We can all move on, and we don't have to waste our time as though this was an actual discussion. :biggrin1:

 

[Ganymede]

Sorry, dude, but it sounds creepy to me. Sounds like Comformity Central. I think that it works for some guys, like you, and that's great. For me, I'd be uncomfortable with it, and my eyes glaze over when I read that yours is among the top three frats on campus. Who cares?

Maybe for people who aren't as single minded as me, and have such strong personal will power, something like a fraternity is necessary. For me, "the chill of solitude" is preferable. Still, like I said, I think frat guys as an aspect of society are interesting, and the love they express to one another is beautiful on some levels. And when I say "love," don't mean homosexual sex. I mean brotherly love.

There are a lot of complex ideas in this thread that some of you are missing because you are all getting defensive and aren't reading everything I'm writing.

Everything people have said about brotherhood for life, camaraderie, and academic aspects of fraternities seems pretty true. I am in a frat currently at a school where we pretty much run the social scene entirely. There are guys who say they dont want to rush, but by the time they are sophomores or juniors, they realize they're missing out on a whole lot. Being selective is all part of having a powerful, popular and fun fraternity, as well as choosing smart, ivloved guys who will bcome involved in the house and the school. I don't want to toot my own horn but we are among the top 3 frats on campus and we have to be very selective with our kids so we can maintain this position. And to address the whole homosexual thing, none of that happens. keep dreaming

 

[novice_btm]

...1. I love frat boys. I think they're beautiful, youthful, inspiring creations...

Forgive me if I'm wrong, but aren't frat boys famous for getting drunk a lot? Isn't there some pressure within the frat community to get drunk a lot? ...

Sorry, dude, but it sounds creepy to me. Sounds like Comformity Central. I think that it works for some guys, like you, and that's great...

Maybe for people who aren't as single minded as me, and have such strong personal will power, something like a fraternity is necessary...

There are a lot of complex ideas in this thread that some of you are missing because you are all getting defensive and aren't reading everything I'm writing.

First, you could heed your own dismay, on this last one. As I said, and you seemed to miss, in a posting above, your impression of them, is a common stereotype, that's severely exaggerated. You could easily say the same thing about Americans in general, that we're loud boisterous people, who just want to party. In fact, it's the way the many Europeans view us. Again, it's just a stereotype.

Your posts contradict themselves still. And your backhanded compliments are amazing. You see fratboys are beautiful and inspiring, yet weak willed, conforming, simpletons, that don't measure up to you.

Again, my concern isn't for fratboys. The subject here is irrelevant. My issue is your innocent delving into a subject, being a ruse for your disdain, and your general method of "discussion" being more of the same.

 

[Ganymede]

Let me see if I can break this down for you....

1. Mainstream American society prefers outgoing and sociable people over quiet and introverted loners.

2. American universities are mainstream.

3. As per the statements of members of this forum, frats play a prominent role in American universities.

4. Is it really that shocking to think that a prominant group in a very mainstream American atmosphere would be encouraged to do something that mainstream America likes? Namely, be sociable and outgoing.

Now let me break the compliments down for you.

1. I am an introvert and a loner.

2. US society is naturally suspicious of introverts and loners.

3. While I am happy with myself, I admit that I would like to be in a position that is more embraced by mainstream America.

4. Even though I do not wish I were extraverted and outgoing like most frats encourage their members to be, I would like to be as socially accepted a frats are.

Another "compliment breakdown" for you:

* Even though I know that I personally would never fit in to a college fraternity, I know that there is a great deal of brotherly love in them, and I think that is beautiful. A person in my position, a loner and introvert, is not as likely to receive that type of brotherly love from other men, and therefore I am envious of men in frats to a certain extent. (I've tried to emphasize that I myself do not get off sexually on the idea of homoerotic innuendo in frats. I'm interested in it from a sociological perspective.)

* People often find interesting the things that are unlike themselves. I can't think of a group of people more unlike me than white, suburan, college boys in a fraternity. I grew up in a black neighborhood in the inner city, am a loner and introvert. (I know there are black fraternities; they are not all white. But most citizens of the US are white, and white is what is mainstream. Black colleges and black frats are not mainstream.)

Your thinking is very linear. You need to try to be a little more interpretive and lyrical when you approach what I write. The world is a complex place, and I write about complex topics. Frats, and my perspective on frats, are complex. On one hand, I think the brotherly love within them is beautiful; on the other hand, I think that conformity it teaches is potentially dangerous. Life and the world is complex. If you can't deal with that fact it's not my fault.

 

[novice_btm]

...Your thinking is very linear. You need to try to be a little more interpretive and lyrical when you approach what I write. The world is a complex place, and I write about complex topics. ... Life and the world is complex. If you can't deal with that fact it's not my fault.

WOOOOOOO! D-u-u-u-de, nah, it's cool, just... I'm so WAAAsted, bashing here with my bro's. WEEEOOOOOOO!:headbang:

 

[Ganymede]

And conveniently ignored the rest of what I bothered to write to you.

Linear thinking is not restricted only to members of frats. I never made any correlation between frats and linear thinking. I said YOU are thinking in a linear fashion, and I didn't pin that to you being in a frat at all.

 

[novice_btm]

I threw in the towel, cuz I'm too bored to continue. Oddly, *I*, the former fratboy, am the outsider that doesn't belong in this "discussion" on frats. I won't darken your thread anymore.

Oh, yes, I made the correlation for you. :biggrin1:

 

[Ganymede]

Yeah, it's gotten boring to talk to you too because I've simply hit a brick wall with you. Bye.

 

[iyikedralling]

Let me see if I can break this down for you....

1. Mainstream American society prefers outgoing and sociable people over quiet and introverted loners.

2. American universities are mainstream.

3. As per the statements of members of this forum, frats play a prominent role in American universities.

4. Is it really that shocking to think that a prominant group in a very mainstream American atmosphere would be encouraged to do something that mainstream America likes? Namely, be sociable and outgoing.

Now let me break the compliments down for you.

1. I am an introvert and a loner.

2. US society is naturally suspicious of introverts and loners.

3. While I am happy with myself, I admit that I would like to be in a position that is more embraced by mainstream America.

4. Even though I do not wish I were extraverted and outgoing like most frats encourage their members to be, I would like to be as socially accepted a frats are.

Another "compliment breakdown" for you:

* Even though I know that I personally would never fit in to a college fraternity, I know that there is a great deal of brotherly love in them, and I think that is beautiful. A person in my position, a loner and introvert, is not as likely to receive that type of brotherly love from other men, and therefore I am envious of men in frats to a certain extent. (I've tried to emphasize that I myself do not get off sexually on the idea of homoerotic innuendo in frats. I'm interested in it from a sociological perspective.)

* People often find interesting the things that are unlike themselves. I can't think of a group of people more unlike me than white, suburan, college boys in a fraternity. I grew up in a black neighborhood in the inner city, am a loner and introvert. (I know there are black fraternities; they are not all white. But most citizens of the US are white, and white is what is mainstream. Black colleges and black frats are not mainstream.)

Your thinking is very linear. You need to try to be a little more interpretive and lyrical when you approach what I write. The world is a complex place, and I write about complex topics. Frats, and my perspective on frats, are complex. On one hand, I think the brotherly love within them is beautiful; on the other hand, I think that conformity it teaches is potentially dangerous. Life and the world is complex. If you can't deal with that fact it's not my fault.

Clearly you are the loner, and I sense you're one of those people that segregate themselves unnecessarily. Don't make your personality the excuse, because you've never tried it out. I can guarantee you that there is a fraternity out there for you should you choose to join one. Mainstream America, is no longer, the mainstream, take a look around you. Whites are a declining minority, divorce rates are up, and the incidence of introverts going to schools with guns or shooting their workplaces is steadily rising. The idea of the "mainstream" is escapist and lazy, and it's an excuse for misguided and unmotivated people to complain.
GDI's (God-Damn Independents :wink say a lot of negative things about Greeks and they justify them on the basis that they are non-conformists. But guess what? Non-conformist attitudes are now.....MAINSTREAM! So, I call bullshit on your self-deprecating reasoning for not joining, and I say "A Skeet-skeet" on you for missing out on a great opportunity. But then again, I believe you stated the reason earlier, People who arent in fraternities and havent tried them out say things because they're jealous. Because people in fraternities have connections, always have something to do, and busy so they dont have time to be inrtoverted, depressed, anxietal, or shy.
Males who arent in fraternities in my shcool are particularly bothersome because it is almost impossible to get in to frat parties if you are a guy. Jealousy is the root of all evil my friend, and you should investigate facts and not rely on movies like Borat and Guys Gone Wild to define your notion of a particular type of people. Sorry to ruin your fantasy or perception or whatever, but get over yourself.

 

[salinger]

I would've offered more but gany ignored many of my points because they don't fit with his stereotype. To each their own.

 

[Ganymede]

Well, I seem to have hit a raw nerve in this thread as well. I'm not interested in being the center of attack and petty arguing, so I'm simply not going to respond anymore to posts that are negative.