Do fraternities and sororities serve their stated purposes?

[seaprincess]

Hey people! im doing an argumentative essay on frats/sororities, and i need some insights...both positive and negative...also, i need to know what made you join your frat/sorority, and does it benefit you or bring you down with the whole party scene? please reply..it would help me out a lot! thanks!

[FuzzieAlum]

SeaPrincess, I'm sure you have the best of intentions, but you're not going to get a lot of useful/unbiased responses here! Very few people on this board are going to say anything negative about fraternity life to someone they don't already know well. Plus, the people on here are probably the more committed and involved members, so they're not necessarily a representative sample of the typical Greek. Anything you get will be anecdotal, which isn't enough to draw conclusions from.

[TigerGirl52]

You beat me to the punch Fuzzie Alum! :D

Allison

[freethinker]

Having seen a bit of the negative side, feel free to e-mail me. I can point you to some people to talk to.

[Dionysus]

Originally posted by freethinker
Having seen a bit of the negative side, feel free to e-mail me. I can point you to some people to talk to.

Get the PM feature, it's easier to deal with.

[Lil_G]

Originally posted by freethinker
Having seen a bit of the negative side, feel free to e-mail me. I can point you to some people to talk to.

why am i not surprised, what's wrong didn't get a bid?

[KABillyMac]

Hmm, is it just me or has our forum got alot of traffic this week?

[freethinker]

To tell the truth, I was actively recruited my freshman and sophomore years.

Unfortunately, I saw nothing for the Greek system to offer me, so I didn't join.

[Lil_G]

so being a part of a system that has nothing to offer you, why are you here?

[freethinker]

Shoot, I just love making one-sided discussions two-sided. Besides, there's entirely too much parroting of the whole "fraternities and sororites R great!!!" line around here.

Feel free to invade my forum (http://www.stouthouse.org/phpBB), but its denizens generally aren't as civil as people are around here.

[Lil_G]

Originally posted by freethinker
Shoot, I just love making one-sided discussions two-sided. Besides, there's entirely too much parroting of the whole "fraternities and sororites R great!!!" line around here.

Feel free to invade my forum (http://www.stouthouse.org/phpBB), but its denizens generally aren't as civil as people are around here.

Or maybe because you have nothing better to do than stir up controversy with the brothers of Kappa Alpha Order in a pathetic attempt to get more hits on your site.

Oh and in response to the latter....no thanks, if i wanted to shoot the s%$ with some dungeon and dragon playing dorks i'd hang out at the university comic book store.

[freethinker]

Jeez, so anyone who either isn't in a fraternity or doesn't subscribe to their particular worldview is some kind of geek or nerd?

Man, there must be a pocket protector shortage somewhere.

For the record, I don't play D&D, but I do read the comic "Transmetropolitan."

I don't hang out at the local comic book store, though. Those kids creep me out.

So, in the words of Spider Jerusalem, listen up you incompetent little alcohol-enfeebled, over-sexed closet homosexual paddle-decorating... ah hell, why waste a good four-letter word over you?

I haven't made broad generalizations about frat boys, though my interactions with the fine brothers of (insert random Greek letters here) have been almost always bad.

I'll take your pea-brained "my-social-dick-is-bigger-than-yours" tactic of argument on this single post, however, frat guy.

Why? Your system is an elitist, arrogant, over-moneyed culture of buying one's friends and being redolent in the supposed security blanket of a "secret society." Wow---so you mean I have to pay dues to go to parties, meet people just like me, follow fascist dictates of how I should live and have "brothers" who will support me to the end?

Oh, and haze the hell out of me. Can't forget that.

Screw that. I've found all of the above in my college experience (and, mind you, I've got a doctorate, which I'd daresay beats your educational experience). Meeting people? Hey, despite all appearances, I'm a fairly friendly guy and will put up with someone until they annoy me.

Oh, and what about "brothers?" I've made friends in college (and one of them is actually a Greek!) who I'll keep until my dying day---people I'd kill or die for.

But wait! Your fraternity does a community service event twice a year, you say? If you really want to do some good, join Alpha Phi Omega, or enlist in Americorps. I'm a busy guy but I still find time to work at a local church and donate to multiple charities.

All that, and I didn't have to pay any cash per semester to do it aside from tuition.

All that, and I'm a fairly attractive white guy who dresses well. It's a shame that you, a full-fledged frat guy (I'm assuming guy, who knows) will skip any type of intellectual debate on the merits of a system I feel is outmoded and immediately assume anyone who might dare to question your little slice of life is completely out of the social loop.

Think twice before you make blanket generalizations, bonehead. They go both ways. You're a stunning credit to your organization.

Finally, the real attempt to draw hits to my site (http://www.stouthouse.org/nuke) is the semi-naked woman. New pics are going up in a couple of days, by the way.

[Dionysus]

Freethinker,

WTF does this have to do with KA? Take this to Greek Life or Chit Chat forum and I'm sure you will get more attention and your questions answered. ;):D:p

[dzrose93]

Originally posted by freethinker
Jeez, so anyone who either isn't in a fraternity or doesn't subscribe to their particular worldview is some kind of geek or nerd?

Man, there must be a pocket protector shortage somewhere.

For the record, I don't play D&D, but I do read the comic "Transmetropolitan."

I don't hang out at the local comic book store, though. Those kids creep me out.

So, in the words of Spider Jerusalem, listen up you incompetent little alcohol-enfeebled, over-sexed closet homosexual paddle-decorating... ah hell, why waste a good four-letter word over you?

I haven't made broad generalizations about frat boys, though my interactions with the fine brothers of (insert random Greek letters here) have been almost always bad.

I'll take your pea-brained "my-social-dick-is-bigger-than-yours" tactic of argument on this single post, however, frat guy.

Why? Your system is an elitist, arrogant, over-moneyed culture of buying one's friends and being redolent in the supposed security blanket of a "secret society." Wow---so you mean I have to pay dues to go to parties, meet people just like me, follow fascist dictates of how I should live and have "brothers" who will support me to the end?

Oh, and haze the hell out of me. Can't forget that.

Screw that. I've found all of the above in my college experience (and, mind you, I've got a doctorate, which I'd daresay beats your educational experience). Meeting people? Hey, despite all appearances, I'm a fairly friendly guy and will put up with someone until they annoy me.

Oh, and what about "brothers?" I've made friends in college (and one of them is actually a Greek!) who I'll keep until my dying day---people I'd kill or die for.

But wait! Your fraternity does a community service event twice a year, you say? If you really want to do some good, join Alpha Phi Omega, or enlist in Americorps. I'm a busy guy but I still find time to work at a local church and donate to multiple charities.

All that, and I didn't have to pay any cash per semester to do it aside from tuition.

All that, and I'm a fairly attractive white guy who dresses well. It's a shame that you, a full-fledged frat guy (I'm assuming guy, who knows) will skip any type of intellectual debate on the merits of a system I feel is outmoded and immediately assume anyone who might dare to question your little slice of life is completely out of the social loop.

Think twice before you make blanket generalizations, bonehead. They go both ways. You're a stunning credit to your organization.

Finally, the real attempt to draw hits to my site (http://www.stouthouse.org/nuke) is the semi-naked woman. New pics are going up in a couple of days, by the way.

I just love how people who have absolutely no firsthand knowledge about Greek life feel that they know enough to criticize it. For someone who prides himself on being a "freethinker," you seem pretty narrowminded -- not to mention gullible for believing everything negative about Greeks that you read in the media. :rolleyes: We don't need close-minded people preaching their own ignorant hatred of Greeks here.

Unless you have something worthwhile to contribute to this site, I suggest you go back to your own web board. :p After all, you've got semi-naked women to look at there, so what are you doing here anyway? :rolleyes:

[The Icon]

None of this would be an issue if we just got bear costumes and duked it out man to man. We did that at our school when brothers from different fraternaties were angry with each other. So we had them both don bear costumes and fight it out.

[Dionysus]

No, don't run him away! Someone has to be picked on (not me!). :D

[dzrose93]

Originally posted by freethinker
Shoot, I just love making one-sided discussions two-sided. Besides, there's entirely too much parroting of the whole "fraternities and sororites R great!!!" line around here.

Feel free to invade my forum (http://www.stouthouse.org/phpBB), but its denizens generally aren't as civil as people are around here.

Just to clarify for anyone that may have missed it, this is a GREEK website. So, naturally, you're going to find folks on here that love their chapters, take pride in them and, thus, talk about them in a positive manner.

No one's "parroting" anything, and if you think discussions are all one-sided on this board, then I suggest you do a bit more reading in the various forums. We're all individuals here, and we all have our own viewpoints. This is a place for us to talk about Greek-related subjects, and debate ways to make our organizations even better than they already are.

We learn from each other, and we welcome constructive criticism from knowledgeable people. However, we do NOT tolerate long-winded diatribes on the evils of being Greek from people who have never walked in our shoes. So, don't come into our house, criticize us, and then get miffed when you get blasted for being rude.

In response to your other post in which you bragged about your Ph.D --- I personally couldn't care less about the doctorate you possess. Just because you've got a framed piece of paper on your wall doesn't give you the right to look down your nose at anyone. For the record, I've met plenty of people who just love to flaunt the fact that they have doctorates, but who couldn't find their arse with two hands and a flashlight. All that piece of paper means is that you had a little more time and money on your hands than some other people did. La dee freakin' da.

[dzrose93]

Originally posted by The Icon
None of this would be an issue if we just got bear costumes and duked it out man to man. We did that at our school when brothers from different fraternaties were angry with each other. So we had them both don bear costumes and fight it out.

LOL, Icon! :) I remember guys dressing up in huge, padded Sumo wrestler outfits when I was in school. The university got the suits as part of the activities for Spring Fling. They set the suits out on front campus so that anyone in the student body could try them on and wrestle. Too funny!

[freethinker]

First, I've never been in politics, so I obviously can't say anything bad about the government. I've never been a chef, so I can't say food tastes bad. Hell, I've never directed a television program, so I'm not allowed to say that the latest seasons of "Friends" sucks, can I?

And, I've never been a Greek, so I obviously can't say anything bad about the terrible aspects of the system that I've seen first-hand at my alma mater.

Also,

I'm willing to take all comers. Bear fights at my place---you get the Kodiak suit, I'll wear white and be Polar.

Get Steve Irwin, and we'll have a date. Loser gets smacked by a salmon.

[Lil_G]

Wow is right, i didn't ask for your life story...

You remind me of that random drunk (who everyone meets at some point in their life) that feels it's necessary to tell strangers their autobiography...newsflash, no one cares.

"I got a Phd" ...."I'm an attractive guy..." blah blah blah.

So in other words, you're better than everyone else. Since you're trying to impress people you've never met before with strong diction, here's a word i think you can add to your resume: Sanctimonious..conceited..pompous..all shit, all of the above.

Is that what you've learned from all your formal schooling? That social capita is a product of individual motivation, and those with more of it should maintain more importance than the rest.

I geuss ethnocentrism never held any importance in your field (not surprisingly). All that, and I'm a fairly attractive white guy who dresses well. Why is it necessary to bring racial contexts in this argument? Or better yet, the tag on the back of your shirt - gag.

For someone that preaches objectivity, you do a fine job of presenting completely biased opinions and facts.

Think twice before you make blanket generalizations, bonehead. They go both ways. You're a stunning credit to your organization.

touche.

Since you're obviously not using your many 'talents' to benefit society by talking to me, i suggest you move on...au revoir.

[dzrose93]

Originally posted by freethinker
First, I've never been in politics, so I obviously can't say anything bad about the government. I've never been a chef, so I can't say food tastes bad. Hell, I've never directed a television program, so I'm not allowed to say that the latest seasons of "Friends" sucks, can I?

And, I've never been a Greek, so I obviously can't say anything bad about the terrible aspects of the system that I've seen first-hand at my alma mater.

The U.S. government makes laws that affect you, plus you have a vote in who is elected to certain political offices. So, yes, you've got the right to have an opinion about our government. Why? Because it affects you.

You don't have to be a chef to determine what tastes good or bad. So, yes, you can criticize food. Why? Because you actually taste it -- you're in direct contact with it and it affects you.

You don't have to direct a TV show to voice an opinion about a TV show. So, yes, you can express your feelings about Friends -- IF you've been watching it.

However, it would be pretty stupid to blindly judge a show if you haven't watched it and experienced it firsthand. It would be ignorant to blindly judge a certain restaurant's food if you haven't ever visited the restaurant. And it would be dim-witted to blindly criticize the U.S. government if you don't live under its laws or experience its politics directly.

So, no, you don't have the right to criticize Greek life and spout negative stereotypes about fraternity and sorority members. Why? Because you have never experienced being Greek for yourself. You don't know the first thing about Greek brotherhood and sisterhood. You don't know the countless hours that are spent planning and participating in charity events on a regular basis - not just one or two times a year, by the way. You don't know how it feels to have a common bond with thousands of people all over the world. You just don't know. And pretending to know just makes you look foolish to the ones who do.

Until you're willing to jump in and work with Greek organizations, help them in their various causes and get to know the individuals who make up the groups, then you have no right to judge them. Why? Because you don't know them.

Don't run with one side of the story and base your entire view of Greek Life on the negative aspects that are constantly shoved down the public's throat by the media. Get involved and judge for yourself -- see both sides of the story and decide if the positives outweight the negatives. I'm here to tell you that they do. But don't take my word for it. See it for yourself.

[Thrillhouse]

zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz