[als463]

Originally Posted by tld221

random aside:

dont a couple of characters from Gossip Girl try to join sororities when they go to college? it seems so odd to me that folks in "high society" would be interested in greek life, as they have other social networks that are bigger status symbols in their circles.

and this conversation is still intriguing to me. i think this type of thinking trickles down to us "regular folk." for example, I know anytime i read about someone who has done something awesome (from being the "first so-and-so" to do X, to being honored by a foundation or your run of the mill feel-good public interest story) my first question is "Are they Greek? Who are they affiliated with?" It's silly, but it makes sense because that social circle is important to me.

tld221-I hope you don't feel crazy because you think that. I am the EXACT SAME way! I don't look at it like, "Oh, if this person is NOT Greek, they aren't that great..." I just think , "Oh, if this person IS Greek, he or she is representing his or her GLO very well. I also think about what university he or she attended and I get excited if I hear they attended Penn State (or another Big Ten school) or if I hear he or she is a member of a GLO (especially mine). I think that is a natural reaction. You hit the nail on the head!

My aunt, a devout Christian (and i use that term loosely), her question is always "I wonder what church they belong to." Because then that tells her who their pastor is, and for her, it further informs her opinion of said awesome person. Someone else in that situation may ask "I wonder if theyre ____________" with respect to race, culture, alumni status, or what have you. We like to categorize and stake claim. Internally we're saying "Oh, theyre one of us. Theyre good people then."

I love it! THIS!!!! Thank you for saying what I was thinking. It isn't a way of saying, "I"m better than you." Instead, I get excited when someone says, "Oh, you're a Phi Mu, I'm (either a sister or) a member of XYZ." I also get excited when people say they attended Penn State.