Pledging by Non-Citizens

[Ronaldo9]

Originally Posted by Benzgirl

We had a foreign national in our chapter. English born but her father worked for Marathon Oil and lived in several places around the world based on where he was assigned at that time. While living in the Middle East, she attended Western schools.

After graduation, she remained in the United States and eventually became a citizen. I can't say there was much culteral difference other than she was much more worldly that the rest of us. My neighbors at home were Egyption and I had an introduction to Middle Eastern food, so I could always count on Cassie to help me seek out foods of different nationalities off-campus.

I'm still in contact with her through Facebook and sometimes see her at fund raisers. She is a self employed consultant, never married and lives a similar life as I.

Great story! Thanks for sharing!

[Benzgirl]

Originally Posted by Ronaldo9

Great story! Thanks for sharing!

In an earlier post, you mentioned attending University of Washington. Tell us of your experience at the school.

[Ronaldo9]

Originally Posted by Benzgirl

In an earlier post, you mentioned attending University of Washington. Tell us of your experience at the school.

Sure! What would you like to know?

[Benzgirl]

Originally Posted by Ronaldo9

Sure! What would you like to know?

• Why did you decide on UW?
• Years you attended and the Campus culture
• Did you stay all 4 years?
• How did the education environment differ from that of your homeland?
• How you adjusted to the relatively liberal Northwestern United States with your ultra-conservative views
• Were you more or less combative in your homeland?
• What was your major and why did you choose it?
• Where did you move after leaving or graduating?
• I'm very curious how you became so confrontational. Is it genetic, environmental or by program. You know, the basics.

?

[Ronaldo9]

Originally Posted by Benzgirl

In an earlier post, you mentioned attending University of Washington. Tell us of your experience at the school.

Originally Posted by Ronaldo9

Sure! What would you like to know?

Originally Posted by Benzgirl

• Were you more or less combative in your homeland?
• I'm very curious how you became so confrontational. Is it genetic, environmental or by program. You know, the basics.

?

With respect, I don't think these questions were posed in good faith. Particularly this dog whistle.

If I've done something that has upset you I apologize, but could you please limit your ongoing insults to PMs? That way only I will have to receive them and threads can remain on topic. Thank you, in advance, for your kind consideration of my request.

Best regards,
R

[Ronaldo9]

Originally Posted by Benzgirl

[*]Why did you decide on UW?

academic program

Originally Posted by Benzgirl

[*]Did you stay all 4 years?

Five years; I didn't attend the UW as an undergrad.

Originally Posted by Benzgirl

[*]How you adjusted to the relatively liberal Northwestern United States with your ultra-conservative views

I have a fairly progressive worldview and, in any case, I find most well-adjusted humans are interested in interacting with people as living individuals and not amorphous ideological units.

In general — at least within the circles in which I typically move — there is a high level of intellectual curiosity, versus intellectual morbidity, and a polite respect for different viewpoints. I find that to be as true in the Pacific Northwest as anywhere (though I haven't spent much time in some regions of the United States so perhaps that's, sadly, not as true elsewhere).

Originally Posted by Benzgirl

[*]Where did you move after leaving or graduating?

I currently split my time between Seattle and Boston.

[33girl]

Originally Posted by Ronaldo9

With respect, I don't think these questions were posed in good faith. Particularly this dog whistle.

If I've done something that has upset you I apologize, but could you please limit your ongoing insults to PMs? That way only I will have to receive them and threads can remain on topic. Thank you, in advance, for your kind consideration of my request.

Best regards,
R

If you don’t like her posts, put her on ignore. As for threads, they go where they go. If you feel like yelling “stay on topic” there are still a couple Presidential debates that need a moderator.

[Ronaldo9]

After the last round of personal attacks I indicated my intent to quit and was personally asked by a "super mod" to remain and give it another chance, which I did. Despite continued, relentless insults, I have maintained a cheery disposition even when doing so veered into the realm of total absurdity and seemed to do nothing but increase the aggravation of a group of two or three essentially full-time posters who appear to run the forum, having all but chased off everyone else as they've now done to me as well.

However the absolute hatred (https://perma.cc/6S42-EYRP) dripping off this utterly malevolent post in which the same user gleefully asks about my "homeland" and "genetics" and how I became "confrontational" (was it through "environmental" factors?) is beyond contempt. The barely disguised smile with which she set-up a question, then jumped on my friendly response to let loose this carefully scripted, vile monologue - pounded out from the anonymity of the same keyboard from which she has directed this ire towards so many others before - is nothing short of evil. It is beyond my ability to simply let roll away with a cheerful response as I have so many other insulting posts directed towards me, not one of which I have reciprocated. (And I don't doubt for a second if I posited back to this same Greek Chat full-timer "How did you become so hateful towards other humans?" I'd be banned in a moment, and with good cause.)

The only response from a mod was to tell me to deal with it. This is from the same mod who here threw what could not be described with any word other than a tantrum; a post that, had anyone else made, they would surely have been banned for.

This site seems like such a great potential resource. But a quick log check of the last month finds that it averages never more than 12 posts per day from an average of five different users, the majority of whom are the same small group of 3-4 full-timers who appear to be logged-on 24/7 amassing tens of thousands of posts talking at each other and snarling at outsiders. A cursory glance further back seems to reveal this is the M.O. --- someone will create an account and, within 48-72 hours, say something that will set one of them off, whereupon they devolve into this sheer, unrelenting viciousness. I suppose this explains why many of the boards here have not had new posts in months or years (the largest social GLO by chapter size, TEKE, has not seen a new post to its sub-forum in four years), or why it now languishes with an Alexa rank of 450,000.

While the archives of this site are fascinating to read and I would love to have been a user when there were regular discussions occurring, before it became this abandoned husk, I understand now it seems to have wheedled away to a few aging alumni remainers, with the occasional sorority-obsessed mad scientist and GDI troll dropping in every few months or years. That's fine; this is a private site and can be run (or run down) anyway one wishes. In fact, it was my fault for not better socializing myself with some of these realities before making my first post (an innocuous thread about housing bond rates that was inexplicably deleted).

I apologize for this TLDR rant, it would probably be better for me to just quit my account and go back to Reddit, but it seems to be in the best interest of the remainers themselves for me to observe the reason I'm doing so if only so that the next person to think of creating an account will have fair warning not to disturb the solitude of these catacombs. I apologize for unwittingly creating the havoc I apparently have done by commenting here. Nevertheless, I do sincerely wish you all the best.

Whichever of you sees this first, kindly delete this account.

With my warmest regards,
R

[Titchou]

Serious question: Why would you not delete your own account?

[33girl]

If this is your cheery disposition, I’d hate to see you when you’re cranky.

Also, I don’t think you understand what a tantrum is.

But at any rate, buh bye.

[Kevin]

I'm not sure why you'd want to discontinue your participation here. You've contributed a great deal in a short period of time. It just seems as if you really don't understand how to communicate with people outside of your bubble, which is a problem in U.S. civil discourse of late. Many of your queries, e.g., why HBGLOs place an emphasis on being incorporated could have been solved with a pretty simple search. In other cases, e.g., that you thought there was a discussion to be had about why Sigma Chi should be shut down for something which maybe happened 12 years ago, I don't think you really thought the question through and may have erred in judgment.

I've also noted that early on, you thought some language, i.e., calling Democrats some sort of perjorative was acceptable. While that may be exactly what you refer to Democrats with in the closed circles you communicate in, that you would think using such language in a place like GC where viewpoints are diverse is beyond me. There are Republicans, Trump supporters, Biden supporters, Democrats, who all interact here without the level of vitriol that you inspire.

You'd benefit from having conversations, even tough ones, with people you disagree with. Learn to take an F-U in stride. If you're going to light these fuses, don't expect the moderators to help you deal with things when the attached bombs explode.

[andthen]

Originally Posted by Kevin

It just seems as if you really don't understand how to communicate with people outside of your bubble, which is a problem in U.S. civil discourse of late. Many of your queries, e.g., why HBGLOs place an emphasis on being incorporated could have been solved with a pretty simple search. In other cases, e.g., that you thought there was a discussion to be had about why Sigma Chi should be shut down for something which maybe happened 12 years ago, I don't think you really thought the question through and may have erred in judgment.

I've also noted that early on, you thought some language, i.e., calling Democrats some sort of perjorative was acceptable. While that may be exactly what you refer to Democrats with in the closed circles you communicate in, that you would think using such language in a place like GC where viewpoints are diverse is beyond me. There are Republicans, Trump supporters, Biden supporters, Democrats, who all interact here without the level of vitriol that you inspire.

You'd benefit from having conversations, even tough ones, with people you disagree with. Learn to take an F-U in stride. If you're going to light these fuses, don't expect the moderators to help you deal with things when the attached bombs explode.

Mic Drop

[ASTalumna06]

Originally Posted by Kevin

If you're going to light these fuses, don't expect the moderators to help you deal with things when the attached bombs explode.

This is ultimately what it boils down to. He's trying to start arguments and get people riled up, and then he plays dumb and innocent when things blow up.

[Kevin]

Originally Posted by ASTalumna06

This is ultimately what it boils down to. He's trying to start arguments and get people riled up, and then he plays dumb and innocent when things blow up.

I work with lots of victims of domestic violence, and that right there is an abusive tactic called gaslighting. Pushing someone's buttons 'til they go ballistic, then convincing them that they are the nutball.

It's a tactic employed by narcicists and internet trolls--and it's not a tactic that they consciously employ, it comes natural to them. It is how they communicate with others.

But I also leave room for maybe there's a cultural issue, maybe there's a Spectrum issue. I try not to assume that everyone is awful and I'm happy to give him the benefit of the doubt.

It seems he probably communicates within a bubble. He says things which one would never say in diverse company. So again, I leave the door open to the possibility that he just doesn't have the skillset to communicate with folks from different backgrounds.

I have to give the benefit of the doubt because I remember who I was about 20 years ago. I'm sure some of y'all do too.

[ChioLu]

I don’t know how many international students went through recruitment at UCLA this year, but it’s usually a couple of dozen. And those students have great success in recruitment. Chi Omega usually has at least one international new member each pledge class.