Frats

PiKA2001 · #1 07-01-2002, 02:59 AM

Does it bother you guys when people use the term frat when talking about your fraternity? I mean, with all of the negative images that the word implements. I am a fraternity man, but when i hear that word i even think of kegs and drunken morons trying to date-rape women. It's like that stupid word holds back all fraternities. One of the sayings that goes around my house is " would you call your country a cunt? Then why would you call us a frat?" Whats worse is when sorority girls refer us to it. You would think that they would know about the negative stereotypes of greeks. Besides we dont call them sore girls. " Hey Jen, how was your sore meeting?" I mean come on.

douthit · #2 07-01-2002, 04:54 AM

I encounter the same uneducated people on my campus, it's mostly independant students that use the term "frat". Their excuse for not saying fraternity is that it's a lot easier to say frat than fraternity.

I used to let it bother me more than I do now, since I've come to the realization that no matter how many people I correct, there will be many more that still will use that term. I agree that sorority members should know better than to use the term "frat", but I know of members of other fraternities on campus that use it too, as in "this one guy in my frat..." I would think that my fellow greeks on campus would not want to degrade themselves like that, but come to think of it, those kind of people are the ones that act poorly in the first place.

Just my two cents...

Kevin · #3 07-01-2002, 08:28 AM

To some houses the term does apply though. To mine it sure as hell doesn't. We correct anyone that uses that term around us politely telling them how offensive we think it is.

PIKA I agree mostly with what you say but frats still exist.

I'm in a fraternity though.

ThielGirlie · #4 07-01-2002, 09:29 AM

It's ok on my campus to say things like, "Oh, what frat is that guy in?" or even occasionally things like, "I'm going to XYZ's frat party." (the last one is still an issue... some people don't like "frat party," either) just to make the word shorter. In emails and instant messages frat is used a lot to shorten the word, but it is TOTALLY un-PC to say "frat boy" or "frat house." BIIIIIGGGG no-no on my campus! Even the GDI's and independants will correct unknowing freshman about using the term. They are reminded that that is a term that went out with the 70's and the stereotypes of Hollywood. It's kinda conisidered a four lettered word on my campus. It's nice to think my campus has respect for greek life like that

SilverTurtle · #5 07-01-2002, 09:31 AM

This just reminded me of an episode of the Jaime Kennedy Experiment I saw a few weeks ago. (It's a hidden camera show where people set up their friends in these weird situations to see how they react).

A guy set his friend up while they were on vacation (looked like spring break) and these 2 girls were hitting on him & talked him into going up to their beach house. They get up their and are hanging out.. nothing unusual. Then one girl's "dad" comes in & is a total FREAK.

He starts harassing this guy about all kinds of things, and the guy was trying so hard to be polite. But you could see him getting frustrated. Then the "dad" made some reference to him being a "frat boy" & the kid went off on him. He said "Frat boy?!?!? What fraternity do you think I'm a member of, sir?" Which made me think that he probably is in a fraternity because he seemed so offended by that term & then used the full word 'fraternity'. Anyway, he didn't get a chance to say what fraternity he was in, the joke ended right after that.

#6 07-01-2002, 11:22 AM

I'm with Theilgirlie - it depends on usage, but the term "frat boy" was a HUGE no-no on my college campus.

I guess it varies school to school, however - last thursday I was out with my boyfriend (who is a Pike...I just keep coming back to those Pike guys

), my best friend (who is an independent), and his girlfriend, who is in a to-remain-nameless NPC sorority at a different school. She and I were talking about greek stereotypes and whether we are shown respect, etc. My bf said something, and she turned to him and said:

"Oh, so you're a frat boy too, hey?"

The two of us just stared at her, and the best part is - it was my best friend (her bf and the only independent among us!) who calmly said to her "I believe the correct word is "fraternity"." Heh heh heh.

DeltaGammaStar · #7 07-01-2002, 12:27 PM

Wow, this is kinda amusing to me.

On my campus, we use the word all of the time. No one seems to feel any stigma attached to it. On the other hand, I attend a small school where Greek life is not a big deal. It is merely a choice. In no way does it rule our campus.

Just another point of view.

Colleen

Tom Earp · #8 07-01-2002, 05:33 PM

Frat Boy? Fraternity Man?

As you enter an Organization, You are are a boy or a girl and as you learn how to conduct yourself, you become a Fraternity Man of a Soroity Woman!

Each Org has their way fo calling it, TKE call their Brothers Fraters and TKE711 can maybe explain that to you!

GDI well even they like that, !

The1calledTKE · #9 07-01-2002, 07:56 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Tom Earp

Each Org has their way fo calling it, TKE call their Brothers Fraters and TKE711 can maybe explain that to you!

I would tell you but then I would have to kill ya.lol

Wow Tomstone didn't call me Zeke .lol

OnePlus69Is70 · #10 07-01-2002, 09:11 PM

Wow, my field of study finally comes in handy. I can tell you that the tendancy to shorten words to make them seem more familiar is extremely common. Fraternity is a Latin/Greek root, and English speakers find words of that sort to be difficult to pronounce and generally intimidating. We try to shorten them, make them sound more Anglo-Saxon. There are virtually no native English root words with more than two syllables, and most have just one. We're linguistically uncomfortable with words of this length. Also, the two unvoiced dentals (the t's) pose a problem- English speakers try to change t's and d's in the middle of words into what are called dental flaps- it's the sound most people make when they say butter, not quite a t or a d. You can't do that with fraternity. So it gets cut down to frat. (And I just proved my education hasn't been a complete waste- if only my parents were here to see it.)

On my personal opinion of people using it, I can say it certainly raises my hackles, and I forcefully correct the person. I'm in a fraternity, not a frat, although I could point you towards some frats if you like. It reminds me of that Chris Rock bit- "I love black people, but I hate n****s."

AGDPrincess70 · #11 07-01-2002, 10:07 PM

on my campus, I tend to hear a lot of GDI's and people who just don't know any better call fraternities "frats." We try to correct them whenever possible, because to a lot of us, "frat" just applies to the stereotype, whereas fraternity shows more respect. And the majority of the fraternity guys I hang out with deserve that respect. (though we do have the exceptions, as I'm sure happens on every campus)

Heh, though it's not to say that we don't poke fun of it, and of ourselves. The Delts on our campus are one of our strongest chapters, and there was the day they decided to put up the volleyball net OVER the slip-n-slide and decided to play volleyball. We kept joking that they were "taking the 'ernity' out of 'fraternity.'

~Holly

KappaTarzan · #12 07-02-2002, 01:19 AM

the word "frat" offends ME and i'm a sorority girl.. i have been trained well i guess, and i've definitely heard the guys say "would you call your country a cunt" and also "would you call your mother a moth??" haha...

i definitely NEVER never say the bad "f-word"

OnePlus69Is70 · #13 07-02-2002, 09:48 AM

I need to say that the 'would you call your mother a moth' argument makes no sense, and people need to stop using it. I call my mother mum, my father dad, my sister sis, my brother bro, my cousin cuz....there are dozens of words I shorten every day. If just shortening a word made it offensive, I'd be getting slapped dozens of times a day.

Tom Earp · #14 07-02-2002, 05:11 PM

OOPS, Sorry ZEKE, Have Ya Heard From EC?

Tombstone!

The1calledTKE · #15 07-02-2002, 11:38 PM

Nope Erik has remained silent.