Fraternities/Sororities=Epitome of American Cliquish Culture

[International Gringo]

For the most part, Fraternities and Sororities are an American only culture trait (few exceptions are the Philippines and maybe some Latin American countries). Fraternities/Sorrorities seem natural to many Americans because they are a closed exclusive/clickish college club within a closed clickish American society.

Im currently visiting family in Australia and one of my Aussie cousins had trouble understanding the American Fraternity/Sorority culture. My cousin wanted to know why Americans would humiliate themselves (via hazing) and allow themselves to be bullied just to be part of a group. He also couldnt understand why Americans would pay money to have friends. My American brother in law, who was in a fraternity at the party heavy UCSB college (same school Elliot Rodger's shot up) told my cousin all the typical Fraternity logic: friends for life, future business connections, access to the hottest parties and female social connections that you couldnt get other wise. My Aussie cousin couldnt quite understand that logic because he lives in Australia where (like most countries outside the USA) the social life is natural, meeting friends comes easily and paying for friends is unheard of.

I had to break it down to my Aussie cousin in a way he could better understand the American culture. I told him that the American culture is a very clickish and lonely culture where one could very much be a loner and an outcast in college if they do not join a fraternity/sorrority. Since the American culture is based on fear, many Americans will do desperate shit (being hazed) and paying for friends just so they are not on the outside looking in.

MY Aussie cousin wanted to know if the Fraternity scene was like the old movie Animal House (drunk parties every night, wild orgies, easy sex, etc) and i told him that many things have changed since those years. Feminism, political correctness and extreme rape laws (think of California's new verbal consent law) have turned the Frat life into on big mangina culture where any little comment or action can get you arrested or destroy future careers.

I personally was in a fraternity for a year but never found the culture to be authentic and fake. Just more narcissistic American egos competing and lying to each other about who got the most p***y and fighting desperately for attention. I actually found the fraternity culture more dysfunctional than the High School culture. If im not mistaken Winston was also in a fraternity (id be interested to hear his personal experience). Im wondering if many of you on here think the Fraternity scene is just more fakeness of the American culture and a product of the dysfunctional social culture here or do you genuinely believe it creates natural long lasting friendships.

[Bane]

I'm glad this thread was made.

I remember college being a difficult experience socially, but good academically. In my school in the early 00's, frats and sororities were all the rage. Like you OP, I found the frat boy culture to be fake and forced. People who would never be friends normally (even people who had previously hated each other) all of a sudden were instantly best friends because they paid the thousands of dollars to join up with a certain frat. We didn't have any sorority houses because under PA law at the time, a gathering of 10 or more women in a single residence was considered a brothel, so they all basically hung around the frat houses on nights and weekends. Parties were loud, obnoxious, and could be heard across campus. If you were sober and a non-drinker (like me) you didn't dare go out and walk around campus on a Thursday-Saturday night, lest you get harassed verbally and physically by the drunk frat guys, who couldn't understand why someone would choose to not go to their parties and be part of their culture. Usually they would shut up after I physically retaliated, showing them that I was not messing around. Unfortunately, since my college was a residential campus, there was no escape from that culture. During my junior year, I actually had to petition to the college with a few of my buddies to rent an apartment off campus. It was actually the first time this happened. The college reluctantly granted our request, seeing as it would only be for half the year, before we all went to Japan during the spring semester.

Did I lose out on a lot of potential business contacts? Probably. But in fact, most of my college friends were international students who weren't in frats, and they were able to provide me with pretty good contacts for jobs overseas, which worked out well. Did I lose out on relationships, sex, etc? Most definitely. However, there were still a few girls (including sorority girls) who were able to step outside their own socio-cultural box and date and spend time with guys who weren't in frats. I actually think by not being in a frat, I was able to get a good read on which girls were the most genuine, and the most willing to expand their horizons. So, while I may have missed out on being a social superstar with hundreds of friends, the few friends I did make were worth it!

[Banano]

What are Fraternities/Sorrorities and how they work? Purpose,benefits?

Freemasonry is fraternity and they are spread worldwide

[jamesbond]

Winston was never in a frat but thought about joining one at one point when he was in college. Frats and sororities are for insecure people who have to buy their friends.

They are very cliquish and very clannish (just like American society is at large). At the college I went to, the guys who were in frats were complete douchebags and jerks. The girls were snobs and stuck up.

American society by and large is one big fraternity/sorority. You have the "party animals" and the "cool people" they are considered to be in the "in crowd."

Welcome to the United Cliquish States of America!

[Winston]

What are Fraternities/Sorrorities and how they work? Purpose,benefits?

Freemasonry is fraternity and they are spread worldwide

He's referring to college fraternities. They are like junior secret societies. They have occult rituals too. Perhaps they are a testing ground to see who is cut out for the big league secret societies.

[johnnyderp]

I've never understood the frat/sorority culture either. I'm a UK-born Aussie, but to me the concept seems childish and immature. Doesn't this crap sound so high-schoolish?

Like many have expressed on HA, I hated high school but going to uni ended up being a surprisingly happy time for me, like a fresh start or a new life. Going to an American college/university would be hell, where it sounds like merely changing from one high school to another.

Going to uni was the first time i felt like an adult (even though i was initially terrified), where i became fairly popular on campus after being considered an unpopular or dorky kid in high school. The frat/sorority culture would have been an absolute nightmare if it was here. It seems in America it's very difficult to reinvent yourself as a person, and the social status quo is established at an early age.

[jamesbond]

I've never understood the frat/sorority culture either. I'm a UK-born Aussie, but to me the concept seems childish and immature. Doesn't this crap sound so high-schoolish?

Like many have expressed on HA, I hated high school but going to uni ended up being a surprisingly happy time for me, like a fresh start or a new life. Going to an American college/university would be hell, where it sounds like merely changing from one high school to another.

Going to uni was the first time i felt like an adult (even though i was initially terrified), where i became fairly popular on campus after being considered an unpopular or dorky kid in high school. The frat/sorority culture would have been an absolute nightmare if it was here. It seems in America it's very difficult to reinvent yourself as a person, and the social status quo is established at an early age.

In America, you make your friends early in life because when you get out of school, it's almost impossible to make friend with people. A lot of people meet their future spouses in high school and college, some even in grade school.

In the US, once you get out of school, you are pretty much SOL (shit out of luck) if you haven't made any friends or met your future spouse!

[MattHanson1990]

The University of Texas at El Paso very likely has one of the smallest percentages of students in fraternities and sororities. El Paso is one of the least Americanized cities in the US, and there are a handful of UTEP students who are open to meeting new people, even though they are a little to moderately cliquish. It's usually those born and raised in El Paso or currently living in El Paso who are friendly and open. UTEP students commuting from Ciudad Juarez are the ones tend to be very cliquish and not open to meeting new people. Juarez going through a drug war would very well say a lot about people living there being very cliquish.

[Moretorque]

College today and the clubs associated with it are for morons, some of these kids are waking up to the elitist bull chit and college top to bottom is it and for people who cannot think for themselves. Just look what you get for your $ not much and faulty information to add.

I live a mile from the largest college in my state and this whole town is turning pretty brain dead and designed to create drones and this is what college today is a simple minded culture, Droid would probably work well here although he may find electricity is a little high for his liking..

[DDuana]

American culture is so high school it is ridiculous. You would think people would outgrow that kiddie nonsense, but they do not. And when you have grown people behaving like mean girls, that is definitely not a good look.

[MattHanson1990]

American culture is so high school it is ridiculous. You would think people would outgrow that kiddie nonsense, but they do not. And when you have grown people behaving like mean girls, that is definitely not a good look.

welcome to the United States of High School.