Sororities/Fraternities

[bspider]

(I hope I spelt that correctly!)

MEL_oYello_grl's topic (http://www.knicker-wetting.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=5380) in the main subforum led me to ask:
Good lord! And people (in real life, no less) actually go through all of that to join such societies? Please, someone who knows, run down a list of benefits - they'd have to be huge, surely :!: :!:

Fillerup pointed out that it'd be a good question for here. So, expanded a little to ensure it covers both Male and Female versions of such societies, what on earth are the percieved benefits? Over to you!!! :?:

[Crazyhorse]

I think that there is a significant percentage of people in Western society that need to feel superior to the rest. So, they will go through all sorts of stupid things, just to feel as if they are part of 'the elite'

To me it is sad. Very, very sad.

Watch the Stonecutters episode of the Simpsons, for the best satire on the whole thing.

[bspider]

Is it a Western thing, or is it confined to the USA? I don't know of an equivalent in the UK for example?

[WD12]

Not in the UK? With all the elitest societies there?

Not a dis, just an observation.

[Anonymous]

Ferternities/Sororities just started to come back when I was in college. There had been about a ten year absence. Starting during the anti establshment late 1960's these types or organiztions were considered “square” and militaristic and unduly rigid. But time had cooled those feelings and the movie Animal House caused a lot of curiosity and interest so fraternities and sororities started to return. I just never had any interest in joining. Not hostility just “it’s not my thing”. Right now here in New York the papers are full of stories about a “hazing” incident. During summer camp for a high school (teenagers) football team a hazing ritual turned into an alleged sodomizing of younger members of the team with broomsticks, golf balls and pinecones. A plea was made to try the alleged offenders as adults but was rejected by a judge so they will be tried as juveniles. Under these rules they will get probation or at most incarceration in a juvenile facility until they are 21. This decision has made most people furious. I know I am going off the off topic here a bit but I wonder if this will cause another backlash against hazing,ferternities etc?

[bspider]

Not in the UK? With all the elitest societies there?

Not a dis, just an observation.Not to my knowledge. Oh, sure, there are societies (such as the Freemasons) but thery're not college societies.