But he's right - to a point. That's how A&M's culture is. I probably would not go so far as to say the fraternities are like podunk state though. But, there does seem to be a greater pull towards the Corps than the fraternities.

And at A&M it is impossible not to get involved in some group / club and not meet people. A&M likes to claim that they have over 400 recognized student orgs, so it is impossible not to get into something. So, the chance of meeting and interacting with sorority members through different orgs is very possible.

I'm not referring to the A & M comment, I'm referring to the "fraternities suck like a podunk state college" coment.

I think he was specifically referring to fraternities at A&M, and not anywhere else since this thread is about A&M.

Well, saying something sucks "like a podunk state college" implies something bigger than one school, however had he not shown a propensity toward making broad sweeping "Greek Life in any way but the way I like sucks" statements, I might agree with you.

If you read what he said in the context of this tread, and knowing the dynamics of the Corps and fraternities at A&M, he is really not too far off.

To make a broad statement about all fraternities at every school, yes, he is way off base. But, we are not talking about all schools here, just one - Texas A&M.

I went there, I know the campus culture. I still am active through my sorority's undergrad chapter there, so I am still aware of the campus culture there.

As they have said, no one at all said he was off base in his assessment of the Corps vs. fraternities at A&M. He said:

Quote:

Originally Posted by dnall (Post 2032471) The Corps takes the best guys, so fraternities suck like a podunk state college . . . .

It's a figurative form of comparison called a simile. The comparison made is that fraternities at A&M suck in the same way that a podunk state college sucks.

What 33girl and then DF objected to is the use of "podunk state colleges" as the target of the simile, as it implies that podunk state colleges are an appropriate and perhaps even obvious yardstick of suckage. People who went to podunk state colleges might disagree with the use of that particular yardstick.

If instead he had said "so fraternities suck like Justin Bieber," then all would have been well. That is, unless some Beliebers found this site and highjacked it.

Then it is left up to the reader as to what they consider to be a podunk state college. I'm sure some who attended the Ivies,like one of my ex-boyfriends, he went to Harvard, considered all of his state schools in CA as podunk.

So, it is relative as to what one considers podunk. What may be a 'podunk' state college for one, may be the best school ever for another.

Then they they do suck to that individual person. There are universities in Texas that I absolutely did not consider attending because I thought they were just that - podunk! They sucked to me, but to those that attended, I'm sure that university was the best thing going.

Maybe the simile was offensive to some, but the intent is still the same. As you said, some may have gotten offended at the Justin Bieber comparison, but not me. ;).

Oh good grief. The point is no one was commenting at all on his statement about A&M, so there was no particular need to defend his statement about A&M. That being the case, your responses defending what he said about A&M were irrelevant to what 33girl and DF did take issue with -- the statement about podunk state colleges (or Greek life at those colleges). That's all.

Please for give me. I forgot the unwritten GC rule - that whatever MC says is right....

I'll post a 'sticky' on my computer so that I'll remember next time....:rolleyes:

LOL

GC is serious business.

Really? Huh. My wife would certainly take issue with that. I don't mind admitting when I'm wrong and have done so lots of times.

Even when it's not that serious. And here, it's not that serious.

Okay, so why are you splitting hairs over one's interpretation of what one would consider "podunk", since that seems to be the offensive term here.

I got the "drift" of what he was talking about. I was just trying to give a little background info on the campus culture of A&M. I think some people just read waaaay too much in his off-handed comment. ;)

I don't read it as "podunk" being the offensive word here. People here know if they went to huge schools or a podunk school with 12 people in your entire chapter. But had I been in one of those chapters, I would still be damn proud of it and not want someone to say that I and my greek system sucked because I just happened to be at a smaller school.

I'm not. All I said was that 33girl and DF were criticizing his reference to podunk state schools.

They were not saying that he was wrong about the culture at A&M, they were criticizing the way he said it. So a defense of what he said about the culture at A&M wasn't addressing what they were complaining about. I was just trying to get everyone on the same page. My yardstick of suckage and Bieber references were simply attempts to keep it light. If they failed in that purpose, I apologize for generating more confusion.

As for reading too much into his statement, as DF indicated, that's a carry-over from another conversation elsewhere in GCLand.

Believe me -- I do take your word for it that he's right about A&M, and for the most part I don't care who considers what school podunk.

And I'm particularly glad we agree about the Bieber. ;)

It also bears mentioning that the Corps, for good or ill, has become an increasingly smaller percentage of the student body.They comprise only 3.4% (1,740 in 2010) of the student body. Of course no fraternity will ever be able to compete with it in terms of local history and campus culture, but the Corps lifestyle is not appealing to many fine young men, who do find a home in a fraternity.