Re-invent yourself?
 

No one should have to "reinvent" themselves to pledge a sorority. They should accept a person for who they are... at least my sorority does.

I was hoping some of y'all could help me figure out some things . . .

Especially given that many of you seem to believe the show is a "train Wreck", completely inaccurate, and want a show from PBS or some such to cover it.

ITs funny, I thought Sorority life is pretty real . . . And certainly some of the sorority girls that have posted have found it to be fairly accurate.

What a lot of you seem to want is a show that is basically a positive press release.

You want entertainment companies spend their money and time showing only positive aspects of Greek Life that are definied as philanthropy and well . . . philanthropy. And maybe some alcohol free activites.

You want the show to not air any interpersonal dynamics unless they are "positive" which basically would mean only showing the parts of meetings that are votes . . . because heaven forbid some of our debates made it to TV.

Plus we are basically social organizations with some bells and whistles that make us look good . . . but again most of you seem to want to hide that.

So just out of curiousity: how is what y'all are suggesting ethical or honest?

Won't you end up hiding a lot of our social activities and how they really are?

By hiding our social activities won't you be disproportionally emphasizing our philanthropies so that PNM's have a skewed idea of what we are about?

Just hoping some of y'all would take some time and help me figure this all out . . .

i think u have it wrong...
 

at least when it comes to my sorority, and when i say that im not directly talking about my chapter, ive had the opertunity to meet and bond with my sisters from all over the country. and i dotn think it would be far fetched for me to say to us being in this sorority isnt just a "social thing" we made a promise for life, to better ourselves and our communities. I take great pride in the differance we make and the people we help. the bonds we create and the ways we learn from each other. A good percentage of the girls in my chapter dont go out at all, maybe only once or twice a semester.. if that... its really a SMALL portion of what we do and what we are about and the reason we are sisters instead of just people who "hang". i really wish that some station would have enough guts to show this side, i know how tempting it is to show the smaller more scandaous parts but i dont think its accurate at all... but i still think it would be cool to see the social parts.. we are in college after all.. i jsut get upset that 25 of 30 mins are focused on jsut that. i like to go out and party.. i in no way think this is wrong but my chapter and my school come way before clubbing and boytoys.
as far as this new show goes, i pity the gurls who do it... not because of the coverage, basically because they feel that they arent good enough how they are right now that they need these life makeovers just to pledge.. if you ask me thats asking for disastor. i think you could get a better life experiance by going through rush as you are and meeting the gurls finding out where you belong and allowing yourself to grow from there.
i dont know maybe im crazy.. maybe im the only one who thinks like this.. but i doubt it and im pretty confidant that my sisters would back me up...
Ashes
ps i think TLC or Lifetime would be great the always put out great touching stories, without needing scandal.

Never did I say that I wanted PBS or any of the other channels that I listed to do a thing on Greeks. Everyone has been coming down on MTV (maybe even myself, I can't remember) and what I was saying was, if you want a channel that might actually do something serious on Greeks, you're probably looking at those channels to do it. Channels inwhich no one watches. But don't look for MTV to be the one.
I dont think anyone is looking for MTV to hide anything that sorority members do. We know we Greek Life isnt peferect and has its issues, heck you check the Fraternal News and just about every story is bad or depressing. I think people are gtetting upset because its showing them partying and talking about their social lives probably a good 80% if not more of the time. I dont think anyone has a problem showing them doing this stuff, but speaking for myself and probably a lot of sorority women out there (anyone object if I am wrong) DID NOT do this things 80% of the time and that's what MTV is making it seem like is done. Ok they showed a sleepover, woohoo. Only after someone said they house (having the actual pledge house) sucks. The point I get from a lot of people's post seems to be, hey MTV if your going to show sorority life... show everything (philanthropy, mixers, bars and drinking, clubbing, bonding, sisterhood events, school etc.). MTV really isnt doing that. Its showing a one things a majority of the time and thats what people expected and why they are upset.
Like I said, I dont care if you show the "bad" stuff. It comes along with the territory. Juts make sure you show the good that comes with sorority life also with both being even. Speaking for myself, but this show depicts maybe about half of sorority life, if that.

Like I said my opinion.

I would like to see Dateline, or another news oriented program, do a positive special about Greek life. Can you imagine Oprah doing a show about Greeks?

True Life
 

Here is an idea... MTV does really good documentaries on the show "TRUE LIFE" and I think that they keep it true to life. So MTV why don't you make this up to us with a TRUE LIFE I'm a Sorority Girl and give NPC the final say about it's airing. You can still have the drama of it all because there is drama in Sorority life but you can also have all the good stuff that Greeks do, all the fun stuff (like Soror/frat community service and mixers). MTV gets their ratings, NPC gets the final say, and we get the true story.:eek:

Re: Re-invent yourself?
 

EXACTLY!!!

Somebody mentioned before about MTV is marketing their research to a younger audience. So obviously they are just doing it for money. They don't care how they show greek life. They just want to show you one aspect of how greek life can be at one chapter in California. It's all about the money people, they don't care how they portray us.

Greek life is a secretive side to college and they want to show the world how it's done. I can honestly say that the show "Sorority Life" is NOTHING I went through. But, some sororities, went through with that. Maybe not as much, on the drinking side, but philanthropy, socially, and mentally they did.

Basically MTV just wants to show their viewers that greek life isn't all that it's made up to be. If I saw a girl at rush and she asked if my sorority was just like that on tv, I would just laugh. It's a joke to me, and it's all for money.

Way to go MTV, you've outdone yourself this time!

James (a.k.a. "Devil's Advocate"),

I know that I'm pointing out the obvious here, but... you're not in a sorority. You've never lived in a sorority house. You've never attended a formal sorority meeting. Therefore, you really don't have any way of knowing if Sorority Life is "pretty real" or not. Seeing sorority women out on a daily basis, attending some socials with them, and/or hearing about some of the things that they do really doesn't give someone enough knowledge to discern whether or not the "Sorority Life" show is depicting sororities in a fair manner.

Secondly, I think that you're twisting people's words when you say that sorority women on GC are asking for "a show that is basically a positive press release." I personally don't think that anyone here is asking the media to do a show with an all-positive Greek slant. What they're asking is that the media include positive aspects of sorority life instead of showing 10 minutes of stupid drama interrupted by 20 minutes of equally stupid commercials on a weekly basis. I really don't think that their request is too much to ask, nor is it a difficult one to understand.

I would be absolutely elated to find someone in the media who was actually interested in doing a non-biased portrayal of Greek life! :) You'd probably have to pick me up off the floor if I heard news of something like that! And, as long as our philanthropic endeavors, sisterhood activities and emphasis on academics were given equal air time, then I would have no problem showing a squabble or two between sisters who are roommates, or a heated debate about a sorority-related issue.

Arguments do happen on occasion between sisters, MTV at least got that part right -- however, they aren't the ONLY things that happen, which is what MTV is leading viewers to believe. So far, MTV has shown very little footage of actual sorority-related events over the past several weeks. Most of the time, the show spotlights ridiculous people behaving in an immature manner. Sure, they occasionally cut to a discussion about a sorority-sponsored activity, but it lasts for about 2.2 seconds and then the cameras cut back to the latest Jordan/Candace drama. That simply ISN'T "real" life in a sorority, and, in a nutshell, that's the problem we have with the show.

ya know what I did notice a lot about MTV when they do these "Real World/Road Rules/True Life/Sorority Life" shows is that they tend to cut A LOT out. They only want to show the interesting things that happen, and if a guy is watching two girls in a sorority going at it - they are going to enjoy it.

I was watching the "Reunion of Real World Chicago" and I believe it was Cara who said "If I was having as much sex as they showed it I would be a much happier person." I know this has no relevence to what we are talking about, but ina way it does. They showed Cara on TV having a lot of sex, because they knew their audience would enjoy seeing that. The same goes to say with the two girls on Sororoity Life.

They aren't goint to show the boring side to a sorority when they can show the drinking and fighting.

James, you're completely off the mark on this one.

Oh wait -- unless there really is a sorority out there that focuses solely on getting trashed, trashing your sisters, and sleeping with trash?

Re: Mtv Researcher Wants You
 

Yea, like, I "pedge" a new sorority each fall, so this isnt for me...

ACK... I HATE dumb MTV people!

I know they wouldn't. I was just being sarcastic to him.

You know, you even need to keep an eye on shows like Dateline because like MTV, they are working for ratings and catering to an older, more conservative crowd.

If you all can recall the kid who drove his car into 5 pedestians in Santa Barbara about 1 1/2 years ago, killing four and seriously injuring the 5th. The media quickly took over the campus and every show you can think of ran a story on it. Most of them were blaming the incident on the University, it's students, and the 'out-of-control behavior of college students today' - Basically implying the guy was out partying too much and the University did nothing to stop it and this motivated him to kill these people.

We were relieved to finally sit down and watch a distinguished show like Dateline - BOY WERE WE WRONG. They were the worst of them all - framing the interviews with students to make them sound like irresponsible, and blaming the incident on a failing higher education system. Mind you there was NO alcohol in the guys system, but this little detail was 'conviently' left out. It turned into a platform about the problems with drinking and college students.

<sigh>the media today.....

James, et al,

My basic problems with shows like "Sorority Life" are in their production techniques and values. They will only show the "drama" (which seems to be the buzz word of the hour). That's a fact. Philanthrophy doesn't "sell." Is anyone really taken aback by Cara'(?) "revelation" about how much sex was shown on Real World as opposed to what really happened? If so, I have some Arizona Swampland I'd like to sell you.

That's why I railed against this concept from it's very beginning. With all due respect, Sorority Life is NOT what Greek Life is about. Neither is talking about philanthrophy all by itself. Showing any part of the experience exclusively is way off the mark.

On the other hand, why is there such amazament that MTV is only out for ratings? Of course they are. And how about "Dateline" and Oprah and the others? Guess what? They're out for ratings, too. They may follow a different path to get them, but in the long run, that's what TV is about -- ratings and profit.

MTV is not your friend. It's a business.

As for those who would like PBS to do a documentary -- be careful of what you wish for. While PBS would undoubtedly talk about the philanthrophy, they would also cover the parties, underage drinking, etc. That's why they call the form documentary -- it documents -- and on PBS it would document everything. Bad and good. Even PBS gets ratings.

Did SAEPi get an even break and the unvarnished truth from MTV? Nope. Will anyone else? Nope.

And the idea of a different show on MTV doing a sorority doc with different results? Not likely. The chance that ANY organization would give final approval for air to NPC? Ain't gonna happen. That's prior restraint and censorship.

Is your chapter so "squeaky clean" that you would open yourselves to the scrutiny of the TV cameras?

Are you sure?