MTV Sorority/Fraternity Life
 

I am very sorry if there is already a post about this, I searched and didnt find one! If there is one let me know or someone who can maybe merge this with it!

Last night during the VMAs I saw a commercial for the new seasons of Sorority Life & Fraternity Life. Was anyone else upset about the whole drawing a cirlce on someone's behind (mind you in their underwear), almost like a target. Then using a paddle on the person. I dunno, MTV is really making me upset with all of this because they could care less how they are portraying greek life and people have a bad idea about it?

I know! It really upsets me as well! I think that they aren't even trying to give Greeks a good name. It's just annoying b/c when you start rushing you have PNM's asking if it's anything like Sorority life and you kind of have to explain to them that's it's just TV and they're Local Sororities, NOT national. MTV is not making anyone interested in Greek life and if they are, it is making people interested in Greek Life for the wrong reasons!

While I'm not a local, these kinds of comments are beginning to upset me. I have seen several people say that they have reminded PNMs that these groups that participate in Sorority and Fraternity Life are local organizations and NOT nationals. While the groups in these MTV shows are local, these comments seems to say that only local groups behave like this an not national/international groups. Unfortunately we all know that's not the case. There are so many groups that haze whether they be local or national/international fraternities and sororities or highschool organizations. There are many local groups that would not tolerate behaviour like this and to say to someone well their local (so that's why they behave like this is?) is not fair.
While it's unfortunate the groups still feel the need to haze we have to remember that sometimes National/International orgs get caught hazing too.

I posted about this in the VMAs thread already, but I'm just thrilled that these shows wil be airing just a week before rush at my school.:rolleyes: Fraternity Life 2 was filmed on my campus, so I know that we will certainly feel the backlash. I can promise you that what will be seen on this season of Fraternity Life will be no different than that of previous seasons. And, as it has been mentioned on other threads, the fraternity has already had their recognition revoked from campus, and the show has not even aired yet... And for the record, I am a member of a wonderful local sorority at the very same school that this series was taped at and I have never been hazed, hazed anyone, or seen anyone be hazed.(As far as my sorority goes...) :D Local does not equal hazing. We are real, recognized orgs too! :)

Andrea

I agree with Lady Pi Phi. Who are we trying to kid if we think we can limit this type of BS to locals. It may be rare, but it can happen almost anywhere. It is up to us to show what greek life is really all about.

I understand your point. I know that not ALL locals are like that. It is also the way that MTV edits it. I'm just saying that they're local b/c National Fraternities and Sororities have National Headquarters that won't allow them to be portrayed badly on televison, nor can their rituals and pledging process be displayed. I know that with the past shows they didn't show their personal rituals but these sororites and fraternities that participated in the show didn't have a national headquarters behind them. yes, there ARE National groups that DO haze but b/c we have National Headquarters checking up on us we are a little more likely not to. There would serious consequences if a national were doing the show and there were scenes that showed signs of hazing. i.e. taking their chapter away or probation. If MTV shows any local orgnizations hazing there is no one to penalize them for their actions. I have nothing against them using locals but It is annoying that people associate ALL Greek organizations with the shows PERIOD! They are just edited for general entertainment, NOT to educate anyone.

The locals (or anyone else) who allow themselves to be portrayed in MTV fashion are prostituting themselves.

Actually, as I mentioned in my earlier post, the Fraternity on FL2 has had their recognition as a campus organization revoked, and due to an incident that occured during filming, some members were arrested and may face expulsion. And bethany1982, I agree with you wholeheartedly. ;)

I wonder what the rushes were like for the two Sorority Life groups after their MTV seasons aired.....anyone know?

its a real shame. stereotypes suck:(

What's a real shame is that these groups volunteer to participate knowing full well what MTV can and will do to the limitless footage they get. After viewing two full seasons of SL and one of FL, these groups should know better. While it's frustrating to me that they may be portrayed in a negative light, it's their own fault. It may vary in degree from one new member being portrayed as "the bitchy/ugly/unwanted one" to the full-on instigation of near-criminal acts and in-house fights, I see no good things coming out of these shows for the groups that participate or for Greeks in general. (Besides some money, maybe...and how long will that last compared to the damage that could be done to their reputations?)

(from Brown eyed girl)

I totally agree. These groups have the last two seasons of the show to see how MTV really views greeks. If MTV though of Sororities and Fraternities in a positive light, they wouldn't portray the show the way they do. We in return are helping them keep their ratings by watching the show. I for one am not going to watch this season. The last two seasons just pissed me off and I don't feel like watching a show just to get angry. IF enough of us don't watch the show then maybe, just maybe ratings will go down and they'll stop making the show, but with society's need for reality television, that might not happen anytime soon. We're going to have to accept the show for what it is. We all know that what the show portrays is NOT what greek life is about and that's all that matters.

It sounds like the SAEPi girls did fine -- 14 girls in the fall rush after SL1 aired and 10 more in the spring. I haven't heard anything about DZO.

Plus, there was apparently a lot of interest at other schools in starting chapters of Sigma-AEPi.

From their website, it looks like DZO is trying to expand but it hasn't gone anywhere yet. Then again, their website hasn't been updated in a while.

I haven't see that commercial yet, but from what I read about it, I was appalled. Shame on MTV, for creating stereotypes about GLOs and your creative editing for sleazy sensationalism!

Is there a network out there that can show us in a positive light? MTV just isn't the network to do it!


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I was hoping for a sliver of improvement over last season's SL (after the Nicole.... saga). :(

All nationals have people "checking up on them" all of the time? I know that is not true and if you think that even "if" that is the case hazing is less likely to happen in a national chapter, you are sadly mistaken and that's the blunt truth.

About assoication, whether these orgs on MTV are national or local, they are greek so in a sense people are going to associate them with greek life as a whole and why should they not? Of course we see some things we shouldn't see on these shows, but nationals are smarter than that. They wouldn't even allow for a situation to happen, for the public to view a chapter going off the wall. This does not mean that nationals or locals are any better or any worse than eachother.

Nationals always have a higher form of guidance and not all locals do.

Take the stereotypes back to the hole, you lose 3 points.


Edited to add: To the person who started this thread, all greek related topics such as this should be posted in the Greek Life forum.

Although I agree with what alot of people have written thus far, this is TV people. Half of the things that GLO's do cant be shown for ritual purposes. This is just showing what the kids are doing when they are having a few laughs. You cant tell me you havent seen a bunch of frats do some crazy things like what they showed on the preview. Its TV...it has to catch our attention somehow and effidently it did....

I go to Davis where the first sorority life was filmed. I remember watching it the summer before I was planning on going through formal recruitment,but ended up not going through with it because the show totally turned me off of going greek, thankfully I met a couple of girls who are in GLOs and I rushed informally for CHi Omega. yay!

It's really annoying the way MTV shows these images of sorority life that aren't true. I just know there must be other girls who aren't sure about rushing who get turned off by the messeges the show produce. :mad:

*muah*
:)

Heh..I wonder if MTV would be interested in Rio Greek Life...;) Plenty of locals to molest there...

Yeah, yeah, the shows portray Greeks in a bad light and promote negative stereotypes...

...but I have to admit, I just LOVE watching them!

today i watched something on e about the real world shows. it was interesting. one of the things that echoed through all of the interviews is that each season, the producers have become more involved in "making" the show and that there was a push to find the most outrageous group of people to put together. unfortunately, i don't think that sorority or fraternity life shows are going to get any better. it is like they take each season and try to make it more over the top then the last.


anyway, when does this train wreck start airing?

MTV is gonna get it from me if it ends up making my sorority look bad. I don't care if I have to send an angry letter a week. They don't understand that people completely buy into the ish they show. So I'm REALLY dreading what this means for my Multicultural Sorority. . . .:( I'm going to have to PR my arse off next semester.

Yeah, I saw that commercial for the first time this afternoon on MTv. I was like, why is that guy bending over...oh lord...no, oh no...OH BAD!!!!!!
I just sat there going :eek: ! I CAN'T BELIEVE THEY JUST DID THAT - oh but wait, it's MTv...so yeah I can :rolleyes:

September 17, just a week before rush at UCSC... we can't wait.

:rolleyes:

I recently saw MTV preview of their fall season. They show clips that included both Sorority Life and Fraternity Life. I was outraged when I saw the crap from those shows. It seems the older I get, the lower MTV gets. When I was a kid in the early '80s, they only showed music videos, specials and the weekly concert. Now, they hardly show music videos, but more shows.

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the sad thing is people watch, so they continue
it sounds like the davis girls have been successful, the buffalo girls have just shuffled away, and the buffalo guys have just faded to black.

Am I the only one out there who thinks these shows are hilarious? We used to sit around our living room at our chapter house and laugh at them! I've seen some of the hazing that goes on go on with both national and local groups, but the reality is the shows are so funny! I'm sure they could make a show about my chapter that looks that funny (minus the hazing) because even if we're drama free 23.5 hours a day, there's that one half hour where we're fighting over the dishes, the electrical outlets in the bathroom, house jobs, the phone, etc, etc.

I think that these locals are absolutly sickening, I mean its not like they havent seen the other seasons of these shows. but obviously they dont care about making their group look bad. I dont know its just stupid, granted I do laugh at when I watch them b/c of how stupid some of these people act and of course MTV is going to focus on the drama and all of that b/c well thats what attracts audiences. MTV has really gone downhill though like someone said they rarely play music anymore unless its some kind of show like TRL where they dont even play the whole video!! GRRRRR is all I have to say lol.


Nichole

its amazing that some orgs will really consider doing MTV's show..I think having your name out there is a plus, but not having control over what is shown, is worse. I'm sure the orgs on the shows can say that MTV didn't show them doing this or doing that...but that's the price you pay.

Even if people try to tell interest that it only TV and that their chapter doesn't do that, its still a possible member with a tainted idea of all greeks in gerneral.

Unless fraternities and sororities start declining MTV's invite its going to continue.