secret societies and 60 Minutes
 

If you're watching, they're on 60 minutes right now...

What was it about?
 

I was watching my girls at the Women's World Cup.

In case you missed it, like I did....
 

It might be on later again tonight. I know it is here. I'm going to try and catch it. It's supposed to be on again at 12:30am.

all I can say is...wow.

Interesting, and now 'multi-cultural' too
 

“It has gays who got the SAT scores, it's got the gays who got the straight A's,” says Brooks. “It's got the blacks who are the president of the right associations. It's different criteria. More multicultural, but it's still an elite, selective institution.”

Typical news coverage of GLO life - the only person quoted is a non-member, who claims he got his info from members whose names he can't disclose.

This one goes beyond GLO's in my estimation. While not suggesting that it is the case, there is some scary potential in that group in terms of deal-making -- both governmental and big business.

Wonder if that's where some of the ideas for the movie, "The Skulls" came from?

As far as the Skulls rituals go -- it was described as mumbo-jumbo ... a sort of Harry Potter meets Dracula.

As far as that video footage of Initiation goes... :eek: If that footage is indeed true, I'm glad that I didn't have to go through that stuff.. My initiation was beautiful. That initiation looked terrifying.

I wonder what prompted Alexandra Robbins to write her book about the Skull and Bones? Anyone know if she was Greek at Yale?

It's exactly the place where the idea for The Skulls came from.

I'm almost positive Alexandra Robbins is a member of a secret society at Yale. On one hand I think she's jealous that she wasn't tapped into Skull & Bones. On the other, people are curious about what they don't have.

According to CBS, Robbins says the main purpose is to get as many members as possible into positions of power. Well, then you can argue that one fraternity's main purpose is to control Hollywood (through their numerous alumni who are/have been involved in showbusiness). And you can argue that another's main purpose is to control a certain school in the northeast because they've had at least 3 university presidents in 50 years, plus one of the men on the task for who closed the Greek system at this school is a member of that fraternity.

Skull & Bones isn't going away. They're the best of the best at one of the nation's leading universities, so naturally they're going to end up in prominent positions.

Secrets of the Tomb is a pretty quick read, too..around 200 pages.

I think you're right. Strictly speaking, GLOs are not "secret societies" or organizations, they are societies or organizations with secrets.

The distinction is significant. A secret society keep its membership (and sometimes even its existence) secret, a tactic that may be directly related to goals of influence. Its harder to fight when one really doesn't know who or what the enemy is.

A society with secrets like a GLO, on the other hand, makes no secret of its existence or its membership, or even what it stands for and hopes to accomplish. It merely keeps private some aspects of the organization's life -- initiation, symbolism, and the like -- for the purpose of strengthening the fraternal bonds between members.

Skull and Bones is a secret society, at least insofar as it traditionally has officially kept membership secret. Interest in it is certainly peaked by the influence of some of its members, including the current president, his father, and the current vice president. Skull and Bones is also the stuff that the dreams of conspiracy theorists are made of.

Acc. to what's posted on Amazon.com, Robbins was a member of a rival society @ Yale, called Scroll & Key.

I've actually read her book....

The TV expose basically grabbed to "sensational" parts of her book. It left out most of the history and accurate picture of the interior.... all in all an interesting book about secret societies at Yale and Skull and Bones in particular.

This says it all, I think...

David Brooks, a conservative commentator who has published a book on the social dynamics of the upwardly mobile, says that while Skull & Bones may be elite and secret, it's anything but exciting.

“My view of secret societies is they're like the first class cabin in airplanes. They're really impressive until you get into them, and then once you're there they're a little dull. So you hear all these conspiracy theories about Skull and Bones,” says Brooks.

“And to me, to be in one of these organizations, you have to have an incredibly high tolerance for tedium 'cause you're sittin' around talking, talking, and talking. You're not running the world, you're just gassing.”

The most elite society at the most elite university produces people who go on to highly influential positions in society? How shocking! What a surprise! Wow, it must be a giant conspiracy. What other possible explanation can there be for this phenomenon? :rolleyes:

wptw

All I can say, if this is true Skull and Bones is not much of a secret society anymore now is it?!

Their existence has always been known (at least at Yale and by conspiracy theorists), but their members have not been generally well known. As it said in the article, Bonesmen are supposed to deny membership, and never talk about the society.

I think that we all know that what we read about a society's ritual and goings on need to be taken with a grain of salt. Happy members don't generally go around spilling everything.

I agree. My comment was supposed to be sarcastic.

ahhh...well it's still early, sarcasm is lost on me. Where's my coffee?

True. As I understand it, there are about a half dozen secret societies at Yale.

The same can (and usually is) said of many other organizations: the Masons, many social GLOs, etc. If you watched the show "Frat Boys" on the History Channel, the seemed to emphase the connections to alumni as being a big draw for getting involved in GLOs. They also had a segment on Skull & Bones with this same lady as was on 60Minutes.

Yeah, I saw the show. I guess Skull and Bones seems more potentially sinister than other groups because they are so small, but so powerful.

I grew up in a Masonic family and there didn't seem to me much of a power base in the local organization at all. That's not to say that a lot of very influential people aren't Masons.

Funny, but there is a Skull & Bones Badge on ebay right now!

The guy who has it listed is a Moron.

The Greek Pin Society is going nuts with this one!:)

This bozo has it at 4 figures and is saying he is ging to raise it to 5 figures!

I will never admit or say I am a member, I went to Schools in Ks. and Mo.!:D

I wonder if I ought to buy it for a replacement?:confused:

Having read the comments about this 'individual' on the pin society group, you're putting it mildly...

My grandfather was a mason, my mom was a rainbow girl, my dad an elk. Didn't help me much. :)

Growing up I got interested in conspiracy theories (not as a believer, mind you), so I've read a lot of that stuff. Masons, Illuminati, secret societies of various sorts, Trilateral Commission, Bilderbergers, etc. Skull & Bones has only gotten recent attention, mainly from their connection with the Bushes. Its hard to cut thru the nonsense to see what is/is not real about these groups... There is going to be a level of networking. Its true in ANY organization you're a part of. But what some people came about this? little over board, I think.

Bush or not, with "THE POWER" that they have, be nice, never know when the CIA, FBI, DEA, NSC, F***C, will come knocking on your door!:(

I am still originally from Mo. Show me! Am In Ks. now, hell no one even knows it is a State!;)

Thank God, dont want to many people to find out about us!:)

I used to be a member of "The Scotch and Soda Society" in my younger days, but that wasn't much of a secret.

And there were way too many of us to have any clout in anything.

Tom, can you link us to the Skull & Bones badge on ebay? I'm not seeing it.

Me too...I find that stuff fascinating. They make some good points, but then you snap out of it and realize they're loonies (sorry if anyone is a Conspiracy Theorist).

And Tom, I wanna see the badge too!

If they're so super secret, I wonder why they have badges at all? They can only wear them among themselves.

Try This!

Not sure whether to buy it now or not!:rolleyes:


http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...egory=403&rd=1

Hmm...Marquette tuition or giving this guy my address? Which one should I choose? ;)

Oh, go on, Tom. You can put it on, drop in on one of their super secret meeting and sell some cigars!!

OK, this guy has been my amusement for the day...first the story about GHWB & GWB running around naked with their pins, and then the pic of Michael Moore. Is there any item of clothing or jewelry, any time any where, that has been made to look more attractive by Michael Moore sporting it?? The dude really needs a bath and a man-ziere.

Oh my, quite a description.

man I wish i hadnt missed this I guess its not on here again since I have it on CBS right now and yeah its on ET! Blah

Nichole

Quote from that ebay pin
 

LOL!LOL!LOL!LOL!:p

I think our orgs are exactly like the skulls but not nearly on the same level of intensity. We are all "known" about but our chapter meetings codes handshakes etc. are all secret and cannot be revealed to anybody......

I had kind of thought the same thing when I read about the SnB pin being offered. Other 'secret societies' are not that secret about who is a member. If Bonesmen are supposed to deny they are Bonesmen, what's the purpose of the pin you only wear amoung members??

The pins probably identify different ranking among bonemen, like officer badges.