Quote:
Originally Posted by The_Grip
I did not mean to imply that wearing letters was not normal. In fact, in my experience, it is the rule rather than the exception while in school--at least to some degree. At my university, that was not the case and I was just pointing out a difference. I stand by the Nationals=franchise comment. I think that is the case. They want every chapter to be exactly the same and as large as possible to maximize their revenues, in my opinion and have little tolerance for different local traditions.
The "third world" comment was unfortunate, since you seem to reacted more strongly than you really should have had you known the real connotation. At my university 'third world' does not describe less competitive/popular/desirable houses. It describes a group of houses that are far away from the university and most of the other houses and have been called that since they moved there. They are at a big disadvantage during rush (for example they have to provide shuttle buses) and wear letters more to let folks know who they are. I will admit that I was sloppy in the 30 seconds I thought about that post in using a term that someone who did not attend my university would not understand.
Regarding your accusations of being elitist, I think you are going a little bit too far. Every university that I know has houses that are considered better than others and some that are considered not particularly good or at least not at all selective. I suspect you know that as well, if you were honest with yourself. Similarly, many universities are considered better than others. That's life. It may be inaccurate, but you should get used to it. Doesn't mean there are not fine folks in the less well regarded houses or that one can't get a fine education at a second tier school. I never said nor implied that. In fact, I never said that I considered my house to be one of the better ones. All I ever said was that it was uncommon for any chapter at my university to wear letters.
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I acknowledge the point you are trying to get across.
However, I must (again) reiterate a point of clarification: I never "accused" you of being elitist. Rather, I mentioned that your "third world" comment (in and of itself) sounded elitist. An intelligent person can make a "stupid" comment, but that doesn't mean they themselves are stupid. Incidentally, I am not in any way referring to you (just so you know; one misunderstanding at a time is enough).
Given the "world view" connotation of the phrase "
third world" (the concept of being "backward", "primitive", "less advanced"), which is
much more widely known than the local connotation it has apparently taken on your campus, you can't honestly be surprised at my reaction, or that of any of the other GCers who called you on your use of it.
In short, however, the notion of whether or not fraternal societies are selective is irrelevant in this context; by definition alone, their selectivity is a given.
BTW --- With all due respect, I do recognize and understand that universities are not considered equal by many. I've been around a while and attended institutions of higher learning on both the undergraduate and graduate level, so I know from experience that some schools are considered better than others, and sometimes for very valid reasons. There is nothing earth-shattering about that relevation.
That being said, I think things probably got blown up a little more here than they needed to be, therefore...
...My apologies for any role I may have played in bringing that about.
