Quote:
Originally posted by AOIIalum
Well, for the most part, we technically are secret societies. It's not a good or bad thing, it's a fact.
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We meet the definition of "secret society" for sure -- that is, we have rituals etc., that are kept secret from all except initiated members. (Alexandra Robbins and her "sources" notwithstanding.
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But some draw what can be a useful distinction between "secret societies" and "societies with secrets," reserving the term "secret societies" for those organizations that not only have secret initiation rites and symbolism, but that also keep their membership, and perhaps even their goals or their existence, secret. For examples of "secret societies" with this more restrictive meaning, see the most recent thread on
Theta Nu Epsilon, think the Skulls from the movie, or even the Mafia or the Klan. These last two examples give a clue as to why some can view "secret societies" as bad things.
GLOs, on the other hand, are societies with secrets -- our existence and our memberships are certainly not secret, but we do keep our rituals secret, as well as some specifics of our operations. (Would "private" be a better word?)
This secrecy can lead to tensions is a couple of ways. First, it is true that some religious groups have a problem with it, because they feel unable to assess whether the secret vows of a GLO (or masonic group, or whatever) conflict with religious obligations and doctrine.
But perhaps more problematic is that the general non-Greek population, to the degree that it pays any attention at all, does not understand
why we keep our ritual activities secret. That, I think, is the underlying, if unintended, message of the infamous chapter in Ms. Robbins' book. We come across as "having our little secrets" that to an outsider seem to be nothing more than a juvenile way of saying "you're not one of us." Even many of the Greeks in that chapter seem to have little clue as to why, historically or philosophically, we keep certain activities, words and phrases, and symbolisms secret.