Unusual sighting- etiquette of it?

Scandia · #1 12-12-2008, 09:48 PM

Today at the library I saw a customer wearing a hat with the letters of a GLO that he could not have possibly belonged to for gender reasons. If you want the name of it, I can reveal it.

I was perplexed. While I know that people can wear T-shirts of specific events that a GLO hosted even if they do not belong to that GLO, I truly do not think a person can wear a hat stating simply the letters and name of that GLO.

I do not know if this person was the parent of someone in that GLO- though it did not say "Upsilon Upsilon Dad", just "Upsilon Upsilon". I do not know if it was someone who received that hat from a used clothing donation. Hat was not in terrible shape- but was not brand new either.

What is the etiquette and policy behind this? Does it vary per GLO? Would an umbrella organization determine it- and yes, this organization is under a larger umbrella governing body.

Should I have said something to him?

I will say that it is not a GLO that I belong to- had it been, I would have commented. But this GLO belongs to the same umbrella that one of mine belongs to as well.

#2 12-12-2008, 09:52 PM

Minding your own business is the way to go. If it's not your own organization, stay out of it.

KSUViolet06 · #3 12-12-2008, 10:16 PM

If it's not my sorority, I tend to mind my own business. It's not my job to be the "letter police."

freeverse · #4 12-13-2008, 12:59 AM

I honestly think it varies by GLO and by person. Perhaps his daughter gave it to him as a gift. When I was little my old babysitter used to give us bags of hand me downs and she always gave us her old sorority sweatshirts. I wore them all the time as "play clothes" not knowing what it even was. I thought it was a logo that stood for something.
Even if this guy was wearing my letters I would not have said anything. Maybe a "oh, who do you know is a member of ABC?" wpuld have been appropriate but that would have been it. I know a lot of people get up in arms about letters but to me it's more about the ritual and crest. It's just fabric to a lot of people.

Tippiechick · #5 12-13-2008, 01:55 AM

Like others have said, mind your own business. Maybe this guy got it at Goodwill because he doesn't have a lot of money and it keeps his head warm... Maybe he liked the letters and didn't know what they meant...

Honestly, who CARES if he's wearing NPC letters? It's a hat.

Maybe you could have been like SouthernSugar and ripped it off his head. LOL.

I think demurring on taking ANY action was and is the best action in cases like this.

DoubleTDG · #6 12-13-2008, 02:55 AM

I would mind your own business. When we did invite gifts to our date party or formal in the the spring, one of the items was a hat that had our letters on it, the first time we just had our letters then the name spelled out, but after the first time we would put very small on the back the name of the party.

gphifoxAL · #7 12-13-2008, 10:56 AM

Technically, if I'm correct, most sororities/fraternities are not allowed to discriminate against gender when it comes to members; however, I've never heard of a woman in a fraternity or man in a sorority so you're probably right that he didn't belong to the organization.
Like the others said, just keep to yourself. It's not your issue to deal with if someone is breaking another GLOs rules, and there could have been circumstances to it.

agzg · #8 12-13-2008, 12:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by gphifoxAL

Technically, if I'm correct, most sororities/fraternities are not allowed to discriminate against gender when it comes to members; however, I've never heard of a woman in a fraternity or man in a sorority so you're probably right that he didn't belong to the organization.

What? Most of the NPC groups have gender specifics in their name. For example, Alpha Gamma Delta Women's Fraternity. If that doesn't make it very clear that NO MEN are members, I don't know what does.

DSTRen13 · #9 12-13-2008, 03:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by gphifoxAL

Technically, if I'm correct, most sororities/fraternities are not allowed to discriminate against gender when it comes to members

You're not correct.

preciousjeni · #10 12-13-2008, 03:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by gphifoxAL

Technically, if I'm correct, most sororities/fraternities are not allowed to discriminate against gender when it comes to members

The whole point of social/general Greeks being included in Title IX exemption is so that we CAN discriminate based on gender.

Scandia · #11 12-13-2008, 04:19 PM

For more specification, it was a male around 50 years old wearing a baseball cap featuring the Greek letters and the spelled out name of an NPC organization. Not the one I belong to. I had never seen him before.

LadyLonghorn · #12 12-13-2008, 04:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Scandia

For more specification, it was a male around 50 years old wearing a baseball cap featuring the Greek letters and the spelled out name of an NPC organization. Not the one I belong to. I had never seen him before.

There could be many reasons why he was wearing it, but it all comes down to the fact that it was none of your business. Did you want the NPC to issue you a badge or something that deputizes you as the Letter Police?

m65863 · #13 12-13-2008, 04:41 PM

Don't say anything. He could be wearing it for a number of reasons. But those reasons shouldn't matter to you. Or any of us.

Scandia · #14 12-13-2008, 04:44 PM

Oh gosh no. I said absolutely nothing. I just wondered if there was any etiquette or procedures regarding these. I know some organizations are very strict about who wears their letters.

SHEETCAKE · #15 12-13-2008, 06:13 PM

Nosy is as nosy does, unless nosy is cake, then nosy is delicious!