GRSSK

[Ottor 246]

Originally Posted by EM1843

Finally watched last weeks episode (gotta love DVR). I thought it was really funny and suprisingly accurate. Sometimes I think that we forget that sterotypes are based on something.

I agree. Sure fraternities are stereotyped by the wild stories everyone has heard. That's because each of us has one or two stories that we tell over and over that eventually become the stuff of legend. String those stories together and attribute them all to one fraternity, and you've got Caligula's palace. What people don't realize is that those stories are the standout moments of a four or five year undergraduate experience. In between, there were months of classes and studying and unbearable tedium that is college. If that was the show, no one would watch it. The fraternity that Rusty is pledging had a lot of things that reminded me of my experience. I thought the clean, well groomed mansions were a bit of a stretch.

I saw part of the first episode when they reran it over the weekend. I figured it would be discussed on message boards (this one and others.) I expected to see comments ranging from, "It's a show with some potential," to, "It was stupid and I won't watch it again." I did not expect to see the petitions (on other boards) trying to get the show canceled.

I waited to comment until they ran the second episode, and of course I missed 2/3 of it. To me, though, if there's an objectionable stereotype on the show, it's Rusty's roommate, the "Christian." Amongst the "greeks," so far I've seen cool, not so cool, rich, poor, drinkers, spitters, gay(er...I mean "drunk",) straight, nice, mean and slutty. Meanwhile, there's only one so-called "Christian" character, and he's the one with poorly developed social skills and a confederate flag on his wall. He goes around blaming God when his roommate passes out and doesn't get his homework done.

Still, the worst stereotype of all is the GLO members on the web who are calling for the show's cancellation. What's the stereotype? That we as a society have become so uptight and bitchy that we have lost the ability to laugh at ourselves. It's funny how so many people are against censorship until something offends them.

Of course they don't portray fraternities and sororities as they are. Real fraternities are not a monolith of rich narcissists and they don't all have fancy houses. The president of the college I went to didn't have a house as nice as those fraternity houses. And the women at the parties don't all look like Victoria's Secret models.

That's because it's not a documentary, it's a soap opera. Western's don't show the American West as it really was. Shows about the middle ages don't show the middle ages as they really were. It's an entertainment show. As long as it continues to entertain me, and so far it does, I'll continue to watch it.

[JonoBN41]

Ottor, you make a lot of good points, not the least of which is that the show is not a documentary, but entertainment. I laughed so hard when a passerby dropped a dollar bill on Rusty and he protests, "I'm not homeless!!!"

It's also true that we tend to remember the fun, unusual moments while most of our time in college was pretty boring. Hell, even most of the parties we had were pretty boring, never mind the endless hours of studying or just going out to grab a midnight snack. No TV show there.

As EM1843 said, stereotypes are based on something, so what else would they put in the show to make it entertaining? If high school kids are watching this show, are they going to be pleasantly surprised or disappointed when they finally get to college and find it's not really like this? Hmm...

[JConleyWCU]

I felt this show was great. This show has a lot less problems in it then Animal House. I LOVE ANIMAL HOUSE and never once did I think that Greek life was anything like it. If people base their stereotypes off of an ABC Family show they have too many problems to deal with already. But if you are going to stereotype, stereotype Rusty. I was thinking about it, and I do not believe he has drank once since pledging. He tried with the tequila but spit it out on the hot girl.

My favorite was when they played beerpong, that game has so many variations. I did not know until recently it was played places with an actual ping pong paddle.

[OneTimeSBX]

Originally Posted by Ottor 246

Meanwhile, there's only one so-called "Christian" character, and he's the one with poorly developed social skills and a confederate flag on his wall. He goes around blaming God when his roommate passes out and doesn't get his homework done.

i saw what i guess was the pilot, and lmao when Rusty said he had a roommate who he "thinks is a little racist"!

i guess since i didnt pledge at a college i see it a bit fresher than most greeks, but i thought it was ok. not enough to tivo it, but enough to watch it while folding laundry on a Saturday afternoon.

[Dave J 1233]

I actually identified a lot with Rusty in the second episode. I know how hard it is to juggle difficult classes and Greek life, as I'm sure we all do.

[GammaZeta]

JConley, I too loved Animal House.

Funny thing, my greek experience was almost exactly like the movie.

[JConleyWCU]

Animal House is a classic... One of the new Greek interns in our Greek Life department beats the whole "We're Not Like That" into the ground to the point where it becomes obnoxious.

I have seen photos from scrapbooks as to what our alumni did that were "OK" in those times. In the 70's and early 80's it looked SO MUCH fun. They could have mass quantities of kegs, raft races, concerts, and homecoming with beer trucks. Now at our college if three of more brothers are together in a house hold, it is considered a party. This isn't even in a fraternity house. Technically since there are three of us that live together, in campuses eye's it is a Lambda Chi Alpha event. God forbid if someone is drinking underage even worse if there is a keg. A keg will get you kicked off. If there are 50 GDI's together in their place with a keg. They are lucky to get anything but underage drinking.

[Ottor 246]

Originally Posted by JConleyWCU

If there is 50 GDI's together in their place with a keg... they are lucky to get anything but underage drinking.

Sounds like where I went. The rugby club was the worst. (Club and not team, because Ship didn't officially compete in intercollegiate rugby.) They had a house, and they were a fraternity in everything but name. They had bigger parties than we ever dreamed of, and they got away with it because nobody regulated them. They weren't under IFC, or the athletic department.

And yeah, I too had my share of Animal House experiences. (Anyone else familiar with the term, "naked beer slides?") But compared with what our founders got away with in the early 80s, we were a bunch of sissies.

[Ottor 246]

And by the way...I, too, am annoyed when Hollywood writes "Greek" as "GRSSK"

I guess they figure if they wrote, "ΓΡEEK" it would be lost on their broader audience.