I've Had It! - Page 2

33girl · #16 08-03-2002, 04:52 PM

Star Turtle and sugar and spice,

Thank you both. I have gotten tired of trying to say the similar thing because some people on this board just cannot/will not get it through their thick heads.

Yes, I was the first one to say that the Sigmas needed their heads examined for getting involved with MTV. That was mainly because I knew they would get edited into something for maximum drama, not necessarily real life, and get raked over the coals on the reality show sites. If there is still a group of women out there who haven't gotten completely jaded and cynical and thought the best would happen, well, God bless them. For all we know, the creator planned to do a positive portrayal and took it to MTV, and was told to sleaze it up. Until he and the Sigmas can speak freely, we'll never know. We are seeing maybe 5%, if that, of the events that happened within Sigma this quarter. Unless we can see the other 95%, we can only judge the SHOW, not the SISTERS.

And when you say "they're not really Greek" - "their rush is stupid" - etc. etc. - do you realize how much that plays up to every "sorority girls are snobs" stereotype? And yes I say girls, because I've seen very little bashing from the guys on here.

So just keep saying to every PNM "We're NOTHING like that MTV show! They are a complete joke! We would never act like that!" till you get the PNM who decided to rush BECAUSE she saw women on this show who are not rich and do not look like Barbie, and she's so turned off by your attitude that she - and all the positive qualities she has that you wanted as part of your sisterhood - walks out the door.

chideltjen · #17 08-03-2002, 05:25 PM

I watch the show because I find it interesting to watch how another organization that is similar to ours functions. For all I know, Chi Delta could have been Sigma 10 years ago when WE first started. They are still new to the scene and have probably never had to deal with this type of pressure. It's a learning experience for everyone. All they can say is that they made a mistake and hopefully we can help prevent other locals from making similar mistakes, instead of just criticizing them and not worrying about Local ABC who is actually considering MTV to help them out. (If you can, check out Sigma Lambda Epsilon's website... I think that is the name of the sorority.)
And I hate how NPC members get all freaked out when they start showing pledge house scenes and wonder if their potential recruits are going to be sooooo influenced by the show, they are gonna think we all have pledge houses, we all drink and party, blah blah blah... WILL YOU GIVE PNMS SOME FREAKIN' CREDIT???? They probably aren't as naive as you all are making them appear. I wanna know what girls are worried about pnms asking them about pledge houses when their active chapter doesn't even own a house themselves. In our case, about 2 sororities have "unofficial houses" that are located somewhere downtown. I don't think anyone should have to worry about PNMs asking that question.
And if the show is that offensive to you... just stop watching. It will only make you more upset, will have you sign this board complaining how it made you upset and then you look like the snob because you want to prove to everyone that your sorority is NOTHING like that. Please... some people already admitted to bumping into glass doors while plastered so don't say Sigma is nothing like you.
IMO, i think more girls will come out to recruitment just to see what MTV lied about. We'll see in the fall.

Bama_Alumna · #18 08-03-2002, 06:06 PM

If you don't want people to talk about your dirty laundry, don't put it out on the front porch for everyone to see.

kddani · #19 08-03-2002, 06:20 PM

very well put, bama_alumna

sugar and spice · #20 08-03-2002, 06:38 PM

I don't know about the rest of you, but my mother taught me that classy women don't gossip about other people's dirty laundry, even if it's out on the porch for everybody to see. And intelligent women never insult others for having dirty laundry, because they know full well that there will be some point in their lives when they'll have some too.

Think about yourself. Are you at your very best one hundred percent of the time? Of course not. There are times when we are all petty, catty, spiteful or downright ugly. Now just be thankful that you don't have a camera crew following you around 24/7 to capture all those moments.

Yes, the Sigmas willingly signed on with MTV to be a part of this show. But when they did that, they had no idea what kind of pledge class they were going to end up with during filming. In my opinion, the Sigmas have represented their organization well on the show -- it's the pledges who have had less than stellar behavior. And as a new organization who appears to have little experience with wild pledges, it only makes sense that they wouldn't know how to deal with Candace/Jordan/et al.

dggirly · #21 08-03-2002, 06:42 PM

Ok so I think the reason a lot of people are talking about the show in a negative manner is the fact that well that is just what people do. Look at how everyone talks about actors and anybody else on reality shows. It is no different! I know personally I love watching the show, however I don't like the show at the same time. Does that make any sense? My one major problem wih the show is that I feel like I have yet to watch anything relating to sorority life. And when ever something that could be related to the sorority life happens they have to make it seem stupid. Like the girls getting drunk instead of being at the retreat making arts and crafts. However I am sure we all have girls in our houses who have or would do the same thing. We just don't know about it!! When I first found out about the show, from an MTV preview, I thought it was going to be like the MTV True Life shows, like True Life I'm a sorority girl. But when I found out it was real world style I realised at that time, that this show was not actually going to be sending out the messages I think we all wish we would.

I definatly feel everyone is allowed their opinion of what they think about the show, whether it is good or bad. I just do not understand why so many people, including how the sisters are portrayed on the show have a problem with the girls who are 21 going to the bars, drinking, dancing, having fun!! I have yet to see anything which I find as a major problem, except for the NM's talking so much crap about their sorority. If they don't like it that much why are they still there? Is it the cameras? But then again i realise that the active members can't do anything about it as this is the first they have probably heard about it.

So I guess my point is that if you want to talk negatively about this show remember that 1. it is an MTV show which means things are going to be taken out of context. 2. it is not like the actives knew what was going on in the pledge house or with the pledges elsewhere. So they are just as blind as you are with your new members. and lastly, I honestly do not think his show is going to hurt rush in the fall. It is definatly going to be annoying having to keep explaining that MTV gave them the pledge house, or any other questions that might arise, but the PNM's will understand. Plus i really doubt people that were going to rush were going to change their mind now. Just like me I am sure they all have forgotten at this point that these girls(the NM's) are in a sorority. I feel sorry for the active Sigma sisters because I honestly do feel that the NM's which MTV are showing are only their because of the MTV cameras. Was it a bad idea to do the show? Yes. But was it harmful to sorority life, i doubt it. I think the Sigmas are just going to have to deal with the negative comments made about them just like everyone on the real world or road rules has to deal with it. But just remember that it is a TV show, and MTV proabaly changed things around, and are making things look worse.

Sorry for venting for so long!!

cash78mere · #22 08-03-2002, 07:30 PM

You know what i'm tired of??

having to explain to SEVERAL high school aged girls that the sigmas are NOT like a real sisterhood

that we do NOT ask our rushees if they are Jewish or put ANY weight on your religious status.

that we do NOT all freak with our sisters at clubs

that we do NOT speak about our sisters the way those disrespectful new members do

gosh....i work at a camp and all of my junior counselors are in high school or going into college....they ALL come to me and say "i can't believe you were in a sorority...my mom watched it and said she would never allow me to join one...i didn't know you had to be jewish to get in...i can't believe they talk about each other the way they do...." i could go on and on and on about what they think about sorority life.

this show is disgusting. i'm really glad they are getting the negative reaction that they are...they are disillusioning so many young women thinking about college life.

young girls don't have anything to compare real sorority life with. they don't know that this show is a crackpot unless someone like me tells them.

so bash away...

DeltAlum · #23 08-03-2002, 07:48 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by cash78mere
this show is disgusting. i'm really glad they are getting the negative reaction that they are...they are disillusioning so many young women thinking about college life.

The point, though, is that the sorority didn't necessarly make the show disgusting -- MTV (and the producers) did.

Unless you are in on the editing, there is absolutely no way to know how much is taken out of context. We may never know if MTV "placed" some of the women to add to the conflict.

The chapter was very naieve in thinking they would get a fair representation. That makes them dumb (at least in the case of "reality" TV), it doesn't make them bad.

They made a really bad decision. Nothing is gained by rubbing their noses in it. People will do that for years to come. No reason for us to add to their burden.

DigitalAngel126 · #24 08-03-2002, 07:49 PM

There are a couple of things that irritate me in general, but can't particularly be blamed on Sigma. Here is an example:

Just last night I was talking to some people that I went to high school with, one of which also attends the same college I decided on....We were just talking about random college stuff and I offhandedly mentioned something about 'one of my sisters'. All of them that have known me since high school were like

YOU'RE IN A SORORITY??

So I asked what was wrong with it, why is surprised them, why they looked at me that way, etc (all in curiousness, I wasn't rude or anything).

What was the answer I got?? That they were the general population ... not anti-greek, but not involved in the greek community.. And the majority of their comments were along the lines of 'Wow, you've changed a lot.. I never thought you'd be involved in ANYTHING like that??'... 'Is it a strictly Christian organization?'...'You're pretty crazy, do you get flack for it?'.. 'Has one of YOUR sisters ever slapped YOU in the face?'..

Granted, I could sell a snow ball to an eskimo - - I'm very persuasive and a good talker... So after I got done ranting about how I'm not a stereotype, I'm a person, I likened the show to being a same sex Real World... then they all were just kind of like

"Oh, that makes more sense".

Simply because they had no prior knowledge of greek-ness, they assumed what was on that show to be true. Sigma could be any other org...it could be Nu Mu Upsilon Lambda Sigma Order of the Omega for all I care, but BOO MTV for making it look the way they are making it look!!!

So I say enough of the Sigma bashing, let's hear some more of the MTV Bashing!! Because as you've all heard before, and it still stands true, NO MATTER THE LETTER, WE'RE ALL GREEK TOGETHER.

1260

AXO Alum · #25 08-03-2002, 08:03 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by cash78mere
You know what i'm tired of??

having to explain to SEVERAL high school aged girls that the sigmas are NOT like a real sisterhood

that we do NOT ask our rushees if they are Jewish or put ANY weight on your religious status.

that we do NOT all freak with our sisters at clubs

that we do NOT speak about our sisters the way those disrespectful new members do

gosh....i work at a camp and all of my junior counselors are in high school or going into college....they ALL come to me and say "i can't believe you were in a sorority...my mom watched it and said she would never allow me to join one...i didn't know you had to be jewish to get in...i can't believe they talk about each other the way they do...." i could go on and on and on about what they think about sorority life.

ME TOO, SISTER CASH! ME TOO!!

Being a new chapter co-advisor (new advisor - not new chapter) I have heard from MANY of our collegians about how to handle this situation. And I have heard from MANY prospectives who say "My mom watched that show with me and she won't let me go greek now" or worse... "I watched that show and I don't WANT to go greek" -- UGH!!!

And Bama Alum -- you go with the "momma-ism" -- cause my momma said it too....dirty laundry should STAY in the laundry room.

Oh - and as for the EDITING stuff -- I'm sorry, how did MTV make it appear as though that girl smacked her pledge sister?!

Oh, let me guess...its another CONSPIRACY, right?!

Like I said in another thread -- RESPECT is the name of the game. I never said that my chapter (undergrad or advising) is perfect, but we DON'T condone violence...PERIOD!! If you came from a chapter where pledge sisters were hitting each other, then there is something SERIOUSLY wrong!

You lie down with dogs and you'll get up with FLEAS!

Eirene_DGP · #26 08-03-2002, 08:30 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by sugar and spice
I don't know about the rest of you, but my mother taught me that classy women don't gossip about other people's dirty laundry, even if it's out on the porch for everybody to see. And intelligent women never insult others for having dirty laundry, because they know full well that there will be some point in their lives when they'll have some too.

Very well put.

Blaire · #27 08-03-2002, 08:35 PM

As funny and contridicting as it may sound, I agree with everyone on some level. I am tired of the bashing, but will not deny that I was once a part of it. I, too, am tired of explaining to people that, no you don't have to be Jewish, no we don't have a pledge house, no NOT ONE of my sisters has ever slaped me in the face, EVER!

In a way, I feel sorry for Sigma. They went out on a limb and are paying for it. I know that there are a few things that happened in my sorority that I would not want the whole world to know...MTV is at fault, but honestly, Sigma should have seen some of it coming. Granted, I would probably look just as bad from time to time, but I would have enough sense to see it coming. Oh well...you live and learn.

Blaire

Thrillhouse · #28 08-03-2002, 09:44 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by AXO Alum

Oh - and as for the EDITING stuff -- I'm sorry, how did MTV make it appear as though that girl smacked her pledge sister?! Oh, let me guess...its another CONSPIRACY, right?!

Exactly, that was an air slap and Jessica was placed there from another bar

damasa · #29 08-03-2002, 09:53 PM

I never thought that this sorority made a good decision in allowing MTV to film them. However, that doesn't make them a bad or horrible sorority, they just made a bad choice (imho). This is something they are going to have to live with for many, many years to come.

With that being said, there is always room for positive and negative remarks, nothing will ever be perfect to everyone, and though they might not want to deal with the bad comments or the bashing, that is something they also have to face. It is something they will also have to live with. It is something that is going to aid them in looking back on this event and ask if it was really worth it. It could make the chapter stronger in many ways, or it could break the chapter. THAT depends on how strong the girls in this org are after this series is over.

I don't think that fighting for the bashing or fighting against the bashing of this org is going to get anyone anywhere. I say just let it play out, something positive could possibly come from it.

Personally, I hate the show. I watched one episode, and what I saw was an edited episode depicting some of the active sisters not liking the fact that the pnms were having a damn good time. There's nothing wrong with a little fun now and then, isn't that what clubs are for?!

shawnna256 · #30 08-03-2002, 10:55 PM

Its seems that some of you dont think that greeks bash eash other at all. You are wrong...greeks to bash each other and gossip about each other.
As for everyone talking about the Sigmas.......it was thier choice to be do the show. Do you honestly think that they thought no one would find anything wrong with what they are doing?
Yes...what is happening on the show is what happens in some chapters...yes the show is making the greek system look bad...the media always has. Bashing them is our way of dealing with it.