organization stereotypes

[IrishPhiSig]

ummm....i don't feel like i asked the same thing on many threads.

[RedRoseSAI]

Originally posted by megleigh
i go to a private college, so our sororities and fraternities are also private...so the nice thing is, we aren't stereotyped like national ones are.

Exactly how are national GLOs stereotyped?

[megleigh]

it was just said earlier that nationals are stereotyped b/c if they are the nerdy ones at one school, they are considered the nerdy ones at another school..

[RedRoseSAI]

Actually, the opposite has been said many times on GC. The XYZs on one campus may be one way, but they may be another way at a different schools.

[megleigh]

maybe i should've used different words. i meant thought to be instead of considered, which is a stereotype... thinking just b/c one chapter is a certain way at one school, they are most likely that way at another.

[RedRoseSAI]

I see. I would consider that to be an individual's personal prejudice rather than a stereotype.

[Wolfman]

I'm not sure about NIC and NPC group stereotypes (or the lack thereof),but among NPHC groups there are definitely national stereotypes. Even though all members don't confirm to these stereotypes,to a large extent there is more than a grain of truth to them. It's somewhat like a self-fulfilling prophecy.

The origins of this is grounded in history though, having to do with social class differences and other factors that differentiated various groups.

Fraternities:
A Phi A--gentlemen scholars,snobs,nerds,etc.
Kappa Alpha Psi--,pretty boy,playboy fraternity(a more recent stereotype--earlier more athletes and heavy drinkers)
Omega Psi Phi--the infamous "Que Dogs," the gregarious, macho party frat
Phi Beta Sigma--so-called "skaters," largely from more "declasse" backgrounds
Iota Phi Theta--black radicals,somewhat off the radar socially speaking,new kids on the block

Sororities:
Alpha Kappa Alpha--prim ,beauty queen,socialite types
Delta Sigma Theta--more open, outgoing, civic-minded,and gregarious
Zeta Phi Beta and Sigma Gamma Rho in black society circles traditionally considered the sororities for black women from lower class girls.

Even though these stereotypes are often downplayed now, they tend to reflect issues that go back to the founding days of many of these organizations. One of the founders of my Fraternity, Omega Psi Phi, said that the other group in existence at the time on Howard Univ.'s campus appraoched him and another founder. He said they "turned them down flat," and it was composed of "bigots" who had money and esteemed family names. It was a "social club not a fraternity." (This is not meant to be polemical but to give insight into how these stereotypes,in terms of NPHC groups, developed.)

[ADPi Conniebama]

Wow, Wolfman, Is this YOUR OPINION or is this an American Wide knowledge and stereotype of each one of those organizations that you mentioned. I mean, don't NPHC groups vary a little bit from chapter to chapter?

Those are strong "stereotypes" about every organization that you mentioned. Hard to live up to for the "good ones" and hard to "live down" for the "newer ones".

[kddani]

did this really need to be bumped? i think most of us were happy that it had drifted down the page...

[Tom Earp]

Why not?

Question has been asked and others want to leave an opinion.

Are there difference between Male and Female Organizations, Da, Hell, Yes.

Are There differences between and among Male Groups and Female Groups, well do I need to go any further!!! ?

But, What is the Real Difference when it comes to Non Greeks Degrading Us as Greeks.

What is the color Barrier? I dont know, I have Brothers from different Relegions and Colors! So Who In The F*ck Cares but Others who dont know them!

[AchtungBaby80]

Originally posted by RedRoseSAI
Actually, the opposite has been said many times on GC. The XYZs on one campus may be one way, but they may be another way at a different schools.

We say that, but what about the average non-Greek? In my experience, you tend to get painted with the same brush as far as stereotypes based on peoples' perception of your group at their school...there have been so many times I've heared, "Wow...you're a _fill in the blank_?? I don't believe it--you're totally different!"

[starang21]

Originally posted by ADPi Conniebama
Wow, Wolfman, Is this YOUR OPINION or is this an American Wide knowledge and stereotype of each one of those organizations that you mentioned. I mean, don't NPHC groups vary a little bit from chapter to chapter?

Those are strong "stereotypes" about every organization that you mentioned. Hard to live up to for the "good ones" and hard to "live down" for the "newer ones".

it does vary chapter to chapter, but those are national stereotypes. and wolfman was quite tact with his list, lol.

[RedRoseSAI]

Originally posted by AchtungBaby80
We say that, but what about the average non-Greek? In my experience, you tend to get painted with the same brush as far as stereotypes based on peoples' perception of your group at their school...there have been so many times I've heared, "Wow...you're a _fill in the blank_?? I don't believe it--you're totally different!"

Yeah, you're right. I guess I was holding the poster to a higher standard, since she's a Greek.

[Wolfman]

AD Pi Conniebama-

As I stated in my post, these national stereotypes of NPHC organization are real and somewhat ubiquitous for those familiar with our organizations. And, as I stated, every member of these groups don't conform to these stereotypes but they are powerful labels which delimit how many outsiders identify members of these groups. It's really a double-edged sword. You have to take the positive aspects of the stereotypes with the bad ones too. I've talked with young men desiring membership within my Fraternity and those who aren't legacies or aren't familiar with Omega, tend to identify more with aspects of the "Omega mystique." But the most important thing I wanted to get across is that, to a certain extent, even though those who perpetuate these stereotypes don't have much of a historical reference point, in a germinal sense they are rooted in history, as I stated in my post. And these ideological differences (in the midst of the overwhelming similarities!) really get to the core of the visions of the founders of these organizations. In this sense, there is a serious and important side to these superficial,juvenile stereotypes, and it shows that diversity is important and inevitable. FYI: I don't fit the stereotype of my Fraternity,but as I learned about the history and principles embodied in our Ritual I found that those are the things I really do believe in and seek to live by.

(I once had a Korean husband and wife in my NT Greek class( I used to teach it in seminary). When the wife found out I was an Omega (a "bulldog" as she referred to Omegas) she was very surprised. Later her husband jokingly told me that she said to him that I acted like an "Alpha." I thought this was funny but what she expressed was what a lot of people think, even though it may sound trite and silly.)

I've surfed the web and viewed the websites of various NIC and NPC groups. The content and rhetoric contained therein seems to "flat" and very similar. Maybe my opinion is just one from an outsider. A somewhat positive note to all this is that there is a friendly rivalry which is generated by these stereotypes and it adds to the sense of interest,fun and belonging in the NPHC groups, I think. This is just one person's opinion.

-Wolfman