National "Personality"

[ladygreek]

Originally posted by 33girl
As far as para and stuff, I don't know that "stricter" is the word.

I think the whole thing is - there are fewer NPHC groups, so each will be more (for lack of a better word) proprietary about the things that are theirs. For example, it wouldn't do for me to get all upset about a DZ wearing a red and white shirt, because Chi Omega's colors are also red and white (well, cardinal and straw) and AOII's color is cardinal. Plus there are other groups that have red as one of their colors, and a buttload of other groups that have white as one of their colors. I don't have a special "claim" on red or white within my conference. Does that make sense?

I hear what you are saying. I was referring more to us wearing nalia in colors other than our official ones. We are not to do it.

There are shirts out there that say XYZ look good in any color--with the shirt and letters being the colors of another NPHC sorority. That is NOT condoned by our national organizations, and at least in Delta if reported can lead to a disciplinary action, because it disrespects the other sororities' colors as well as our own.

Lastly, and to go back to the original question, I think part of what makes the NPHC "appear" to some as more standardized goes back to our culture and why we were founded. The D9 orgs and other such predominately AA groups are a HUGE part of the African American community and social culture. Not saying that NPC/IFC are not in their respective communities, but for the AA community I believe the affect is greater on so many levels.

[Taualumna]

Originally posted by OPhiARen3
This thread got kind of off track onto colors and para and whatnot - which is all really interesting, but I'm still confused about the core part of my initial question (probably because I had a hard time wording it well, lol). The NPHC groups seem to have more distinct national identities. The other groups, as one poster put it (I'm sorry, I can't seem to find the post again, and I'm paraphrasing here) seem like essentially all the same thing just with slightly different rituals and colors, and there's a lot of variety from school to school. Are there national identities for the NPC sororities that I just don't see, not being part of those groups, or is it something that is just not seen as really desirable with NPC?

This is probably coming off sounding condescending again ... I am really not trying to be, I just don't know how better to phrase what I'm trying to ask.

Not slightly different "rituals", but different "traditions," depending on our chapter's founding date, region, etc...

[aopirose]

Originally posted by OPhiARen3
I am really not trying to be, I just don't know how better to phrase what I'm trying to ask.

Please try because I still have no idea what you are talking about.

[AchtungBaby80]

Originally posted by sigmadiva
I can only give an answer from a NPHC perspective. An NPCer can give her answer from her perspective, and both answers may still not give you the answer you are looking for. Again, you are trying to compare two (2) different systems.

You said what I would've added in my earlier post if I'd been able to come up with the right words. Thanks!

[SoCalGirl]

I'm confused about what you mean by a "national personality". Do you mean a national stereotype? If you mean something else, could you please give examples of each NPHC sorority's personaility?

[33girl]

Originally posted by aopirose
Please try because I still have no idea what you are talking about.

OK, since no one else will do it (and I'm using random letters because I don't know which asinine stereotype is which):

XYZ are all the light skinned girls.

JKL are all darker skinned girls.

UVW all are stuck up.

etc, etc, etc.

If that's what you mean by a "national personality" I'm really glad we don't have them.

[FSUZeta]

i think the original poster wondered if, for example, alpha beta gamma sorority(i made up the name for purposes of demonstration only) is known nationally as the smart sorority, delta epsilon zeta(another group i made up) as the beauty queen sorority, etc.

if i am on target, my answer is no; i do not know of any npc sorority that has a national identity. we all have diverse chapters all over the country, sisters in all colors, shapes and sizes, smart girls and not so smart, popular, outgoing girls and shy girls, girls for whom service is very important, girls for whom socials are very important. what each npc sorority has in common with its chapters is their ritual & national traditions(for instance, my sorority has a national blessing that is sung before meals-our new members may not possess any object that has our crest(coat of arms) on it, until they are initiated, all our chapters support breast cancer research, to name a few). within the national organization we do have chapters that have certain reputations, warranted or not. we all have chapters whose members are consistently noted for their good looks, the chapter that has the highest gpa, the chapter that makes service a priority, but even those reputations will change from time to time.

[aopirose]

Originally posted by 33girl
OK, since no one else will do it (and I'm using random letters because I don't know which asinine stereotype is which):

XYZ are all the light skinned girls.

JKL are all darker skinned girls.

UVW all are stuck up.

etc, etc, etc.

If that's what you mean by a "national personality" I'm really glad we don't have them.

Now see. That's what came to mind when I first read the OT. I just didn't think that someone would go there.

[33girl]

Originally posted by aopirose
Now see. That's what came to mind when I first read the OT. I just didn't think that someone would go there.

I didn't either, but every day's a cabaret here.

[ladygreek]

Wow, I didn't interpret it that way at all. I thought she meant a stronger standardized national presence.

If you guys are right that means my answer is way off base. LOL

Oh and btw, DST nationally know as the not-so-pretty, brown-skinned, ghetto brainiacs. We are proud of our national personality.

[CarolinaCutie]

I thought that's what this thread was about too... which is why I didn't post until now. If it is, I would agree that the NPC doesn't have these strong "national personalities" because there are too many. It's easy to have reputations with only 4, but with 26, it's too much.

However, I don't think that the NPHC orgs' reps always hold true either. Not necessarily sororities, but I'm thinking of some NPHC fraternities that are the "best" on one campus and not so much on others.

[OPhiARen3]

Originally posted by sigmadiva
I think everyone has answered your original question to the best of his / her ability. I get the feeling you are fishing for a specific answer. What do you want to hear? Do you want someone to come on here and say 'Yeah, those NPCs just don't have it together like the NPHC's.' What type of judgement are you trying to achieve?

Maybe you need to try to understand why you see what you see. Are you looking at NPHCs harder? Do you have some issue with NPCs?

I don't think you are going to get the answer you are looking for because I don't know of many people, at least on GC, who are a member of both an NPHC org and a NPC org, who could give you the answers that you are looking for. I can only give an answer from a NPHC perspective. An NPCer can give her answer from her perspective, and both answers may still not give you the answer you are looking for. Again, you are trying to compare two (2) different systems.

I'm not trying to get a specific answer, just curious about different perspectives - like the different perspectives of an NPCer and an NPHCer, like you mention. I don't think I'm looking at either group harder, and no, I don't have an issue with NPCs - I don't mean it as an insult that they don't have the standardized national identities, I'm just interested in the differences in the systems that leads to that difference. I think that AchtungBaby80's response was really interesting, explaning how she looks at the NPC system's national presence - that was a really cool explanation, I liked it a lot

[OPhiARen3]

Originally posted by 33girl
OK, since no one else will do it (and I'm using random letters because I don't know which asinine stereotype is which):

XYZ are all the light skinned girls.

JKL are all darker skinned girls.

UVW all are stuck up.

etc, etc, etc.

If that's what you mean by a "national personality" I'm really glad we don't have them.

Whoa, that is not what I am talking about at all ...

I am just talking about a more standardized national presence - just how in general there is more variety from chapter to chapter amongst the NPC vs. the NPHC groups. I'm not making a judgment about whether that's a good or bad thing - I don't really have an opinion on it, I'm not in either group. My question is whether or not you think that this is something that arises as a result of the culture (like AchtungBaby80 was talking about NPC groups not really wanting standardization so much, that the diversity was valued, while several of the NPHC posters have mentioned that national standards are very important in their groups), or is it something that comes from numbers of groups, the way that recruitment works, etc.? I'm just looking for different perspectives and ideas ...

[33girl]

Originally posted by OPhiARen3
My question is whether or not you think that this is something that arises as a result of the culture (like AchtungBaby80 was talking about NPC groups not really wanting standardization so much, that the diversity was valued, while several of the NPHC posters have mentioned that national standards are very important in their groups), or is it something that comes from numbers of groups, the way that recruitment works, etc.? I'm just looking for different perspectives and ideas ...

I think it arises from the fact that THERE ARE 6+ TIMES AS MANY NPC GROUPS AS NPHC GROUPS.

I mean, to say that "national standards are very important in the NPHC groups" - that's kinda like saying they're NOT in NPCs, which is ridiculous.

[aopirose]

Originally posted by OPhiARen3
Whoa, that is not what I am talking about at all ...

Please speak plainly. What are you trying to ascertain? We are all still waiting for you to give an example of “a more standardized national presence.” We can't answer your questions unless we know exactly what you are talking about. Further, no one said that NPCs do not want standardization. Each of our organizations has standards and protocol to which we abide.