What makes Greek life "hot" in the south?

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Originally Posted by pbear19

A pattern that I have noticed is that northerners often express a distaste for the idiosyncracies and customs of their southern brothers and sisters (often a vehement distaste), but they don't deny them being brothers and sisters. Some (definitely not all, but some) of the southerners are claiming that their northern brethren are not in fact brethren at all, and have in essence disowned the northern chapters for not being exclusive enough, or elite enough, or whatever their specfic standard may be that they find lacking. That I think is probably very troublesome and offensive to the northerners.

Of course, that is problematic for more that just those from northern chapters. While I completely see how some get on the defensive immediately when someone from a southern chapter states something so bluntly, I can't understand why the first reaction is to attack whoever said whatever was offensive to begin with.
This is getting complicated, but I'll leave it at that I actually understand both sides, but am more offended by the northern arguments.

[pbear19]

Originally Posted by SECdomination

While I completely see how some get on the defensive immediately when someone from a southern chapter states something so bluntly, I can't understand why the first reaction is to attack whoever said whatever was offensive to begin with.

I definitely agree with this too. I didn't mean to condone the defensiveness, but I do understand it as a rather natural human reaction. I think it's one of those issues that is a shame from both sides, in many ways. The 'disowning' saddens me more than the defensiveness, which is why I likely keyed into it more.

For what it's worth, my experience is that of a midwesterner who lived in the south for a few years and feels very connected with southern friends.