Why is the Frat Boy Culture so Sleazy and Sex-Crazed?

[sdeason1]

Sterotyping seems to run rampant when it comes to any organization with greek letters! Nothing is said usually about any hazing out side of glos, but of course it happens. But again it seems glos are the ones who get the most press.

[ThetaPrincess24]

I would be curious to see research or hear ideas on how this stereotype got started? A lot of people say it started with "Animal House." But, where did the writers for that movie get the idea? Why has it continued to be portrayed that way in movies and the media?

I guess "real fraternity/sorority life" must not make for good ratings/blockbuster hits.

[33girl]

Originally Posted by ThetaPrincess24

I would be curious to see research or hear ideas on how this stereotype got started? A lot of people say it started with "Animal House." But, where did the writers for that movie get the idea? Why has it continued to be portrayed that way in movies and the media?

I guess "real fraternity/sorority life" must not make for good ratings/blockbuster hits.

As far as that's concerned, Animal House actually REVIVED fraternity and sorority membership. It was languishing during the 1970s. And Chris Miller has said the movie was tame compared to the real thing. I would argue that everything that happened in that movie has happened at every college, with or without Greek life. IMO that movie does a very good job of showing fraternity bonds - even when the Deltas lose their charter and are kicked out of school they still stick together. To me, it's a positive advertisement for Greek life.

This is going to sound snotty as hell, but I think a lot of the Greek stereotypes are advanced - and have been since Greek orgs existed - by people who are just plain jealous they aren't part of them and want to bring them down. Think about other groups that have certain stereotypes - cheerleaders are the first one that come to my mind.

[Munchkin03]

Originally Posted by ThetaPrincess24

I would be curious to see research or hear ideas on how this stereotype got started? A lot of people say it started with "Animal House."

You're right in that the reputation proceeds "Animal House." For my senior thesis in college, I wrote about my college's attempt to calm the fraternity men down by building them their own quad. Just after World War II, there were all sorts of crazy things happening in our Greek system--knife fights, fraternization, etc. This wasn't just my college, either--this was going on all over the East Coast, if not the entire country. University administrations felt that by getting the fraternities out of their houses and into brand new quadrangles, that the nonsense would stop. I think by the time "Animal House" came out, that the schools figured they couldn't stop it. Also, changes in college life--mainly the elimination of in loco parentis in the 60s--led to loosening of some rules.