The Cult of Sororities & BamaRush

[@jordanatheresa]

#ad Download Love & Pies here -> pixly.go2cloud.org/SH42R time stamps: 00:00 - intro 05:24 - the history of sororities 27:04 - sororities and misogyny 44:24 - sororities and race 54:28 - sororities and politics i hope you guys enjoy this video!!!!

[@yianko2090]

Coming from a non-American background and went to a girls' highschool (and unfortunately, was bullied in that school) whenever I see the movie or series about sororities, it sent chills to my spine. Even the one in one of my favourite films Legally Blonde, it just gives me some icky feeling. I think it is partly bc I dislike most of the categorisation based on sex/gender, and partly bc of my personal trauma when staying in an environment that has only one sex/gender for an extensive period of time. I am glad someone finally talks about this since it is always interesting to me when people choose to put themselves in those groups. (ofc, it includes the fraternities)

[@Someone100700]

È434e³3😅😅😅😅

[@jnunya1805]

As a southerner, perhaps you are mistaking misogyny with basic etiquette. Perhaps there is something greater society could learn from this. Decorum.**the woman do not see it as unfair, you do*** trust me, rape in this country is almost 100% not committed on college campuses. Look at the U.S. Stats, but do you have the bravado to do an honest video.

[@lightdarkequivalent7143]

30:33 was that bardcore bad romance

[@walnutsrcool]

Hey I respect you and I know you care about people. Why are you silent on the genocide happening in Gaza? No one expects a 2 hour video on the history from you. But post a watermelon or say free Palestine. This is genocide. It’s not complex they just want you to think it is to keep you silent

[@kinddogg]

watching all those bama rush videos really does make you feel like you’re looking into an alternate universe where being a brunette makes you some kind of minority

[@peachesandcream22]

These bamarush girls themselves aren't naturally blonde, they just dye they hair like that cause of crazy American beauty standard of tanned, blonde, blue-eyed belle.

[@uncle-keg]

There's brunettes, they're just in disguise.

[@lyndas.8765]

Also wanted to add that the women spend hours per day and thousand per month maintaining their appearance, while the men-without fail- look like runny mashed potatoes with drinking problems.

[@yo_livv]

​@@lyndas.8765runny potatoes with drinking problems 😂😭

[@cindixgaming3557]

black is nonexistent at that point

[@stephaniehibbert7335]

As someone who is black and English and went to an American university in the south, I remember I rushed and ultimately didn’t get selected for any sororities. However, after rush was over and I would see these girls at frat parties, and had multiple tell me on separate occasions that the reason they could accept me was because they either already had a black girl or they were holding out for the only other black girl that rushed (coincidentally someone I went on to be great friends with) and if they had too many black girls in the house then frats wouldn’t invite them to parties anymore. It was also interesting just being black at frat parties because no one would talk to me until they heard my accent and then suddenly and miraculously it was like I wasn’t black anymore.

[@britneykisakye4366]

I think it’s because it’s your English accent, but thank you for sharing your story!!

[@justaladyj]

That’s unfortunate. 😢they have black ones as well. But as someone who is apart of a black sorority that has chapters in the UK and in A few countries in Africa we are definitely different

[@IshtarNike]

Man can we talk about the perverse intersections of race, class and nationality. I'm always glad I didn't get too close to rich white people because they are racist AF they just hide it better.

[@kjarakravik4837]

That's horrifying

[@livalittle13]

That's so disgusting and weird and creepy and scarey... I'm so sorry you dealt with that bs. Ridiculous

[@zooh8017]

The reason you’re not allowed to talk about drinking is that all the girls rushing are freshman who can’t legally drink and the older girls need to at least pretend be secretive about allowing underage drinking

[@Tamaraniac]

This. They can get in big trouble with their national organizations (or the law) if they’re at all public about underage drinking.

[@AddieDub]

But aren't the guys in frats also underaged?

[@BrittianyPerkins1]

@@AddieDub yeah but in my experience the boys get away with so much more. The girls are held to higher standards. This is mostly bc the girls and guys are under different organizations technically. We were Pan Hellenic conference and the boys are interfraternal conference. Different management. Different rules. The PHC has done a lot more work trying to move the image of Greek life away from the partying stereotype it’s been known for forever towards philanthropy. The IFC doesn’t care about it that much. They try to lure in new members with parties actually

[@SQUELCH-zj7il]

They should just reduce the drinking age 💀 waiting until 21 is absolutely ridiculous

[@TheElf_Online]

@@SQUELCH-zj7ilyou can’t expect Americans to be logical. (Saying that as an American, everyone also thinks it’s really dumb).

[@baby.nay.]

Thank you for talking about the predatory nature of the parties. I went to a frat party once and it was terrifying . They literally didn’t allow anyone to come inside except women and actually threw me out eventually because I refused to drink. It was in an incredibly secluded place .. I got the impression that all of these dudes had joined a frat so that they could have access to women in these types of scenarios where women are the only people invited, forced to drink, and then kind of in a position where they can’t easily leave because there’s no public transportation and they basically end up staying over to either have consensual or non-consensual sex .

[@jenjoestar.]

That’s actually terrifying… getting kicked out for not drinking is the biggest red flag ever. I don’t even want to imagine all the things done in those houses.

[@oreofudgeman]

You are 100% correct. Frats and sororities don't really serve a positive purpose here.

[@laurencorrales2223]

There’s no such thing as “non consensual sex” call it what it is. It’s Rape.

[@mikkiaela5391]

I went to a frat party at 15…. Was the stupidest mistake I ever made. I ended up blacking out and the last thing I remember was puking in a room that had a pool table and two guys came in talking to me I can’t remember what was said or done but I woke up in a tshirt that wasn’t mine in the frat house and told how fun I was…. I never even tried to figure out or remember what happened but I had this overwhelming feeling of disgust and sadness…

[@FoxGlove8]

Non- consentual sex is rape. Plain and simple. That being said that sounds horrifying, hope you're ok

[@kakeyluvsu]

the most bonkers thing is if i was rich i rather be living alone in a nice swanky apartment near my uni, rather than being forced to share a goddamn house with a bunch of other girls who probably never done a single chore in their lives lmao i rather DIE

[@KD-ou2np]

Well... they pay for people to do the cleaning. Probably some crazy stories from those cleaners and other service people.

[@pillbugm8914]

They pay for networking with other rich people. It's the connections they care about.

[@digolaverdad7313]

Lol it's not about sharing rooms. It's the connections. If you play the game you may be set for life with jobs and opportunities for life. Those people understand that and that's why they are rich and you are not 😂

[@Cenmeow]

@@digolaverdad7313 "those people" already have rich parents and would be fine regardless if they got to build connections through sororities or not

[@alextrivunovic644]

You would never get in, so nothing to worry about.

[@natatatm]

I'm really glad you brought up how only frats being allowed to party isn't just sexist, it's actively endangering members based on a really outdated code of conduct

[@sioparr]

Literally my first thought was if the guys can’t come over to the sorority house then where do they all hook up? Cuz if it’s only at the frat house then no wonder it’s so unsafe and there’s such a SA culture at these campuses

[@M123Xoxo]

I mean, I actually like the rule that no men are allowed to stay the night. Imagine having random men in your house all the time? With 100 girls in one house, even if only 10%, had a guy over, that's still 10 random guys a night in your home. I personally would not feel safe.

[@sioparr]

@@M123Xoxo stay the night sure but they can’t even enter the house, thus in any relationships formed there’s a huge imbalance, I don’t know how comfortable I would be constantly going back to a guys place surrounded by maybe not the best influence. At least every now and then you’d like to go back to your room and then you can at least inform a neighbor “hey I’ve brought someone home just so you know and can maybe check in on me at some point”

[@martyna5684]

so dramatic

[@petalchild]

​@@martyna5684not really, it's a safety concern.

[@shadycatz85]

it's fascinating that despite the complete lack of men, it's all for and about men. connections to men, learning how to be the perfect feminine role, in pursuit of a dream of a wealthy husband.

[@andrewmclaughlin2701]

lulz

[@thesevenkingswelove9554]

​@@moonlightprincess6655 how is finding a "guy in college " smart?? Like do they mean it's smart because they can know their personality more than when they become old? Because people CHANGE a lot as they get older

[@tinycindy2977]

​@@thesevenkingswelove9554 it's smart because you get to get married earlier.

[@Hannahgs]

@@moonlightprincess6655 "a lot" seems to be overstating the issue. and a bit misogynistic itself. Most women go to college for an education. Even if they want to meet a husband there, they still go and get an education.

[@Hannahgs]

@@moonlightprincess6655 I mean it still kind of comes off that way. What point exactly are you trying to make about women specifically? So many men I know go to college and hope to find a wife or life partner there. So many queer people I know hope to find partners in college. I don’t see that as a problem. I think that is entirely different from the comment we are replying under which points out that living for the approval of men is bad. Wanting a partner isn’t that. I think maybe the issue would be women being raised to prioritize men, but your comment doesn’t seem to condemn that as much as women who go to college for more than one reason. A lot of people go to college for a lot of different reasons. I went mainly because I want to be able to get a job that will pay a living wage. I didn’t want to be educated for education’s sake. I also don’t think sororities are all for men either, I have trouble with the original framing as well so I’m not just harping on you.

[@selunescorpio]

Having 99 housemates is a great way to cause an indescribable level of chaos

[@mytruecrimelibrary]

Sounds like a nightmare

[@2.o__]

​@@mytruecrimelibrarySounds like a murder case waiting to happen tbh

[@andrewmitchell5807]

​@@mytruecrimelibrarysounds like a dorm

[@wtttff]

id get so overstimulated and irritated every day

[@Zombina638]

Not really🤷🏽‍♀️

[@cirruscloud5198]

My personal theory on why the documentary is disappointing, is that they were actually going to delve a LOT deeper, but when the rumors about filming started and the area became actively dangerous for the crew, they had to dial WAY back and ended up really softening the entire documentary and taking a new angle when in post to reduce backlash as much as they could. But that's just my theory, I went in really wanting to like the documentary.

[@honeyjam9593]

I think so too. A lot of rich people involved and sadly rich ppl means they have a lot of power. Probably didnt want their names to become public in connection to these bad rumors etc. or the documentary in general I guess.

[@kirbcutscals]

I agree. It felt like the director went in maybe not knowing what she was getting herself into. Once she realized it was bigger than she imagined, it “spooked” them. Can’t say I blame them. If the outward look or Greek life seems nuts, I can’t imagine what the deep inter-workings of them look like

[@BleachBlue04]

I think that’s what happened as well. Honestly, if they wanted everything to look good for the doc, they should’ve welcomed the filming and recordings and temporarily laxed on half of their rules. Would’ve fooled the public (even though I want that lifestyle to be exposed so badly)

[@CatherineMcClain]

Oh yeah, there were girls getting kicked from rush under even suspicion of them having a microphone on them. It's really creepy how much they DIDN'T want things filmed. It makes you wonder how toxic that bubble is and how much they're trying to hide and cover up.

[@shannap.lawnerd125]

Yes- in fact, there are reports from some girls who rushed at Bama who were dropped bc they were thought to be mic’d up. 😭🤷🏻‍♀️ One girl only had a T-shirt tied up, offered to STRIP - but the sorority didn’t have rights to search, so they dropped her. Disgusting process, all the way through.

[@Ivy-od1qu]

My mom was a member of Delta Gamma at USC in the 80s. Her sorority didn't have a house because at the time, more than 4 unmarried women living in a house together was considered a brothel.

[@bella-bond]

My former school, Miami University, still bans sororities from having their own independent houses on campus (they live in specialized dorm buildings instead) and rumor has it that it’s because of the brothel laws from the old days

[@darkninjafirefox]

My uni didn't have any sorority houses for that reason too. Can't imagine paying dues for a house that isn't there

[@carolineparrish7951]

This is still true at my university!! We don't have houses because of the laws about women living together. Like @bella-bond said, we have specialized parts of dorms because there's some loophole because it's on campus. It's INSANE.

[@wafflesthearttoad6916]

Oh shit guess my dormitory is a brothel I guess… is there a guy version too lol? cause I’m in a split gender dorm.

[@thatonedog819]

Lol yeah the town I went to college also had that rule...that's was 2016

[@mfuentes4961]

As a woman of color who grew up in the South, sorority/fraternity culture is still so uncomfortably weird to me especially considering how Greek life culture/politics within universities bleeds into the public society and government. While these academic societies are great to help create different communities on campus, they are known to have a lot of corruption and shouldn’t have that power to negatively impact students and the general public.

[@frances1227]

I just started uni in September (im from england at at an English uni too) and here instead of sororities and fraternities we just have loads of different societies you can join. There are sports ones, academic ones, societies for different types of cultures (there’s a large East Asian population at my uni), pretty sure there’s a tea making society as well. I think in terms of how it helps create different communities for the students, it baffles me that sororities and what not are still a thing as these societies pretty much do everything that a sorority does well (connect people, help you make friends) with a lot less of the bad stuff, plus your surrounded with people that have similar interests to you. I’m not sure where I’m going with this but when you said how badly it can affect people that aren’t apart of the uni and just live near it all it just amazed me thats its all still happens (i do get that something that popular would be hard to get rid of though)

[@petitmains]

Really? Even the HBS&Fs? Because they suck extra hard. 100+ year old institutions of monster privilege, hazing, deaths, snobbery (they're still frats and sors) but it's ok because their step performances are fire!!!

[@iwakeupandboomimarat]

​@@frances1227same im going to an english uni and all the societies r so chill and welcoming, sororities feel like theyre literally fictional 💀

[@eviejoy_]

@frances1227 im at a uk uni too and generally they are super chill, but i will say societies here do have some issues with hazing and bullying too! nowhere near as widespread as in the us but i have a friend whos had to go through hazing for a spot in a volleyball society team which is just insane. the more "elite" unis like cam, oxford etc. have had tons of hazing issues in the past (especially classist bullying and violence) and im sure all that stuff still goes on today

[@shawneel5339]

@@frances1227 I go to school in the US and most schools do have societies for like minded students. Most of them are pre-professional (pre-law, business, pre-med). This is in addition to the 100+ student run clubs, school and alumni organizations, and Greek life you would find at most mid to large universities.

[@simplyboppingK]

This entire video is why I will continue to say Greek Life is a joke. You can make friends in FREE ways and they won't be as rich, entitled, racist, homophobic, etc.

[@moira7979]

try to keep in mind that “Greek Life” includes cultural fraternities & sororities like the divine 9, which are FAR different than white greek life. saying all Greek Life is bad is ignoring the positive impact multicultural orgs provide

[@simplyboppingK]

@@moira7979 okay I hate white greek life then even though I doubt cultural organizations would be most of what I listed.

[@JJenkins-j9k]

@@moira7979what’s so great about the divine 9?

[@bunnywavyxx9524]

@@JJenkins-j9k the foundation is more activism and inclusivity based (well for black people of course, who've been neglected in college life like greek life) but it has bigotry issues as well. Its just not as cut and dyr as these frat/sorority culture thats basically 1950s reincarnate.

[@Chillikilli]

Okay that's the point. They want to be around other rich conservative girls.

[@satyasyasatyasya5746]

The Machine thing is literally grooming them psychologically for a normal day as a Republican/GOP operative. Minority rule is in their bones.

[@blueblack3591]

Yeah really odd

[@satyasyasatyasya5746]

@@stephanieluminous3116 cute false equivalence. but nice try.

[@satyasyasatyasya5746]

@@stephanieluminous3116 being blind to the possibility that highlighting that the GOP and Democrats aren't the same and yet still being oppossed to both, isn't a flex.

[@samprice1302]

@@stephanieluminous3116 those damn deep south democrats reinforcing traditional values

[@Mbitz0]

@@stephanieluminous3116 ah yes, a Alabama construct is grooming psychopath politicians for the minority party. Always love a good braindead take.

[@mrhappyjuice]

Not my story, but I'm English, and my best friend (who's a dude) went to Orlando for a placement year at uni. Apparently him, and every single one of his friends he made in the US, fucking HATED frat guys. They also basically stopped being friends with someone because he joined a fraternity and just became a completely different person. The general idea I got from him was that they are just full of really dodgy, arrogant, entitled and downright toxic guys. Also at frat parties they would be so candid about how they exploit the women and ply them with alcohol (or worse) to coerce them into sex and how that was the 'norm' for a lot of them because they expect to 'get laid'. It was absolute horrifying how nonchalant they were about committing SA. So yeah, fraternities sound like an absolute patriarchal horror story.

[@tahinaschwegler8112]

as an american woman who went to college, accurate

[@jijitters]

Everyone normal hates frat guys, that's not unique to your friend lol

[@mrhappyjuice]

@jijitters I never said it was, I just said it was his experience. Everyone else he was friends with hated them too, because they're normal people.

[@silent-hills]

yeah, i’m not surprised. i go to uni in america, and all of my experiences with frat guys haven’t been great so far. no one is perfect, but i’ve had frat guys ignore my sexuality and try to invite me to their place for obvious reasons, or try and get us alone for a “date”…even when they knew i was aroace and not interested (majority of the cases). even when i have told them i’m not interested in that sort of thing, along with negging me and such. i didn’t want stereotypes to influence me in that regard, but at this point….my lived experienced proved to me to be careful around fraternity men at the very least.

[@mrggy]

There’s definitely a big difference in universities with high rates of greek life participation and universities with low participation rates. I went to a university with low greek life participation and a lot of people almost looked down on people in Greek life. “Rich kids who have to pay to make friends” kind of image. I had a friend who went to a university with high greek life participation and despite having no interest in greek life she ended up joining her 2nd year because nearly everyone was in greek life so it was hard to make friends if you weren’t in it too

[@cassieglover]

So for context, I'm from Florida and I go to the University of Florida. During covid, I did a "soft" rush in the Spring (which is a much gentler process than during the fall term), and I still struggled so much in the appearance and conversations. I got a bid by the 'lowest' sorority and felt no sense of community between the two girls who talked to me about their sorority. When I got the proposed dues I simply knew that it was impossible (even though I had mentally already decided not to join any longer). I also realized that the reason I got the bid was because this sorority was in the process of building their house and they simply needed as many funds as possible to make it happen. Hazing is definitely still a thing. I go to the 'lowest' tier frat parties and I still hear some minor hazing that is definitely nothing compared to the horror stories you hear, don't involve alcohol, and are usually just plain silly to be fair. There's even hazing for sororities because I heard of this thing that PNMs are supposed to decide in one of the top sororities (I believe Tri Delt but I could be wrong), where they have to 'blow or blow'. They are told to either do a line of coke (Tri Delt is also known as the coke sorority to be fair) or blow someone (I don't know whether it's in front of the women, if men are present, or if they have to 'prove' it somehow) but all of it is disgusting. There's such an economic gap between the feasibility of sororities for lower to middle-class students versus those that are from upper-middle class or the 1%. It is completely unaffordable and insane to think about. Even though U Florida is NOT Alabama and is a little bit more liberal, every year the divine 9 monument gets defaced. The girls look the exact same (majority white) and the aesthetic is all Vera Bradley and wealthy. Being a brunette is considered diversity. The rush process is so similar here to Alabama that I just have to imagine any large 'public' school has a similar process. I had heard of the 2/3 rule at sororities here where they either have to have hair, makeup and nails, or their fit all done to be at events. You get fined if you miss a meeting or an event and fined like ten times more for missing anything within the fall rush process. Pike (or Phi Kappa something -- not epsilon surprisingly) is known under the nomer 'Pike spikes' and IFC (the inter-fraternity council) continually tries to monitor some things but because it's mostly run by frat brothers, there's not that much that gets under control. Every year, a fraternity gets in trouble for sexual assault allegations. My ex, who was in the 'lowest' tier frat (regularly gets made fun of by the other frats) had to walk lil freshers to all the frat houses for their meetings with the frat brothers trying to pledge them, and Pike specifically used their 'sexual prowess' as a means of trying to get men to join. They are genuinely using the toxic frat culture to try to appeal to men who will uphold the same toxicity. In the US we have a thing called 'sign night' where, on your 21st birthday when you can finally drink, you go out with girlfriends and wear a sign that has 21 things to do before the evening ends. Usually there's something about kissing strangers, signing people, getting plastered, etc. and Pike mentioned that it's the easiest to 'get' with these girls on their 21st sign night because they will usually have something sexual on their sign and also be quite drunk. Pike at UF actually has an entire wall in their mansion filled with photographs of women on their sign night. When they were getting this tour, there were women actively hanging out in the frat as visual evidence to show the brother's sexual prowess. INSANE!!!! And I am not involved in any of these groups except for having some male friends in the socially 'LOWEST' frats (that still hear about these things). Sorry this is so long, but I figured I could add some of my two-sense being in a technically Southern state with a massive greek life participating university. Politically they have so much power. It's only until recently that there's been an opposition group to student government that attempts to undo some of this corruption, but even then, they haven't gotten very far. Until a publication published something on it, students in greek life were forced to safe their voting sticker to prove they voted to receive their dinner! If they didn't have one or didn't vote, they wouldn't get FOOD! They technically don't have to prove what group they voted for, but it's assumed they are supporting their 'sisters' or 'brothers'. Greek life is also a means of career connections because there are all of these privileges you'll receive for having been in the same greek life group as someone else who is now a head CEO or career-person (they can offer you jobs, internships, make you look more desirable in the hiring process). It is genuinely seen as putting yourself back by not being a part of these groups to establish professional connections that will help you FOR LIFE.

[@jirarara669]

Bro at FSU, we treat P*ke as "the frat who shall not be named". Sometimes there are even petitions and flyers to get them shut down.

[@ZijnShayatanica]

🤮🤮🤮

[@manuelsteele7755]

You wrote a great post. I hope you are doing well. This is really interesting because I graduated from Florida in 2013 with an MS in Mechanical Engineering. I spent a year on campus for a PhD in Epidemiology but switched to mechanical engineering and finished it online (UF EDGE program). It was really hard - not much time for social life. As for Greek life, I went to an undergraduate school that had no Greek system - U. of Notre Dame. It is a private Catholic college. But I earned master's degrees at both FSU and UF in Florida. I am unusual in that aspect. I grew up out west and am Apache Indian from a rural reservation in AZ. The job market in 2002 forced me to move from Denver to Florida. The only job I could find was as a contract software engineer for the State of Florida Dept. of Health in Tallahassee. I eventually decided to get an MPH at FSU. Out west, the media often presented horror stories of racism - especially among southern fraternities and sororities in AL, MS, FL, the Carolinas, and GA. The perception over there is that the "sororities" are just comprised of racist southern white women descended from Confederate slave holders of the mid 1800s. If a "black face" party breaks out or some other incident occurs, the media out west is all over it on social media, the internet. The usual agenda of such negative articles has something like the "racist Karen" from a southern sorority was exposed. So, when I arrived in Tallahassee and went to FSU, I specifically avoided sorority women. I assumed they were just virulently racist and plain awful. When I saw white women with Greek letters I would cringe and feel a desire to leave the room. I dealt with it by just pretending they weren't there - no acknowledgement of their presence. In my mind, I assumed the sorority members were symbolic of a racist white woman like the one portrayed by Christine Taylor in "The Craft" - the racist Laura who torments the lone black girl in the class. But over time, I learned it was best not to overgeneralize on a broad, negative scale. I got to know one of the sorority members from Georgia. She actually befriended me and was the nicest person in the class. Go figure - a big brown Apache Indian (and an older graduate student in his 30s at the time) befriended by a young sorority white woman from the "Deep South" - a Protestant woman. I was really surprised. She wasn't racist to me at all. I'll never forget that. With that said, I did see racism among some (not all) white women in Florida. I spoke to a Jamaican guy with dreadlocks once, and we shared our experiences with racism in Florida. The "harsh blatant racism" of the segregation era of the 1950s is largely gone in modern Florida. But covert, subtle racism with microaggressions is still prevalent. A common example involves a white woman locking the door at the sight of a Jamaican guy or Apache Indian in broad daylight in a Publix parking lot. Another example is "pretending to be nice" but going on social media with a plethora of racist comments about someone in the class who is minority. That occurred at times at FSU. There used to be an anonymous Greek forum called the "College Board" at FSU. Many of the threads were racist. One sorority girl was exposed in that thread with black face at a party. She mocked her Halloween costume as representing a "black girl from FAMU who doesn't know who her father is" or something like that. You can probably still find it on "The Dirty". A savvy web surfer who knows SQL queries could probably find it easily just with the information I presented above. There is "dirt" out there on the antics of sororities at times. At the time, I was concerned about it and sent the link to that image to the sorority at FSU that the photo allegedly involved. I remember emailing "executives" of the sorority. They probably didn't like the negative press at a minimum. As for fraternities, about twenty years ago I used to work out at a gym in North Tallahassee. There were these two frat guys who took a deep resentment towards me over time. The tension boiled over one day and one of them said to his friend how he hated the way I looked right in front of me. The racism was blatant and obvious. Then later they made it clear they wanted to fight. I informed the Director of Student Affairs at FSU, and he wanted their names. I just quit the gym and sent the owner a letter about the situation. But after that I went to the main gym at FSU on campus. At first, I was concerned about another racist incident. But I never had a probably with ANY of the frat guys in the FSU gym. There were many frat guys at that FSU gym. I played basketball with a lot of them and had a lot of fun. So, as with sororities, the fraternities also have negative clusters of racism but not in all cases. I am now back in Arizona working on a PhD in Data Science with a focus on Artificial Intelligence and healthcare. I also work remotely as a software engineer. The way I see it, there are still clusters of racism and other negative behavior in some of the sororities or among clusters of individuals within sororities. But I don't think it's statistically reasonable to assume all sororities are racist. The assignment of a boolean variable as "all true" or "all false" in regards to accusations of racism against sororities would be a form of racism itself. I do believe in fairness and due process. In summary, I was happy to meet nice students from the sororities and fraternities in many cases at both UF and FSU. But I know the negative statistical clusters of behavior can still be found which Cassie's post clearly shows. The most disappointing racism I experienced in regards to white women was with my undergraduate experience in the Midwest. Over there, there are many "white flight" communities in the major suburban areas of cities like Detroit, Chicago, Cleveland, Milwaukee, etc. that have socioeconimically segregated communities where white racism was often prevalent and disappointing. It really was common to encounter racist white women at that undergraduate Catholic college back in the 1980s like the one portrayed as "Laura" of "The Craft". It was worse than Florida in my experience. To be fair, in modern times it no longer seems anywhere nearly as bad as back then. Thankfully, the younger generation has often mellowed out relative to the 1970s and 80s. I miss playing basketball at the UF Southwest Rec Center back in 2011. I was still in shape and could run with teens at the time - the last great run of basketball with intramural sports.

[@ZijnShayatanica]

@@manuelsteele7755 Thank you for sharing your story, too. I'm glad your experiences have skewed positive at least as much as the negative ones.

[@cecille5833]

@@manuelsteele7755 wow two very different stands from different perspectives, i guess when you add the threat of SA to the story it does make things a lot more grim. who coulda thunk

[@lol.8794]

i just want to say as a black woman, the divine 9 are a group of historically black sororities and fraternities and the rush process for these are EXTREMELY DIFFERENT than other greek life. they provide w higher sense of community and some even work on battling the disadvantaged black people in america face. they are culturally different as well including step routines and strolls. most of the other greek societies are now trying to implement this too and it’s becoming quite controversial

[@thecolorjune]

Yup! Smaller Greek life subsystems definitely have different cultures. Alas they still have rotten roots that they didn’t create, which I feel will eventually poison all of greek life. I wish there was a way for these healthier more supportive branches to break off of the main tree and reinvent the rules (and not enforce gender roles and conformity etc).

[@shalenah]

lol there's so many videos of people who left black greek life and talk about a lot of the same shit. anything founded on exclusivity is never good. like colorism and classism are the first things that come to mind with black sororities

[@oliviaaaa8663]

No way lol. Black sororities/fraternities have tons of the same problems

[@Maialeen]

Wild that you believe that black sororities and fraternities don't have a lot of these similar problems. What la la land are you living in?

[@babey6094]

This commenter never said that D9 orgs don't have their own problems. As a student at the University of Alabama (who isn't greek), I can attest that D9 orgs function much more like professional societies than white Greek orgs. They're also much more accepting of LGBTQ folks. I have noticed classism being an issue, but that's hardly exclusive to D9.

[@hecklingpickle7696]

I went into this expecting racist white girls with bad spray tans and it ended with mafia-esque political corruption 😭

[@mostlyimpulsive3462]

To be fair, we did get the racist white girls after all. Maybe not the bad spray tans, though.

[@michelle-agathenormil]

Right?! 😭 like that shit open my eyes to a whole new universe

[@shannap.lawnerd125]

lol 😂Those rushing at Bama DEFINITELY can afford good tans… Usually bc they summer in Turks/Mexico/Greece with their parents before they go to college. 😅

[@Laura-gd4ku]

Im sure behind closed doors a lot of these women are racist as they come from racist families who in not only a few cases build their generational wealth on slavery and colonialism

[@thatonedog819]

Don't underestimate the ruthlessness of women 😂

[@ilusia.]

I think something that’s not talked about enough in the whole “joining a sorority” process is the aftermath of actually receiving a bid. Speaking from my own experience, the girls in my pledge class and I weren’t just immediately welcomed with open arms after bid day. They literally made us work for the title of “sister,” explicitly stating multiple times that we aren’t part of the sisterhood until we receive our letters. Its this weird power-hungry dynamic that felt like they were feeding off the fact that we weren’t on the same level as them yet. Needless to say, I dropped like a week after I got my bid. The whole process just felt so secretive and “icky,” for a lack of better words.

[@ilusia.]

I forgot to add that I didn’t go to a huge school either! It was a Pan-Hellenic org but my college was very local and small AND IT WAS STILL WEIRD

[@davanvisser]

Wow!! I didn’t even know you still have to earn your letters AFTER paying tons of money and spending all this time trying to get into a sorority.

[@mintyhippo8125]

@@davanvisserYou pay the whole time, it’s not like a fee in the beginning necessarily. You get a bid, and then have to go through training/taking classes about the sorority, then you get initiated to be a full member.

[@sasamafrass]

Yikes, you confirmed my decision to not try to join a sorority at my state college

[@mintyhippo8125]

@@sasamafrass I will say that Rushing is fun even if you don’t join. You meet a lot of people. I don’t know if I would suggest joining tho lol

[@queenv22]

I’d also like to mention the popular girl to sorority pipeline in the US is SO prevalent. Girls I went to high school with were in these giant friend groups that were getting invited to upperclassmen parties, but only certain girls were invited by certain seniors. By the time we were upperclassmen, they were the ones throwing the parties, inviting FRESH freshmen. And even within their friend groups, there was pledging and a need for multiple outfits, hair and makeup done, and an expensive car. My best example is when these girls had beach week, and each day of the week had a different theme, and this one day was USA out. I remember so well being with these girls while they were purchasing their swimsuits, and most of the girls already owned red white and blue bikinis, but a girl bought three new sets (two in the same colour) just because she had ANOTHER beach week with another USA theme. And when I asked why she didn’t just wear the same one, she said it was because of pictures. Anywho, each and every one of those girls are in a sorority at a large state school. Each and every one of them.

[@AvtvmnSvnshine]

Yes! My high school (Columbia Co, GA) was pretty much a practice round for future Greek life. Everyone was already wearing and keeping up with what college kids were wearing, doing, and interested in so that they’d fit in come Rush. Hell. Our spirit week literally had a “Greek day” where you were supposed to wear your parent’s/grandparent’s old letters from when they were in college or wear a sheet toga.

[@EmilySC23]

I don’t mean this in a negative way, but as a Non-American I’ve been wondering: Why do they care so much about what other people think? It’s obviously not everyone, but even with filler, botox, social media, etc it always seems to be the most extreme version of everything, and I can’t think of anything comparable in Europe.

[@heretohear1847]

​@EmilySC23 uh so I originally wrote a very long winded answer but in short this is a very specific part of America, we're pretty big and diverse, this video here talks about the upper middle to upper class white woman of suburban and expensive intericty southern america, the superficiality u noted has roots in American consumerism, respectability politics and a couple other things. I think extremes in American media are emblematic of the widespread consumerism and increasing internet dependence here.

[@Cherri_Stars]

The section about "The Machine" was really enlightening. I went to a northeastern school with greek life, and was briefly in a sorority. Our particular sorority wasn't anything like this... we were known as the sorority with the (I'm so sorry to say this) fat girls, black girls, and lesbians. We couldn't get a sorority house, we never got invited to frat parties, we got made fun of in the school newspaper, and eventually, we somehow got shut down for not bringing in enough money. I always wondered how the other sororities were pulling these elaborate shows off, but I think there was a lot lurking below the surface that I wasn't aware of at the time.

[@LoveAndSnapple]

Many of these orgs show off what their sororities can do for them nationally, not so much as a chapter.

[@passivelyobsessive5460]

this is exactly like my sorority experience but was at a Texas school instead. We were diverse but so low on the totem pole of Panhellenic that we weren't ever really considered "one of them" and then eventually got shut down too

[@LoveAndSnapple]

@@passivelyobsessive5460 That’s crazy because when I was in school, the opposite happened. We were an on campus recognized sorority, but we weren’t Panhellenic and we got hell for it. We went through recruitment with Panhell, went to Panhell meetings, Greek Council meetings, got fined like everyone else, had to meet participation quotas like everyone else, etc. However, people didn’t shy away from making potential new members, aware that we were not, in fact, a Panhellenic sorority. In front of our faces, they kept saying “we’re rooting for you, ABC!“ But behind our backs, they were definitely telling new members not to bother with us. I put so much work into the organization just for the girls left behind to lose our charter two years later. I have no home to go back to. 😢😢😢

[@KatieLHall-fy1hw]

This happened to mine too, we were the unpopular one. Solid group of girls though, and I met one of my best friends in there, who I would have never met otherwise, as we were in very different circles

[@mfuentes4961]

I think this is the first video I’m seeing as an American citizen where Bamarush and Sorority/Fraternity culture is being analyzed from a non-American perspective. I’d really love to see more people talk about this through a non-American lens so I can see what their perspectives bring to the conversation.

[@lost1head]

As a non-American my reaction is usually "How do American students find time and energy for all of it? What about studying? Preparing for tests and exams? Worrying about grades?". Those discussions surrounding American colleges are often completely void of any mentions of the learning process which is normally the main thing you do there.

[@Diamondsnake0]

@@lost1head Honestly I'm an American student (baby freshman) and I'm wondering the same thing. In my hall there's quite a few aspiring sorority members and they always seem to be playing music and hanging out up to 1 in the morning... meanwhile I'm up at the same hours trying to wrap my head around calc 3

[@sarapocorn]

@@lost1headsame. like.. me and my mates were all working. yes, uni is cheap where I live, but I also never even entertained the idea of getting a loan for my studies and we‘d just save up for the start of the next semester. this whole rush thing? different universe.

[@HT-pl8du]

​@lost1head typically, the more "prestigious" sororities and fats expect a high degree of loyalty so some people don't have time for studying

[@TheFormerPresidentsDenim]

As an American former college student who wasn’t in Greek life, I do have a couple ideas as to why some fraternity/sorority members don’t seem to study as much as others 1. Members choose a relatively easy major - while career ambition seems to be valued in Greek life systems, certain college majors are easier than others. This is my experience and may differ for others, but I know of certain types of business majors where the workload is not rigorous compared to STEM, pre-health, or humanities workloads. These people have more free time in college and have the connections to get good jobs after graduation. 2. Many Greek life members come from rich enough families that they don’t have to earn money while in school, which gives them more time for extracurricular activities. 3. I heard rumors floating around my university of certain Greek life establishments having access to exam copies, which can reduce the amount of time needed to study. This is ALLEGED, I’m not sure how true these rumors were, but tbh they did seem believable. 4. The networking these people get from Greek life is more valuable than their GPA Given, I went to a university in the northeast where Greek life existed but it was not as valued as in places like Alabama, so there could be other reasons I’m not considering.

[@saige2975]

the documentary we deserved and it’s literally from a british girl LMAO

[@clatin3374]

FRRRR

[@AnEmu404]

Tbf a lot of americans may be numb to these kinds of things, whereas we europeans often feel a sense of shock when we hear about them! Genuinely, finding out what american frats/sororities were weirded me out a little. Especially the videos where they speak in unison. It can be useful to have dialogues with people outside of the culture, as well as ones inside it, to give different perspectives. Not to sound like im looking too deep into this lmao, i just think its fun to think about

[@bikerbri97A]

Right I was so confused at first LOL

[@saige2975]

@@AnEmu404 that’s a good point i didn’t think abt the cultural differences between the US and other places! but i still think it’s funny that the bama rush official expose doc flopped and jordan made a wayyy better deep dive

[@Calderonaaa4]

LMAO came here to say this hehe

[@mimosalord]

"... there's a reason why my appearance is hyper-feminine; it's because I feel the need to look like this to be treated like a human being." (28:15-28:20) so REAL. as much as i do enjoy it, that pressure has always loomed over my head.

[@katdeasyy]

as a gnc woman I know the journey to feel like people are treating you as a person is a long one, I completely understand why a lot of women don't want to undertake that journey, it's awful that we have to negotiate existing as a woman who doesn't wear makeup or fit a certain standard of attractiveness :(

[@katdeasyy]

and I really appreciate more visibly feminine women acknowledging that pressure! it's weirdly quite gender affirming it makes me feel like less of a freak lol, it takes work to look like a woman (at least what we are told a woman should look like)

[@realRatRat]

if you let that pressure get to you, all you’re doing is perpetuating its existence

[@nirvanaheights]

@@realRatRatsure, if you’re white. for a lot of woc, it genuinely affects us.

[@realRatRat]

@@nirvanaheights huh? anyone can resist pressure, just like anyone can be vulnerable to it. whether a person is more likely to be affected by that pressure (because of race or any other factor) doesn’t matter, they are still able to not abide by it.

[@aquaph0r]

about greek life offering “academic help”- it was well known at my university that sororities/frats kept filing cabinets full of tests and assignments from previous years that members could use to study/cheat. i really loved this video, greek life is even wilder than i thought!!

[@theo_aetc]

i don’t know why but this made me gasp 😭 that is so evil and unfair. i’m seething for you and your classmates

[@TheDarstarr]

Yes a misogynistic man (trying to woo me but actually engaged to another woman and just hoping id put out so he could use me… (I didn’t :) He said that his frat had these file cabinets in their basement for cheating!!!!! He was a short little lying spoiled rich feat boy yuck yuck yuck yuck yuck. Now hes married and likely cheating on his wife in highland park il. While working his way to the top of his daddy’s tire business! So gross.

[@cutienerdgirl]

​@@theo_aetc Game is game lol

[@TheProfessorExplains]

This is true. Literal filing cabinets full of old exams and files on which professors reused them.

[@NathanRawlings-b1w]

@@theo_aetchow is that unfair? If they give you the test back it’s fair game to study off of.

[@tiaslays255]

You know this makes a lot of sense as to why adults that were in sororities act the way they do.

[@bad_bau]

One of my acquaintances from high school ended up going to Alabama State. [TW: hazing resulting in severe bodily injury] According to him, he started noticing a lot of freshman guys with broken arms on campus during the fall. He was told that it was a result of hazing from Frats. Apparently, they will have pledges put their arms between two mattresses and leave it there while the older Frat members JUMP on the top mattress. It's technically hearsay and could definitely be a rumor, but the fact that it was even a rumor is wild. There are no rumors like that at my school, so some pretty wild hazing must have happened to at least inspire a rumor that extreme. It seemed like the hazing was just an opinion secret that never got addressed because the victims were groomed into becoming perpetrators themselves later on.

[@diejaykaynz3r078]

wtf 😧

[@halvedemi]

Wow that's insane

[@itsyissel]

OMG scroll down and read @alamb1713 's comment. They corroborate your story. Apparently they were being asked to break their own arms!

[@atypicallynormal4399]

Thats so f*ck*ng sick.

[@blutygar]

I really hope that rumor is a rumor, cause dear god, that's horrific.

[@whynot9227]

As an eastern european person this sounds terrifying and so dystopian. I have enough on my plate, trying to get info from my uni, finding jobs, getting tasks done, dealing with the bureaucracy ... i can not get glammed up just to be accepted in a group of girls Edit: spelling + i commented this at the halfway point of the video and it's even more terrifying now that i finished it. Not just the racism (that should be an obvious problem) but just how cultlike the whole system is. Holy shit

[@raekarkoc928]

As an american college student at a university that doesnt have greek life i feel the same way 😅

[@peachesandcream22]

I'm also an Eastern European and I can't imagine something like sorority/fraternity at our universities, cause our education system is still rooted to Soviet style, which requires a lot of study and less free time + rich kids usually don't study in our countries, their parents have enough money to send them abroad. Just, how all these young people live in one house and basically doing nothing but taking pictures while looking pretty and partying? It doesn't mean that Eastern European students never skip classes and never go partying, but each of us knows that if we will be too lazy, it's a high chance to become a dropout. And our students are one of the most discriminated groups, we have less rights than retired people, and less power to open our own club without harsh control of the administration.

[@lowwastehighmelanin]

I'm moving to the EU and giving up my citizenship eventually. America is literally hell tbh. I'm Indigenous and Black and queer. This is just normal shit here but no one reports on it.

[@whynot9227]

​@@peachesandcream22 Yeah, where i live it's depends on a point system except art school where it's your skills+personality/charisma and the government pays for it if you finish it on x amount of time. To be paying for uni you have to be an older student or have a richer family who can afford it. And you have to establish these connections on your own.

[@whynot9227]

​@@lowwastehighmelanin This might be a controversal opinion but I would choose my bigoted lil country over living in america any time tbh. The benefits are greater than the anti-queer propaganda here and you can still stay afloat. I would move to any western europian country in a heartbeat tho if the opportunity came. (I am also queer)

[@elizabethrentko7938]

I was in tri delta in college, until 2016 when I dropped. I joined based off of similar reasons that the pi beta phi guide provides. Being with an empowered group of women that you can network with after college who are like-minded, and share, similar values and ethics. Then 2016 happened and there were far too many Trump supporters in the sorority for me to believe that we were all operating under the same moral and ethical code. Didn’t feel right, paying into an organization like that afterwards.

[@realRatRat]

idk man. i think it’s weird to only want to be around like-minded people. i want to be in a community where everyone can respectfully share perspectives

[@blastypie]

@@realRatRatyeah but you would hope the people your respecting aren’t racist maybe?

[@realRatRat]

@@blastypie yep! which is why we can't equate "trump supporter" with "racist." we have to listen

[@deedeegonzalez7104]

​@ratrat9241 i would understand being a republican, bc that does not equate racist. but being a trump supporter, lmao definitely we have learned equates racist. I have many true republican friends who hate Trump bc he is so blatantly proudly, prejudice.

[@blastypie]

@@realRatRat trump is a racist. If u support him, u are a racist.

[@LunaDelTuna]

If you think sororities are crazy, look up cotillion and debutante (in Georgia specifically the company Social Inc.) Starting at 11 years old, kids take weekly classes learning ballroom dancing until the age 17/18. This grooming doesn't start in college, it starts in middle school.

[@бронза.вафля.конус]

Learning ballroom dancing is grooming? What the fuck

[@LunaDelTuna]

@@бронза.вафля.конус The ballroom dancing itself is harmless and actually quite fun, it's more the "social" aspect around it that I would say definitely grooms children into believing everyone not in their circle is "less than" kinda the same way sororities and fraternities look at people when deciding who to accept. It's much more complicated than just ballroom dancing.

[@Sabrina-sx9fl]

@@LunaDelTuna eh don't know. In my country we also have debutante where you go to weekly dancing classes for a year or so when you're 16 and then afterwards have a debutante ball as a kind of tradition that you're ready for your beginning to partake in society. You also learn certain manners around eating etc. Here it has nothing to do with grooming as there's only same aged people (except for the ball where your family comes) and not only for the rich because 90% of the people here can afford to pay for it, it's not that exepensive. It's just so that you can go to public balls and don't make a fool out of yourself for not knowing any dances or manners (many public balls aren't that exclusive either; school ball tickets start at like 10-15€)

[@LunaDelTuna]

@@Sabrina-sx9fl That's the thing though. In America, there are no public adult balls, and these cotilion/debutante lessons aren't about making you a better person (even though they say it's about "being a better person"). It's about teaching children _who_ is acceptable to congregate and socialize with rather than how. There's not actual societal point to learning ballroom dancing in America because other than in the military, there are no events where you need to know the foxtrot. Why the military exactly, who knows, again it's America what can I tell you lol. I'm not talking s3xual grooming, but societal grooming. When I tell you this country is a completely different beast, I'm not complementing it. I live in an extremely diverse area in the south, a city that was built specifically as a marketing hub for African slaves during the Transatlantic slave trade. My city is 60% black, yet no black people attend these lessons due to the very in-your-face racial segregation still going on in this country. These organizations are completely exclusive here for a reason. The classes are much more expensive here ($340/year) if you really want to see for yourself go to this website: socialinc(dot)com. If you do go to the site, note the lack of diversity in a city that white people are the minority in. Things are much different in Europe simply because y'all are no where near as racist or diverse as the states (particularly states under the mason dixon line - South Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, etc). There are still proms in Georgia that are segregated (by choice not by law) with black proms and white proms.

[@shannap.lawnerd125]

I had etiquette classes when I was young (8-10), but my dad put his foot DOWN on my mother pursuing it any further. The ritualistic way of “presenting” girls into “society” is DISGUSTING. Basically, an announcement that your daughter(s) have reached breeding age & the negotiations may begin. Gross. 🤮 Ty for mentioning this here. 💯👏🏽👏🏼💪🏽💋

[@7thStrongest]

I cleaned over the summers at a SUNY school I went to and found a girl's notebook and sorority docs. There were fees between $50-$500 that had to be paid if you gained weight, weren't early enough to meetings, tagged in 'bad' pictures on social media, etc. The notebook was just filled to the brim with her logging every single thing she did and tracking all of her dieting and workout stuff and it was for the sorority to look over. So messed up.

[@formlessdivinity]

That’s CRAZY

[@alexmoon066]

As a person from Central Asia I only saw sororities in movies and maybe in sims 😂 for me it was something like fairies and unicorns- fantasy and not real. But this cult like really of sororities is just horrifying 😢 rich people are really someone I would never understand

[@Noirellion]

Haha I also encountered it for the first time in Sims2 University and as a Swedish child I got so confused😂

[@1cornicon679]

i'm american but grew up very poor so i was raised with a deep fear and suspicion of sorority people lmao

[@Minimal_Verwirrt]

Omg I saw the frat house in this video and I literally thought „wow this looks just like in the sims“😂

[@Speederzzz]

​@@Minimal_Verwirrtso much of non-american perception of america is: "wow this is just like in that [game/tv show/film]"

[@cassualtea2040]

We had sororities here in the PH but they were always based on your course or hobbies so I always thought they were just like… clubs

[@1cornicon679]

in uni and whenever i talk about my struggle to find a group of friends, the first thing most people say is "just join a sorority 🤪🤪🤪🤪" like why is that the only option to a lot of people. ah yes i will pay to be friends with other girls and significantly restrict my personal freedoms just for a group of gal pals

[@queenv22]

gal pals that all hate each other and are competing with each other constantly for absolutely anything and everything

[@darkninjafirefox]

Don't forget the mountain of money needed to stay in proximity to those "friends"

[@cherry-colouredpunk]

they need a group for all the girls who get told that and resent it lmao

[@ellaott5584]

the point about sororities being a stepping stone into marrying fraternity brothers and thus wealth, power, etc. is very interesting. it makes me think about how frats and sororities will literally throw whole parties staging fake weddings between a frat brother and a sorority sister. weird stuff for sure

[@Laura-gd4ku]

Of course especially in these rich sororities it’s all about keeping the weath in the same social class that’s probably why parents want their daughters to join these sororities

[@jimbo4187]

Yeah I mean rich kids basically only go to college to find their future spouse. They do bs majors, party, and the hot sorority girls sleep with the tallest, hottest, richest frat guys, and then they do formals together. Within a year of 2 of graduating they’re married, and then a kid soon after. So by 24 they’re typically already married with a kid and with a nice house. Low birth rate isn’t an issue for the wealthy haha they start in early 20s and the process just repeats keeping the wealthy wealthy lol. It’s very cyclical and why rich stay rich.

[@ashleighwilliams9765]

@@Laura-gd4ku yep

[@karacoconutag]

I entered a Wisconsin university as a shy insecure 18 year old who SUCKED at making friends, so when my roommate asked if I wanted to rush with her, I said sure, and I decided to try to go in with an open mind. But one day into the process, I quit. For one, the people reminded me of the cliquey popular girls in high school who I never jived with. But what really turned me off was we were required to text our rush leader a photo of our outfit the night before so they could approve it or turn it down. I think it would've felt less gross if it was a "if you want you can send me your outfit for feedback" but the fact that it was required really forced me to reckon with how image-focused many of these sisterhoods often are. I know some people find good friends and have good experiences in sororities, and I think that's great, but it just wasn't right for me.

[@jow.2450]

May I ask how many years ago that was?

[@romane9666]

as a french person (we don't have ANYTHING that even comes closer to this concept here) this is so insane i can't comprehend that this is real and not some fiction scenario

[@LeoDBW]

Et moi qui pensais que le bizutage dans les écoles de médecine était exagéré...

[@romane9666]

@@LeoDBW en vrai c’est hyper différent mais je pense que médecine/ingé c’est plus violent que ça, au moins pdt le rush ils ont pas à faire des trucs trop humiliants etc ? jsp

[@LeoDBW]

@@romane9666 dans les commentaires, j'en ai lu plein qui disaient qu'ils connaissaient quelqu'un qui devait volontairement se casser un bras pour intégrer la fraternité, ou pour les filles faire des trucs sexuels avec les gars des Fratries :/ Mais ça doit dépendre des endroits

[@romane9666]

@@LeoDBW 😶 Q U O I ok j’ai rien dit

[@calawendy]

j'étudie français :D

[@sheridanfrancis4814]

I think a key part of why the Alabama Greek life systems aren’t likely to change is their inherent lack of intersectionality. Where some children of republicans go to college and are met with a wide array of people and their perspectives, those who align themselves with Greek life are inserting themselves in an echo chamber. Their views and experiences are never broadened or challenged, as opposed to some Greek systems in more progressive states who are more likely to have some degree of intersectionality. When white republican girls unite they do not face any kind of reflection on their upbringing and values.

[@thunderouswanderer7753]

It will change when Alabamas social state changes, particularly among the rich people who are alumnis and send their kids there to rush. That freakin school is so interconnected monitarily to so many people with influence both in and out of Alabama that i dont think intersectionality will do anything but change socializing for the "poors". The rich are still gonna play their medieval politics regardless 🤷🏾‍♀️

[@kuromimi2007]

I’m in Cali and know people in frats. They’re definitely a lot more diverse, but they’re still horribly misogynistic/harbor predators🥴

[@robertapascal6962]

As if the same could be said for children of Democrats and the echo chamber bit.

[@savshady15]

@@robertapascal6962true! As someone from California, the liberal echo chamber is a real thing especially in Universities comprised of people from an upper class background who attend. I think the big difference is the racial & cultural diversity- it’s almost impossible to insulate yourself in an all-white bubble as much as you can in a sorority in the south. The Democrat echo-chamber looks more like the type of college students who are passionate & loud about climate change and animal activism but quiet down when it comes to addressing institutionalized racism or the growing crisis of homelessness in the US. (often times because saying such things would implicate themselves and/or members of their immediate family as a part of the problem)

[@shannap.lawnerd125]

💯🎯👏🏽👏🏼

[@sapphic.flower]

Although the idea of a sorority can sound like "sisterhood and community", it honestly looks eery to me when that community is primarily and selectively made out of rich, White, cis women. Like its not really sisterhood when only the most privileged women can be a part of it and it feels like a "Get Out" scenario if you're a marginalized person who was let in.

[@AnEmu404]

I would pay to see a Get Out style horror movie based around a sorority that’s actually a cult doing terrible things, or even supernatural things. That concept is oozing with potential for a scary movie, and a commentary on the powerful rich elites to boot!

[@beastofbussycreek]

It is a great opportunity to form community and foster sisterhood, so long as you are a very specific type of woman. Queer, alternative, less financially privileged, and non-white women are not welcome into these circles because they're selling a very specific brand of femininity

[@klarapopilkova5791]

true but tbh even as a "rich" (as in my parents are quite rich not me, but also european rich not american), white, cis woman I dont feel much welcomed. Like not at all :D

[@sapphic.flower]

@@klarapopilkova5791 yeah I'm sure that environment is super cliquey 😞

[@brianaverly6391]

EXCEPT FOR THE DIVINE 9 ❤

[@whateveryouliketocallme7092]

As a Greek person, i was very confused when i first found out about "Greek life". Still am, to be honest, I don't think I appreciate whatever American fraternities do to be called "greek life"😅. In Greece we only have student teams/ clubs in universities, like theatre team, photography team etc.

[@teribear2625]

emeis oute auta den exoume

[@_lemony_tart]

Same, calling it Greek life is weird. And why use Greek letters? What do they mean? I'm not interested enough to search it up tho lol

[@delilahkambourakis3861]

It's definitely funny as a greek american student, I have to introduce my self like "I'm Greek, like the country not a sorority"

[@raeliana_13]

it's same in türkiye as well. we just have teams

[@Johanna.474]

​@@_lemony_tartI am greek and I also find this weird 😂. The letters they use don't mean anything in particular, it's just random letters. I believe they do this because it just sounds fancy to them or something

[@hayleyleiberman8491]

Also a fun fact is that most of these women actually start in 'high school sororities' like National Charity League (NCL) where girls take etiquette and fashion classes, put on 'charity' fashion shows for high level brands like Lulu Lemon, and are coached on how to get into the best sorority. Dues are high, you have to be sponsored to join , and there are strict rules that everyone must follow about fashion and event attendance. It is...terrifying.

[@morighani]

that’s disgusting

[@ysabella4352]

as a Black girl who goes to an hbcu i find the whole white sorority culture SOOO fascinating because it is handled WILDLY different on our campuses😭 this was interesting

[@mymelodyblues]

As an American, I love listening to Jordan explain weird American lore lmaoo Edit: I just finished the video and holy shit i don’t think I ever realized just how powerful frats and sororities were when it came to politics! I knew they obviously had some power but I had never heard of “the machine” and stuff like that. Thank you for teaching me something new!

[@LSSYLondon]

I recently moved Washington DC (and I joined a sorority back in the day when I went to uni out west in Colorado over a decade ago for a year, and I obviously am not from the south -British English tends to give that away). What I found here is that upon meeting up with my alum group 99% of them either work for congress or have worked for congress. It's shocking how political it really is.

[@kaytriarch]

I’m a current student at alabama but I’m originally from the north and it’s definitely a culture shock. I didn’t rush bc I’m only here bc of how generous their scholarships are to out of state students, but I actually really like it here regardless. There’s plenty of people who aren’t into Greek life, and it’s pretty easy to never interact with those that are depending on your major and stuff. It definitely feels like the UA I go to is a completely different UA than I always see on social media.

[@caitlingill]

What’s your major? And what clubs are you in

[@ma66ie]

I go to another SEC school and I’ve had the same experience. These schools are so big that you can find any kind of person

[@kaytriarch]

I'm an Audio Engineering Major and I work for the radio station on campus :)@@caitlingill

[@cghens]

i also go to UA and feel the same way. sometimes i do remember how it can be tho lol i get humbled

[@totalmollipop]

also went to UA, didn't rush, but met a bunch of other nerds to hang out with and had a really good time and got a quality education. but the greek life stuff was wild.

[@syd5380]

Bama Rush is so surreal to see, I live in Maine and I truly do not know _anyone_ like the girls in these videos. Like I don't think I've encountered anything even close, elite southern society is so incredibly specific. It's fascinating but also so insanely scary to me lol

[@indigoigloo]

Also raised in Maine & I concur w you. The cultures are so different it’s wild.

[@Eibarwoman]

It seems foreign to those not in the South in general.

[@CutYourBangs9]

Interestingly enough, I'm from Michigan, and while Bama Rush is pretty foreign to me, I have certainly met these types of people here. It may have to do with the demographics where I live, as the high school I went to was overwhelmingly white and the culture there was pretty elitist in certain circles.

[@bunnywavyxx9524]

@@Eibarwoman I live in Maryland. It's a bit of southern and northern culture together. I still consider it a northern state... But I know I'm going to graduate with girls who are DEFINITELY going to be in these sororities. It's not just a white thing it's a white southern thing in specific. It's bizarre and normal to me at the same time.

[@willowleigh1786]

To live up North, so this could be foreign to me. They're an interesting bunch. Went to a wedding and they were so out of touch.

[@lilyofthelabyrinth]

Kids actually died from fraternity hazing while i was at Penn State. I almost joined one of the friendlier sororities, but even they were obsessed with outward image in a way that i just couldn't jive with. Some of my best friends were in the "nerd" fraternity, and they were also living out some status-based RPG. I ended up delving into a research assistantship for a campus lab in my free time, and it turned out to be the best decision for me

[@strawberrykun6136]

Still can't believe all these terrifying racist incidents at alabama uni are barely a decade old, we still have such a long way to go. Thank you for this informative video dear

[@betacamo]

I know us non-Americans forget about their higher drinking age, but the immediate out on blacklisting if people mention parties in their interview is probably because it is a conservative state and you just admitted to actively seeking to underage drink (a lot of the new girls are probably 2-3 years away from legal drinking age). 16:25

[@jamiexit]

oh true!! i hadn’t considered this, that makes sense

[@simplyvenus5994]

Another issue and reason (possibly) us Americans have a higher drinking age is because we have the highest rates of people with addiction and mental health issues. Many Americans do not know how to control their consumption and indulgence of almost anything.

[@thecolorjune]

@@simplyvenus5994 no, the high drinking age is just due to Protestant Christians in government. That’s why we had prohibition. A drinking age of 21 was the compromise. Addiction and mental health issues stem more from the wealth disparities and capitalist for profit industries that even include for profit health care meaning that treatment for addiction and mental health is extremely hard to accesses.

[@rino2451]

​@@thecolorjuneit's actually not really due to that. it really and truly stemmed from Mothers Against Drunk Driving. If you break it down, our drinking age is higher bc our driving age is lower which is bc our cities are far more car centric and aren't walkable !

[@thecolorjune]

@@rino2451that’s a really good point. Mothers against drunk driving definitely play a huge role in creating the drinking age limit here.

[@kseniav586]

This is so fascinating to me as an outsider. Sororities seem to be very rich people clubs and young girls fighting to be in one is kind of silly. In Russia we do have student clubs but they are not gendered and typically don't play a large role in campus life. I guess Russians don't need extra excuses to go drinking he he

[@gaeig]

I am a first yr student in India so it could be very different in Russia but his is a lot different from student clubs. This is literally just rich young people wanting to only socialize amongst themselves because they've been raised to be aporophobic (and ignorant) and their parents financing them because it directly increases their socio-economic connections and influence

[@lost1head]

Don't need extra excuses to invade other countries either.

[@its_gabs]

​@@lost1headthe same could be said about the United States 🤷🏻‍♀️

[@kseniav586]

@@lost1head so true. although the propaganda machine here is working hard to convince people otherwise :(

[@jalapeno1119]

​@@lost1headYes because one single KZbin commenter is the reason why Russia is at war.

[@alamb1713]

My twin brother went to the University of Alabama. Someone from our highschool who also went to Alabama was given the choice during rush to break his arm or camp in the swamp alone with alligators. He put his arm over a toilet and smashed it with a hammer. This freaked my brother out and he didn't join a frat and thus did not make friends and transferred. I went to Uni in the UK and the closest thing to greek life I witnessed was the Kate Kennedy Club at St. Andrews.

[@JRay.R]

Holy sh it I hated reading this but couldn’t stop once I started lol. 😅

[@ih2439]

You’re the second commenter who made reference to this weird arm breaking hazing tradition. So sick. I’m sure your brother was happy to transfer and I hope everything worked out well for him.

[@cmd5789]

Kate Kennedy’s. Mate. Only once.

[@JRay.R]

@@fluxonite both lol.

[@brody5409]

Okay. Hazing is bad enough without you having to lie about it. What swamp in TUSCALOOSA? Also while it is possible for alligators to show up in like the Black Warrior it's a rare occurrence. I'm not defending hazing at all but like. There's no need to lie.

[@MissRae_18]

Oh my gosh, I remember my freshman roommate (complete stranger to me but a nice girl) and the hell she went through during rush. I think she slept 3-4 hours a night for the entire two weeks. I never understood why she did it, but i vividly remember her waking up at like 6am just for shower, hair, makeup, outfit. She’d be ready to go out by 9am. Then come back to our dorm at 2am shit-faced, only to repeat the process. She ended up joining her dream sorority, and they bailed her out of messy legal situations. I guess it all worked out because she met her frat husband (who was rich of course) in the end. Sometimes she’d sneak me into the exclusive parties which was fun, but nothing made me NOT want to join a sorority more than seeing all the chaos she put herself through 😅

[@medo05511]

Well I’m glad she got what she wanted after truly putting in the work for it

[@honorfoxcroft7170]

Honestly, The Machine sounds like the inspiration for a Sorority/fraternity horror movie where they unalive anyone that goes against them and one of the sororities/fraternities that disobeys ends up in a slasher situation a la Scream or Black Christmas as the main plot.

[@madsyourmirrorball]

help lmao 😭 youre not wrong though. when i watched the bama documentary and they said they werent allowed to talking about them, i know shit was off

[@ripwednesdayadams]

i was raped two different times during college, both times the perpetrator was a male friend of mine who i had known for a while. most, if not all of my female friends from college experienced SA and/or rape during their time at school. the rate of sexual violence on american college campuses was ridiculously high. it’s really depressing and horrifying how deeply pervasive the problem is on college campuses.

[@calawendy]

im gonna guess he didnt get any repercussions? :( im so sorry

[@virginiaf4117]

I’m so sorry this happened to you

[@thejusticeization]

?? I doubt every single women in the school got r**ed, How is that possible? maybe they were hanging out with the wrong people?

[@digolaverdad7313]

You do know that having sex w someone and regretting it or getting mad because he doesn't want to date you isn't gripe right?

[@virginiaf4117]

@@digolaverdad7313 you know the definition of sexual assault and rape, right? Educate yourself and stop making assumptions.

[@beekah992]

I grew up in a college town and I have always felt that these societies have a darkness about them, they are very cult like and I have always wanted nothing but to stay away.

[@RumpledRegina]

The way I was thrown for a loop as a Greek the first time I heard about sororities and "Greek life" 😂 Not only it has nothing to do with us, but also they pronounce most of the letters WRONG 🙃

[@rokhayas]

as a non-american that was the weirdest thing to me. i thought it was a bunch of white Americans with greek roots lmao

[@bil-v6h]

ye americans rly just took your words and thats it

[@JayJay-17]

As an American I assumed it would have some sort of connection to maybe Ancient Greek society/organization so I was surprised too they just look letters and symbols and that was it. Thought there would be more to it

[@magical0rbz]

@@JayJay-17 personally i feel like they reason they choose Greek is because usually Greek is held in high regard whether it be art or architecture

[@jamelbunny5732]

​@@magical0rbztrue

[@KD-xf6kf]

I was a commuter student at both colleges I went to and the way that Sororities/Fraternities monopolize social life is unreal. It was impossible to get into group projects because people who participated in Greek student life would band together. I am neurodivergent and don’t drink so I never considered joining. They’ve always seemed like cults to me.

[@memeshalee99]

the way my jaw kept dropping because the things you were describing kept getting worse. It seems so cartoonishly evil, especially for college, but you're right the things that "the Machine" does: threats, blackmail, bribery, lowkey assasination attempts with all the assault, and all kinds of corruption are what politicians do on a day to day basis. It's so dystopian, but it's the world we live in and it's scary it even reaches some universities.

[@kristinanguyen7256]

YOU DIDNT TALK ABOUT THE HUMILATION OF SORORITY HAZING, GIRL. They talk about ‘girls loving girls’ but you literally have to get BULLIED to win your spot. Don’t even get me started…they’ll make fun you, they’ll make you not wear a bra for a week or no makeup. You’ll have to be a ‘on call night driver’ for a drunk sorority sister, or you’ll need to wear only pink/or ugly basketball shorts for a day. You’ll do whatever petty thing they ask. Also…sorority girls from all over the state compare themselves to their affiliate houses in other universities. The higher-ranking houses in large universities all want to maintain a ‘look’ and ‘exclusivity’ …this even translates to the type of purse you wear and brands of clothes. This is at EVERY college. My friend literally bought a Louis Vuitton Never Full and asked her parents for a Mercedes in high school JUST for Rush Week to get in a top sorority. They also ask you what kind of car you drive. Girls will OBSESS over the criteria and ‘what it takes’ to get in a certain sorority as early as HIGH SCHOOL

[@mcfrisko834]

That's sad asf and it just goes to show you the chaos that takes place when NARCISSISTS are in charge of organizations...

[@SerraAbak]

I went to the University of Florida where greek life is super intense as well and didn't rush myself, but I heard rumors that Tri Delt would put girls on washing machines and reject them if anything jiggled. It's so bizarre that it's still this big.

[@ih2439]

So you can’t be a human with flesh? 😂 how insane

[@peachesandcream22]

As a girl with naturally big cleavage, I can rest now, knowing that such things as sorority clubs will never prey on me XD

[@SpicyPlur]

Tri delta did that in my university too (allegedly) but they would sharpie circles around the areas that jiggle.

[@icedcat4021]

No boobs allowed in Tri Delt? Lmao

[@cleanserene6330]

​@@icedcat4021that actually, frighteningly, makes sense...if the men/fraternities they are trying to attract, align themselves with, only want skinny girls w no boobs that look...underage? Is that a nice way to put it? Very much a dog whistle, sideways wink and nod, to a group that prefers their conquered flesh "young" above all else. Because if the older sorority sisters are willing to go to these lengths in procurement now, they make themselves valuable as procurers (pimps) for years to come, and they gain powerful allies in their world. The world runs on sex and commerce; the height of capitalism can be distilled and judged by where these 2 things merge. {Ghislaine Maxwell learned that if you can't be what a man wants, there are ways to get it for him and keep your elevated status. From her (grossly predatory and problematic) perspective, she did the most for the patriarchy, how dare they sacrifice her after enjoying the forbidden fruits she provided them with.} I think I'm going to throw up.

[@historynerd37]

When I was in college, I remember that the frat/sorority members who seemed the most normal and grounded were the ones who were also involved in other student organizations (except the political ones). I think a lot of the problems now are contributed to by the organization essentially taking control of your whole personality for 3-4 years. It reminds me of accounts I've heard of military bootcamps, where the point is to break down your individuality to get you to serve the goals of the larger organization first.

[@jaynemccabe8701]

American here- you did get one thing a little bit wrong on the WHY people go into sororities and fraternities. Basically think about it as royal families getting to know each other and making connections that will help their children’s careers in the future. It creates insane connections that help these rich families stay well rich. You can’t ever really be at risk of being homeless or poor when you used to chug bottles of Malibu with the governor of Alabama or the top divorcee lawyer in state. It’s basically 4 years of making work connections and letting your little shits of children get all the crazy out of them before they have to get serious with life.

[@sj1893]

going to school with a heavy greek presence while not being in one is such a bizarre experience. these people walk around calling themselves each others’ “big” and “little” with a straight face 😭 and they’re very proud of it too

[@ashleycooperpop]

So excited for another Jordan Theresa video essay. The whole bama rush concept is insane, especially after watching the documentary where they mention the “machine”.

[@catis4]

I think the job application that I went through to get my current job was way easier than getting into a sorority.

[@Tiorg-g1u]

I'm not from the US but I went to an American college and rush was such an interesting experience. I ended up joining the engineering school sorority, the rushing process was subdued and lowkey compared to Bamarush, but rush for the other non-academic sororities was like what you describe in the video. My college had some interesting super elite sororities that weren't part of the formalized Greek life and you had to be "recruited" for these ones, you couldn't apply and rush normally. Was recruited for one of them but they droppped me pretty quickly when they realized that I didn't have the money to do stuff like fly to Cabo in first class during spring break LOL.

[@seaurchinted]

Being stuck with frat/sorority people in another country for a week sounds like a special corner of hell so I will say you dodged a bullet.

[@apt_get]

Watching this video genuinely ignited an anxiety response in me haha. Sorority culture is not nearly as extreme at the university I attend, but the gender dynamics in greek life are extremely real and extremely scary. It makes me uncomfortable in ways I don't really know how to put into words.

[@Gir0107]

I AM SO GLAD YOU MENTIONED THE MACHINE!! Im originally from Illinois, moved to Alabama bc of my dad having to switch jobs. I went to a beauty school later on and became friends with two girls who used to go to the University of Alabama. One was kicked out bc she got pregnant, and wouldn’t elaborate further. The other went very in depth with me about her expierence. She dealt with a horrible ED due to her sorority forcing her to become “skinnier”. Had horrible depression, anxiety, etc. then randomly mentioned the machine to me. How the machine basically controls everything in the college, all money is funneled to the machine made from the sororities and frats. All government and politicians from AL are apart of the machine. Then, she said that she is still loyal to her sorority even though they put her through so much, and in the end, she dropped out from it being too much for her to handle. Fucking Insane. EDIT TO ADD: She also explained that the Machine is responsible for a lot of racial crimes done to the black frat and the reason that no black student was apart of the SGA. The only black student that has been apart of the SGA , his family was involved with the machine. He is the only member of the SGA to this day to be a person of color, and I believe this was around 2016ish.

[@kas23997]

we're tired of being called racists, says the machine after committing multiple hate crimes

[@raiiiiiiny.]

XD

[@Samantha-vx8gw]

i'm from the southern US, but i attended a medium-sized private university in the northeastern US where i was in a sorority for 1 semester as a freshman. i found that throughout rush, girls told me "we're not like sororities at those big state schools! we actually like each other" and "rush is sooo stressful but so worth it." I found in the end that greek life on campus was super problematic in that there was SO much comparison between sororities, there was a huge emphasis on how "cool" your sorority was, you instantly judge someone new you meet when you find out what organization they're in, and the frats that your sorority mixes with has a huge influence on how "cool" your organization is. rush was stressful, bordering on traumatic- i'm exaggerating, but it definitely took a toll on my mental health to feel like I was being compared to so many girls and being rejected for being myself. i hated the social environment that these organizations created on campus. there were constant scandals about about sexual assaults at fraternities, there was a physical assault that happened at a major fraternity which resulted in one person being hospitalized (and yet that fraternity faced essentially no repercussions), there were rumors of hazing that involved extreme drinking/drug use and physical harm to students (particularly boys, for sororities any kind of hazing was usually more mental/emotional). there was even a scandal where a slideshow created by rushes in a sorority was leaked, and in this slideshow they mocked the pledge class of a frat. i hate to sound like a killjoy because lots of people at US universities have a fun greek life experience, but for me it was way more trouble than it was worth and i didn't understand how people couldn't see that. there was a lot of rhetoric on campus that was like "oh all frats are bad except for this one"... honey, they're all bad, they all allow this kind of environment to exist. love your videos jordan thanks for this one

[@kneecole1282]

I was in a co-ed service fraternity in college (APO) that hosted rush activities but invited anyone who showed up to join. It was really all about community service and fellowship events. But it's pretty shocking to me how whenever I as a woman mention that I was in a fraternity, people will jump to correct me and tell me it must have been a sorority. I think some people really struggle to remove the gender stuff from their idea of any group that has Greek letters.

[@aprilmoore4401]

Same! I’m also in APO, I love telling people I’m in a fraternity 😂

[@Aster_Risk]

It's not that people struggle, it's that they don't know that there is an option to be in a fraternity as a woman. Where would the average person have learned this when all popular media shows that women are in sororities and men are in fraternities?

[@LoveAndSnapple]

LFS, Brother! 🤝

[@madeleineevelinaguekguezia550]

Yo! I was also in APhiO as an undergrad, good memories (except exec board, we don’t talk about exec board 💔)

[@JemuzuDatsWho]

This is an amazing view for not only taking a look at the inner workings of a United States subculture but also using it as a lens to observe and critique the macro systems that they function to uphold. Incredible work!

[@mitch8697]

My girlfriend in college was in a sorority at a small university in the southwest. Dues were $200 per semester, the girls constantly did charity events, even if it was keg stands for the hungry children or whatever. I found a lot of the girls also had friends and boyfriends outside of the sorority and not all of them lived on campus. It wasnt perfect, and there were definitely classic panhelenic shenanigans, but a lot of greek life on campus emphasizes the importance of a well rounded college experience.

[@laurenmarie7045]

I went to the University of Alabama 2015-2018 (December grad) and I did not rush because I did not have the money for it. It was an interesting perspective being what the called a “G.D.I” god damn independent (sometimes referred to as “geed”). It was like your worth was lesser due to it. Only really had an effect on me my freshman year and honestly by my 3rd year a lot of girls dropped their sororities because of how astronomically expensive it was. I had a friend that had 2 full ride scholarships (sport and academic) and her parents let her rush as a treat basically for getting a full ride and it still ended up costing her ~32k just in sorority dues/costumes/date parties etc. Such a crazy thing to look back on now

[@jow.2450]

$32,000 from freshman thru senior year?

[@laurenmarie7045]

@@jow.2450 yep! Cause their dues were about 4K a semester and she stayed in her sorority the whole time she was a student. That might even be low balling cause they always had to put up money for costumes for date parties, balls, fundraisers, rush, etc.

[@solarmoth4628]

There are more “normal” less cult-y sorority chapters at smaller colleges but even then once it’s on the national level the cult-ness becomes apparent because you can see how strange and indoctrinated the other chapters are. We also have societies and clubs like in the UK. Usually you do actual service work or club activities and of course drink with each other on the weekends sometimes.

[@moinakitchen1962]

i really like what you mentioned in the conclusion about the 'diversity hammer', fundamental change needs to happen before we see any improvements on that front because including pocs into spaces is one matter, but making sure they'd be safe and respected in those spaces is far more important.

[@stxrry-night]

So with the documentary, when the sororities got wind of the filming they threatened all their members that they could not interact with the filming crew. And those sororities are well connected and have such a long history, so of course other students decided to also just refrain from participating in the filming or helping with the research. Some messed up shit goes down with sororities and fraternities that gets pushed under the rug because of the politics and connections.

[@erinb7032]

There's also a very, very distinct difference between Social Sororities and Professional Sororities. I was in a Professional Sorority based around my major and our rush was NOTHING like the socials. Social Sororities are definitely for buying friends, and their application process starts at minimum a YEAR before you're even guaranteed to go to that school.

[@MeganSugrue-s1s]

It's also interesting to think about how each sorority can have different reputations across Universities. For example, Phi Mu at Bama is one of the top-tier choices but at UNL (where I rushed in the 00s) it would have been embarrassing to pledge Phi Mu.

[@antonia5423]

hi i currently go to UNL, phi moo is still that sorority 😭

[@ma66ie]

I was thinking about that in this video because it mentions DTD as the “most powerful fraternity”, but at my school the other frats call it “d-cks touching d-cks”… it’s the “gay frat”.

[@ethanwood2934]

As a current snu at unl (same boat as phi mu here), can confirm that is still the consensus. tbh I joined my frat specifically because it wasn’t a “top” house and I couldn’t afford the dues at other frats. We have done community philanthropies and formals with phi mu for the past three years or so and it’s been hella fun and very much not culty which is aye-ok with me

[@kellyc1188]

as an american that didn’t join a sorority in college, this was so interesting! i’ve been asked a lot if i was in one (i’m an extrovert and very friendly + academically motivated) and sometimes i wish i did…but ultimately hearing the stats of racism and SA within these institutions makes me so glad i didn’t join. very good video girl!!! ❤

[@Janon743]

Right, I’m an extrovert myself but I never joined a frat (partly due to life as a commuter) I made friends through other means, mainly sports and school clubs. I don’t judge people for the routes they take so long as they don’t hurt anyone, this being said there’s more than one way to have a social life

[@Ridaaab]

Same here! I wanted to be in a sorority, cause I liked the aesthetic & the appeal. However, I ended up studying abroad, and so they didn’t have a sorority.

[@yepitstiffany]

I studied sociology in college and took a few sociology of education/sociology of higher education classes. And before I say what I learned about Greek life, I just want to preface this with a disclaimer that this is not an attack against anyone who partakes in Greek life. Also this is just a super watered down version of the incredible slew of social issues and systemic problems that plague Greek life. All of the points brought up in this video have been the subject of study in the social sciences for decades, particularly because of how problematic modern Greek life is against both minority groups and the sorority girls themselves. This video is incredibly well made and so well researched! Thank you Jordan for bringing light to the issues of Greek life in such an informative and empowering way. A huge part of sororities (and fraternities), especially in the South, is the social status. It’s kind of like now showing off a fancy Dior bag flaunts your high social status (and that you’re rich). These girls are usually white, conventionally attractive, wealthy and affluent, and often come from influential families. Joining Greek life, which is largely only an option for affluent students, serves to affirm or reaffirm their social status. However, another HUUUGE part of Greek life (again, especially in the conservative Deep South) is to find a man to marry. In the same way joining a sorority affirms wealth and social status, joining a fraternity is also a symbol of wealth and power. The men and boys who join frats also come from white, wealthy, power, affluent and powerful families. Because of the constant collaboration between fraternities and sororities, many of these girls are there and join sororities to earn what’s called a “MRS degree”- so they’re attending college and joining sororities to socialize with the purpose to find a good husband. This is also a status thing, since because Greek life is largely gatekept to exclude students of color, LGBTQIA+ students, students who don’t fit beauty standards, and, above all, poor students, girls and boy in Greek life know that they’ll find a partner who “fits” their own social status and family ideologies. Many of them major in degrees that are considered “easy” or becoming null, such as degrees in liberal arts or humanities (not saying these are necessarily easy degrees) or degrees that are traditionally feminine, such as hospitality or nursing.

[@ProfessorSetterby]

Not to be nit-picky but nursing was recently ranked the most rigorous BSN degree. Due to requirements for exams, homework, clinical hours. There are more requirements than some of the general science degrees that feed i to medical school, pharmaceutical degrees, engineering etc. A BSN, for many is often used as a terminal degree, not an MRS. Nurses are more highly paid than most BS graduates, with only a few exceptions, like computer science and engineering.

[@cutienerdgirl]

​@@ProfessorSetterby She never said nursing was an easy degree to get, she said a BSN degree is one of the two that is seen as traditionally feminine.

[@genericglam]

I went to a convention for a sorority I was in and realized it was all BS. While there are opportunities to network with a group of ppl I wouldn’t have met otherwise, you’re paying fees to be a part of an organization The “philanthropic” work we did was mostly “fundraising for literacy”, volunteering at a local pet center, or showing up to volunteer at events (you’re free labor). During rush, a lot of girls mostly wanted to get their friends into the same sorority. This means that girls that don’t know a familiar face rarely get a chance to come back. PNMs are supposed to be selected to come back bc they share the same values as the organization, not bc of who they know.

[@alyshaking]

The rowing society fact is hilarious 😂 I'm so glad Australia doesn’t have sororities/fraternities. I lived on campus in the dorms but I didn’t have to compete to get in or anything like that. Rushing sounds like an intorverts nightmare 😬

[@ghadakameche2248]

Same i had an anxiety response just watching the video

[@YellowBuddyDog]

You aren’t forced to rush. Only potential downside is that it’s a little harder to go to big parties if you’re a dude

[@katwinabee]

im a WOC in the south (also just generally left, queer, neurodivergent, the whole cocktail!) and the idea of having a sorority is so appealing and i understand why people do it. i wont join one though, bc the idea of having a sorority is so different than the reality. hey, id LOVE to have a family of people that are like me! imagine living with people with similar beliefs and personalities as you... it would be nice! it just doesnt exist for most of us. i knew a girl that was intensely bullied by her sorority and she couldn't leave and lived in the sorority house. she had to sleep in her car for WEEKS. and she's not a person of color, not poor, she was just brunette and a bit different personality wise. great girl, truly sad that they treated her so poorly. anyways, i really feel for people that just want to belong and end up pushing themselves and being pushed into uncomfortable and even incredibly dangerous situations. if youre reading this and feel like you have to join a sorority so you belong and make friends, there are other options. take care of yourself ❤️ be safe, be smart, be loving

[@beyondtheradio]

The vibe I got from sororities in college is that rush is essentially a pageant show lol

[@ladylongsleeves3175]

In the Netherlands and Belgium there is a very similar culture, the students there get in the news all the time because of horrific stuff, in Belgium they even killed a black student, and pretty much got away with it And of course all the people there end up in the government

[@carlaaax]

This is true! However, since the death of Sanda Dia, most fraternities/sororities have changed their rules and hazing is not even allowed anymore. There’s still some shady student clubs out there tho (mostly those for rich kids). I go to uni in Leuven, so I know how wild they can be :///

[@ladylongsleeves3175]

@@carlaaax Good to here that things are changing! I don't think the Netherlands are though

[@christineparkin354]

As someone who grew up in a very rich part of Alabama where most of the girls at my school ended up rushing at Alabama, It’s very interesting to see an outsider’s perspective. Growing up, none of this felt weird to me but I’ve recently moved to Colorado and seeing the difference is crazy. Anyway loved the video!!

[@veronicaaristeguieta3072]

This is all just really fascinating to me, as an autistic trans woman who's a part of a very small sorority chapter, at a small liberal arts college, and how I'm just completley worlds apart from this Bama Rush culture.

[@medo05511]

How did the rushing work in your small college then?

[@bannez43]

Sorority alumni here-I went to a very small chapter in rural USA so we only had about 40 people max at any given time. The “no boys” B in the recruitment discussions also includes male family members and any male professors as well. So even if you’re just talking about how you admire your dad or something like that, we had to report it at the house debriefs after rounds. Whack, I know but it was rules handed down by the National Panhellenic Community.

[@rileysie]

To add onto the pressure to keep up the status quo: my sorority tried to challenge the whole no boys thing and basically got told by our headquarters that we are to have that rule or lose our charter (ie we’d no longer be a sorority) leaving all the members who live there without a home! I went to a small northern school so there wasn’t nearly the same level of weath and for students like myself I had no other option if my sorority got shut down

[@immkk1125]

But why did they care so much?? It makes no sense, you pay and they impose stupid rules or else you lose the house you are paying for???

[@rileysie]

@@immkk1125it’s just because of tradition and money. Imagine a bunch of older women who peaked in their sorority days getting to dictate the lives of women they don’t know

[@taki7984]

@@immkk1125have you learned nothing.?

[@justabitofamug6989]

Kinda a shame that sororitys and fraternitys arent just super gay

[@sonny423]

at my college (not a big southern public U) there was one sorority in particular that was known to be more welcoming to gay/bi women. lots of the girls were also in women's sports teams so there was a lot of overlap between that one sorority and the other circles of queer women on campus. it's self fulfilling I think where if one sorority is known to be welcoming then it becomes the "gay" one lol

[@tatumtatum]

american here (tw: s.a.): i went to USC and was in a sorority for about 4 weeks before dropping out. it was so culty and there were certain rules for rush, like they didn't allow curly hair, coloured hair, or non-painted nails, otherwise you'd get fined. it's sort of like a club but there's no common interest aside from wanting to be in the club. i also got S.A.-ed at a frat party :-) abolish greek life !!!

[@irinad.7802]

As someone who is not American and had no idea what rush was, I enjoyed the documentary. However, your video is way more informative and insightful. Thanks for shedding the light on these issues.

[@tofulover672]

I went to a small private university that only had 4 sororities and STILL the one that was at the "top" of the hierarchy had a racism scandal where 2 girls wore blackface to a party..... even when people say these sororities "aren't like other schools because we're a small university," they are

that CACKLE after "imagine having 99 flatmates" killed me... so true. living with 2 other people is already 🙃. I CANNOT imagine having to be on social mode 24/7 no matter where i go in the house plssss

[@xXx___xXx]

American culture is so weird. I never knew how cultish the whole sorority/fraternity thing is. Insane how it reeks of patriarchy and racism and people still happily take part in it. like??! And the lack of individualty in those people, it's like they're brainwashed and/or insane. It's just baffling to me as a European. Didn't know America was so backwards even in the higher education department lol (side note: how can these people be so wealthy and have absolutely NO taste?!??)

[@kristynamartinez6509]

It baffles me too and I am American

[@realRatRat]

as an american, a lot of colleges (especially smaller ones) have greek life that isn’t anything like this. bama rush types just get the most attention

[@morganshryock4847]

yeah at my school like, sometimes the frats would have SA allegations, but other than that the greek life was pretty chill, and a lot of them were just based on like what you were studying. or just an excuse to drink haha. I never personally knew anyone in a sorority tho so maybe stuff went on that I just never heard about

[@loniloo9521]

I mean this doesn’t represent every aspect of American culture. There’s melting pots of lots of different culture so insulting it and generalizing it as a whole is strange and condescending. As a black American hearing Europeans look down on American culture as a whole is interesting to me because a lot of us had to struggle to create the culture we have and having people look down there noses at it is eye opening to say the least.

[@Dsle-ys5ts]

Plenty of culty racist old money social clubs here in the uk too it’s all weird

[@TakenTook]

Glad to be from a working class family, and glad one of my AP English teachers in high school assigned the short story "The Graven Image" by John O'Hara. So when I started undergrad I already knew that lots of this stuff was artificial, for rich kids to buy fake friends for future "networking" purposes. I prefer to make friends I actually like as people, and who actually like me as a person, as opposed to everybody choosing their social circle based on who has the nicest clothes or the richest family. Even working class kids like me, who had to hold down actual jobs to pay for our own tuition and living expenses every semester found time for philanthropy.

[@Melina_Shadow]

My second semester of college my friend in art class talked me into joining her sorority. I HATED IT! I couldn’t wait for the semester to be over.

[@anirose25]

I have a friend who goes to Alabama, he dropped before bid day because a lot of the people did drugs and drank and he didn’t want to roll with that crowd. We do come from a nice area of Arizona and his family is well off so he could afford to be in a frat. I bring this up because it’s important to note that there are people in frats and sororities who are not necessarily there for the right reasons, not saying all but there are some. Greek life isn’t for everyone and it’s very exclusive to the new era of WASPs and other forms of social hierarchy. Join Greek life if you wish but also take into account the exclusivity towards POC and economic status

[@peachesandcream22]

Not drinking/doing drugs with everyone? Your friend is based.

[@Heyheyhaleyd]

My cousin goes to the University of Alabama. He just started there as a freshman. He was gonna try to get into a frat, but decided not to join one. He was telling my family about life at the university and how at some parties they made people smoke so many vapes at one time or something like that. His family is upper middle class, but I’m working class/poor broke. We’re both from Georgia. I have lived in Alabama and I have other cousins who live there. I’m glad you brought up how weird it is that Alabama is a poor state, but the University of Alabama mostly has white rich kids. Also, I’m not calling out my cousin. I love him and his mother has sacrificed A LOT for him so he could live the life he has now. They are amazing people. One of my other cousins who lives in Alabama and who went to public school had lunches that were supposed to be tacos, but were given crackers instead of chips. They were also given hot pockets to eat.

[@madsyourmirrorball]

what is WILD to me is that some of the poorest states with super poor people and horrible education, have some huge schools with mostly rich white people. most of these schools have horrible curriculums and get all the money with many students out of state, while the citizens are hungry and/or homeless.

[@playwonderwall]

Nah fuck sororities, that's just too much work to even join a popularity club within college when your main goal should be to graduate well in your class😭😭😭

[@scarletshadedblack6502]

I’m a member of a co-ed professional frat in Canada and the horror stories our American international students tell us about their previous frats are wild! It’s so laid back here in comparison (and way cheaper at 200$ a year)