As a member of a
social Greek organization, I have encountered many prejudices about Greek life since going through recruitment. Many of these are
perpetuated in different ways, from the mass media to secretive rumor. While I
am a major proponent of Greek life and believe that every person’s experience in
most Greek organizations is different, I do believe there are some flaws with
the system. Greek fraternities and sororities are constantly involved in
partying and socializing, with academics way down on the priority ladder. People love a
controversy, and those unfortunate instances of academic probation, binge
drinking, questionable sexual health, etc., make the
media spread their ugly connotations over all those who choose to go Greek.
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| Jean Jacques Rousseau |
So
I know what you’re thinking, what does this have to do with political science?
Well, Jean Rousseau’s novel: Discourse on
the Origin of Inequality, discusses the transformation of man, essentially.
His novel can best be described by saying once man leaves his pure, initial state of
nature and enters civil society he becomes corrupted by conflicts of power and wealth. After reading an excerpt from Rousseau I was
debating what the 17th century philosopher’s perspective would be on
Greek Life. I could see him viewing Greek life today as the epitome of this self-interest
and survival at college (civil society), which I will explain as this post goes
along.
The
origins of Greek life were very different. I believe that Rousseau would
consider its origins in the state of nature, untouched by society. The founders
initially intended their organization to consist entirely
of an intellectual nature, where members discussed
current events and literature in closed meetings. With the first named Phi Beta Kappa, it was established at the college of William & Mary in 1776. It
was first created as an underground group, where they performed secret rituals,
handshakes, mottos, and a code of laws, many of these
traditions that Greek organizations still followed today. However, the
similarities end there.
Where
Rousseau’s theory of civil society really has occurred is Greek life in today’s
world, where the intellectual roots of Greek life have seemingly been reversed.
A highly competitive and sometimes cruel system exists now where fraternities and
sororities are constantly trying to “one up” each other. In an informal and undocumented system of
‘Tiers’, there is a somewhat general consensus as to which of these Greek organizations
belong to each tier. Top tier sororities and fraternities reach that lofty perch
by being informally judged to have the best parties and the most attractive
members. This ranking is completely subjective and rumor-driven, and
tends to draw only a negative connotation on a seemingly shallow system. Rousseau believed that
modern society is blamed for blemishing the pure people who support this type
of Greek organizational ranking system. Rousseau claims:
“Each
one began to consider the rest, and to wish to be considered in turn; and thus
a value came to be attached to public esteem. Whoever sang or danced best,
whoever was the handsomest, the strongest, the most dexterous, or the most
eloquent, came to be of most consideration; and this was the first step towards
inequality, and at the same time towards vice” (Rousseau 67).
Rousseau
would describe the competition between fraternities and sororities as an
invitation to sabotage for the prize of power. They achieve this by constantly trying to
improve their reputation, because they are all trying to become the most
selective organization. It is similar to
applying to college, without the judgmental physical aspect. College applicants are accepted or rejected
on many factors and those deemed worthy would receive acceptance. During rush, the factors now include physical
appearance, which can trump all other attributes. The more applicants, the better your
organization looks, and the more selective recruiters can be of new pledges.
 | |
| Each Greek Organization has their own unique set of Greek letters |
On
a lighter note, the final comparison I want to make is through civil society,
or the formation of laws, government, and bodies of people, which was created
in part out of pity and love for our fellow humans that has psychologically
imbedded itself into our wiring as human beings, and in part a love for
ourselves. From this, according to Rousseau, the idea of family came into
being, and of love itself. This family
system can be directly applied to Greek life, with each member of the
organization being either a brother or sister and caring bonds can be
established. This family theme continues with lineages, with ‘Bigs’ and
‘Littles’ being a sort of parent/child relationship with the purpose of
acclimating to the Greek environment.
While there are many blemishes on
the face of Greek Life, it has evolved into a tightly knit group where men and
women come together and make lifelong friendships. Although this does sound
slightly cliché, having a huge organization that you can rely on and associate
yourself with is truly a great feeling, and I believe that Rousseau would see
it this way as well, regardless of its corruption in civil society. Joining a
fraternity has hugely expanded my social network in a very good way. I have
friends from high school and people I have met through classes, hall-mates, etc.
However, I would never have been able to
have the incredible opportunity to meet so many people, and so many diverse
people, by going Greek. In my opinion,
making new friends and expanding ones perspective to include the viewpoints of
others are some of the most important things one can do to enrich deepen one’s
life experience.
A very interesting article I recommend everyone reading: USA TODAY
Works Cited:
http://www.janeleichhorn.com/Fall-Fraternity-Rush
http://fryeblog.blog.lib.mcmaster.ca/2010/06/28/jean-jacques-rousseau/
http://greece.mrdonn.org/alphabet.html
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