Use of word ‘frat’ demeaning, reiterates negative stereotypes

This is a joke right? Some kind of frat prank?

Did you seriously just say “We’re not better than you, we’re just different!” to our faces?

Yes, you are right, you chose a different path…that path being that frat people pay hundreds, and sometimes thousands of dollars to be exclusive, and have secret handshakes. They CHOSE to make their hair strategically messy, and proudy wear shirts like “After I tap this keg, I’ll tap your girlfriend”.

I am just not cool enough to have paid thousands of $ and followed such a path…..

Now go paint, and guard the rock!!

Adam writes:
“Many state that greek members simply “pay for their friends” but the truth of the matter is: We share a common bond because of shared ritual, common living and having a good time together”.

You don’t call your country a “count”, so don’t call your fraternity a frat!!!
I think the truth of the matter is there is a lot of d-baggyness going around here.

“I applauded the fact the greek community was given some positive feedback and showing some of the positive sides of greek life…”

Can an isolated event from 53 years ago be used as evidence for the quality of frats now? That’s a stretch.

Frat guys are pathetic. Here’s your “shared ritual”: wearing Polo shirts, khakis and loafers. Get over it.

The only reason “frat” has a negative meaning is because of the actions of fraternaties. There aren’t any other contexts in which the term is used, so you have only yourselves to blame. Rather than whine about being stereotyped negatively, keep working for charity and stop writing scores on girls hands at parties. Also, stop writing letters to the State News complaining and putting forth nonsensical arguments like: “It is similar to writing a positive article about a politician and in the middle of the article calling him corrupt.”
Besides, why do you care so much about how others perceive you?

Why is it that frat boys spend so much time trying to convince others that they made the right decision to join a frat? Probably too late to quit your frat now, huh Adam?

P.S. frat, frat, frat, frat, frat, frat, frat, frat, frat, frat, frat

Jaosn (Jason?) hits the nail on the head. Silly stupid actions brought this about. Even though it’s probably the minority of guys, everyone gets lumped together…and stories of continued hazings, raucous parties, don’t help. Generalizing is what people do. We all say the Detroit Lions suck major ass, yet they’ve actually got a few really good star players. Yet those guys get absorbed into the collective suckiness that is the Lions and it doesn’t alter our perception of the Lions.

And I also agree with both Jason and Todd, why the hell do you spend so much time whining or convincing others? It’s almost as bad as an ex begging you take them back.

You know what else is demeaning, Adam? Frat boys.

Adam – it is possible that some people are reading this that didn’t go to MSU, and a few of them may believe you.

But for those of us who attended State, we KNOW for a fact that frat boys on campus are all a bunch of pathetic losers. We’ve been around them (unfortuneatly). Do you really think that saying things to the contrary will make them true?

You are not a victim. Get over yourself. Also, nobody likes you, save for other FRAT boys.

Perhaps people like Adam defend being in a fraternity is because of the way fraternities are attacked constantly as seen by the responses here.

How many of you who are making statements like “You know what else is demeaning, Adam? Frat boys.” have ever been up to Psi Upsilon in particular? Or are you judging an entire group on campus by the vocal minority?

When I was at MSU roughly 8% of the university was greek. So you are ruling out thousands of people as “losers” and “d-bags” because of what it says on a few t-shirts or their hair style? Isn’t that just another example of a different type of prejudice?

Bottom line is for those of you who are attacking Adam you are the real losers because you are judging a person based on a choice that he made to join a group that harms nobody.

“What a joke” you need to get over yourself and learn how to spell if you are going to attack someone. Your spelling of “unfortuneatly” is truly unfortunate. Captain Obvious…you need to go find a Psi U and ask them why they don’t paint the rock…it might be enlightening for you (as they don’t, thus your attack was directed at the wrong group…I’m sure we are all surprised). MSU’98…before you attack clothing choice as the shared ritual maybe it would help if you knew any of the rituals they have at Psi U, what those rituals represent etc. Again, the rituals and principals are real, thus your choice to attack based on clothing choice just shows how bias and judgmental you really are while knowing nothing about the group you are attacking.

Are there bad examples out there? Sure. Does that give you all the right to vilify an entire segment of the student body? No not unless you want to believe that stereo types are legit and thus all stereo type driven prejudice is valid.

Matt EN ’04 – That inane diatribe you just provided is a perfect example of why people think frat boys are d-bags. “Real rituals” – you’re f’in hilarious. By the way, stereotypes are legit, or as you would write, “stereo types”. Like, Pioneer or JVC?

Matt EN-
Your comment, was only marginally better than many of the comments you ridicule. First, the article is about the use of the word “frat” which you fail to address. Do you find it insulting?
Secondy, you fail to provide a single example of why the stereotypes are incorrect. All you do is tell us they are wrong and we are left to apparently take your word for it. At best you point to one fraternity Psi Upsilon to prove everyone else wrong. Even if Psi U does not engage in any stereotypically “frat” behavior you haven’t exactly destroyed the stereotype in general.
The only redeeming quality of your post is that you are right that people should not judge fraternities based on a vocal minority. However, people have, and likely always will, judge based on stereotypes so it’s up to fraternities to change the stereotypes as opposed to whining about it.
Your last sentence is also poor. Simply because I believe the stereotypes about fraternities are legit doesn’t mean I have to accept that all stereotypes are legit and it certainly doesn’t validate discrimination based on stereotypes.

I would really like to have a meaningful argument, but rebutting hypacritical statements is not a productive waste of my time. Save it for a presidential debate.

The reason so many Fraternity Men care to work out the term ‘frat’ is because of the negative connotations that it carries from a time that they weren’t even in high school.

Today the Greek Community has a GPA higher than the All-Campus Average. In other words, all those negative non-Greeks who have made those posts have a lower average GPA than any other collection of Greek letter organization members.

This upcoming week, Greek Week, is the culmination of months of fund raising for the American Cancer Society. So far they’ve collectively raised over $150,000, you ever been a part of an organization that has reached half that? Probably not (there isn’t another one at MSU).

Juice- If that’s your real name.
I never said I supported this stereotype. I merely pointed out the flawed logic in the post I was responding to. To answer your question, I wouldn’t particularly care if someone were to make an assumption about me. I would trust that they would keep an open mind and quickly realize the stereotype doesn’t apply to me. If they didn’t and they treated me based entirely upon a stereotype than I wouldn’t particularly care what such an ignorant person thought of me.
Do you guys really thing the word “frat” creates a different picture in the mind than “fraternity brother”? I don’t think the stereotype is particularly exclusive to the word “frat”.
Like I asked before, if these people are so backwards, prejudiced, ignorant etc, why do you care what they think?

If you don’t want to be called a “frat” don’t have a name that is four syllables long. I use “frat” simply out of convenience sometimes.

In case you didn’t know… shortening the word “fraternity” to “frat” is like shortening “country” to…

Pursuant to the negative comments on “frat” men…when I attend MSU, I was a 17 year old from a small Illinois town. I didn’t choose to be different, I simply was looking for an organization I could fit into. Isn’t that what fraternization means?

“Most self-respecting fraternity men “
1. oxymoron

“It is similar to writing a positive article about a politician and in the middle of the article calling him corrupt. The idea of a “frat” is simply against the fundamental ideals of our organizations.”

2. no, it would be the same thing as in the middle of the article, calling a politician a polit. Instead of “frat” I think the word you are looking for is “large group of misogynistic, ugly douchebags”

If you don’t want a negative connotation associated with your organizations NAME, don’t do stupid things.

Matt EN ’04: it is said that you still read the statenews since you graduated in 2004……

Alex: I was in a sorority my freshman year, and I was the only girl to be in any type of intelletually stimulating major (JMC). it’s not hard to have a great gpa when you study communications…

Or to raise money because you HAVE to prove your organization has some worth outside of binge drinking. Disband the Greek system, it’s an embarrassment to the rest of the student body

Why does the State News keep putting other people’s garbage letters up, its getting annoying. Oh, and cry about it some more you poor, poor frat boy. One of the many questions I’m left with is why is it a negative term?

Adam:

1. You are not Greek. You are a paying member of a FRAT.

2. The phrase “self-respecting fraternity men” is contradictory because if you guys respected yourselves you wouldn’t join a FRAT.

3. “It is similar to writing a positive article about a politician and in the middle of the article calling him corrupt.” – politicians are corrupt, and many of them during college were part of a FRAT.

4. “We share a common bond because of shared ritual, common living and having a good time together.” – you are nihilists and here you don’t mention anything about community service, which is supposed to be consistently practiced by a FRAT.

5. Grow up and try using your FRAT money to help your parents pay off your debts. Better yet, get a job instead of wasting every night “bonding” with your rich buddies.