Racism and the Greek System (South & Texas)

[MaybeACoordinator 8,349]

Like a bunch of y'all I was in a frat back in the day and I am not proud to say racist language was routine and endemic. And no, I was not a KA. The Sooner SAE dude exposed this aspect of Greek life in this part of the country and even though he was a Gooner, I think most of us who were in the old-school frats at UT (or LSU, Ole Miss, etc) probably cringed in recognition and thanked God there weren't cameras and social media back in the day.

However, I will say this: in the finale to his farewell speech to us as our pledge coordinator, he said his fondest wish was for our fraternity to integrate. To do so, he kind of had to resort to racist language -- if I recall correctly, his words were "If one y'all finds a cool spade, bid him up."

That was 1989 and as far as I know, that has not happened: my frat remains all-white and Hispanic, though nowhere near as Brown as Texas on the whole. One thing I wonder is how many Black guys would want to join a White frat when there are Black ones out there...From what I know, the cultures are a bit different, meaning the frats operate differently in some ways, beyond the wider cultural-societal differences. (A partial tl;dr: Black hazing relied more on whooping ass; White hazing had some of that but far more forced boozing.) If a Black dude was cool enough to be rushed by the top Black frats, why would he want to join a White one?

I wonder how much has changed since then. I know some frats at schools like UH are completely colorblind, and I hope that's the way of the future, but at the more traditional schools that seems like a pipe dream. 

[MaybeACoordinator 8,349]

Shit, this was meant for DT, please move @immamac

[mdmost 43,004]

4 minutes ago, MaybeACoordinator said:

Shit, this was meant for DT, please move @immamac

[Continental Op 3,934]

Yes.  If we are going to discuss integrating frats we should definitely do it on the board where a ton of the posters think cops should be able to shoot black people for looking at them funny.

[ztejas 43,464]

14 minutes ago, MaybeACoordinator said:

If a Black dude was cool enough to be rushed by the top Black frats, why would he want to join a White one?

Is this a serious question? You tell us you were in a frat at UT but you're having to ask this? 

Which frat parties do the football players go to - the white frat ones or the black frat ones? 

Which parties are the hotter girls at?

[Foosters 17,858]

9 minutes ago, ztejas said:

Is this a serious question? You tell us you were in a frat at UT but you're having to ask this? 

Which frat parties do the football players go to - the white frat ones or the black frat ones? 

Which parties are the hotter girls at?

Is this a serious question?

[ztejas 43,464]

1 minute ago, Foosters said:

Is this a serious question?

No that would be more rhetorical.

[formermav43 4,606]

10 minutes ago, Continental Op said:

Yes.  If we are going to discuss integrating frats we should definitely do it on the board where a ton of the posters think cops should be able to shoot black people for looking at them funny.

Yeah it’ll be a lot more successful discussion here.

[atomheartbevo 89,686]

I just want to say that sorority girls dressed up for antebellum formals, while sketchy as fuck, can be hot as fuck.

And the internet will never forget them either.

1,1,1,x*,1,1,1,2,1,1,1,1,1

1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1

*not into Marjorie Taylor Green

Edited June 17, 2021 by atomheartbevo

[South Austin 52,515]

My fraternity had a Black dude.

[David Dennison 18,892]

41 minutes ago, MaybeACoordinator said:

Like a bunch of y'all I was in a frat back in the day and I am not proud to say racist language was routine and endemic. And no, I was not a KA. The Sooner SAE dude exposed this aspect of Greek life in this part of the country and even though he was a Gooner, I think most of us who were in the old-school frats at UT (or LSU, Ole Miss, etc) probably cringed in recognition and thanked God there weren't cameras and social media back in the day.

However, I will say this: in the finale to his farewell speech to us as our pledge coordinator, he said his fondest wish was for our fraternity to integrate. To do so, he kind of had to resort to racist language -- if I recall correctly, his words were "If one y'all finds a cool spade, bid him up."

That was 1989 and as far as I know, that has not happened: my frat remains all-white and Hispanic, though nowhere near as Brown as Texas on the whole. One thing I wonder is how many Black guys would want to join a White frat when there are Black ones out there...From what I know, the cultures are a bit different, meaning the frats operate differently in some ways, beyond the wider cultural-societal differences. (A partial tl;dr: Black hazing relied more on whooping ass; White hazing had some of that but far more forced boozing.) If a Black dude was cool enough to be rushed by the top Black frats, why would he want to join a White one?

I wonder how much has changed since then. I know some frats at schools like UH are completely colorblind, and I hope that's the way of the future, but at the more traditional schools that seems like a pipe dream. 

Funny story . . . there are black KAs.

[Da Fino 2,783]

Oh great. Another bag drop. This will never happen.

[Orale 1,087]

Didn't know what the hell a frat was when I got to UT. Found my way to the Tejas Club which was pretty diverse as far as male organizations go. We used to have coffee talks on Thursday evenings at the house with some pretty impressive guest speakers. McRaven came one time and impressed the hell out of me. Who know that 10 or so years later he'd lead the raid to get Osama.  /CSB

Edited June 17, 2021 by Orale

[MaybeACoordinator 8,349]

33 minutes ago, atomheartbevo said:

I just want to say that sorority girls dressed up for antebellum formals, while sketchy as fuck, can be hot as fuck.

And the internet will never forget them either.

1,1,1,x*,1,1,1,2,1,1,1,1,1

1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1

*not into Marjorie Taylor Green

The tan brunette in the purplish dress showing the cleavage is somethin' else altogether. 1-A*****

[MaybeACoordinator 8,349]

31 minutes ago, David Dennison said:

Funny story . . . there are black KAs.

At UT?

[conVINCEd 21,469]

33 minutes ago, David Dennison said:

Funny story . . . there are black KAs.

Actual members or the help?

[Da Fino 2,783]

At UT?

I think Tech had one actually.

[Celery Man 20,962]

Do frats do any kind of actual service? Is there a point to them other than get shitfaced and have an “elite” social group where you can all get each others jobs at your dads’ firms?

 Kinda poking fun, but also that is the literal point and they otherwise provide no benefit to society, right?

[MaybeACoordinator 8,349]

Just now, Celery Man said:

Do frats do any kind of actual service? Is there a point to them other than get shitfaced and have an “elite” social group where you can all get each others jobs at your dads’ firms?

 Kinda poking fun, but also that is the literal point and they otherwise provide no benefit to society, right?

Mine did no service but it's my understanding some do. 

[conVINCEd 21,469]

11 minutes ago, MaybeACoordinator said:

Mine did no service but it's my understanding some do. 

We adopted a highway and made the pledges clean it.

[MaybeACoordinator 8,349]

5 minutes ago, conVINCEd said:

We adopted a highway and made the pledges clean it.

That's actually smart. Instead of stupid shit make them useful to society. 

[Celery Man 20,962]

Teach classes on how to bubble

[conVINCEd 21,469]

9 minutes ago, MaybeACoordinator said:

That's actually smart. Instead of stupid shit make them useful to society. 

We certainly thought so at the time.  The rush captain was a marketing major and thought it would, in modern terms, “grow the brand”.  We also did other things that weren’t all that smart.  In my 4.5 years of undergrad frat life, I can recall exactly one black guy who expressed anything approaching interest in joining.  It was controversial.  I believe we offered, but got rejected for one of the black fraternities.   I think we eventually had a few several years after I graduated, but I wasn’t very involved, so my memory is a little sketchy.

[markstanco 12,577]

We adopted a highway and made the pledges clean it.

Same. Can’t do that now though. An equal amount of actives have to be there with the same number of pledges. Or at least in sigma chi.


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[MaybeACoordinator 8,349]

10 minutes ago, Celery Man said:

Teach classes on how to bubble

And not all over their dates

[DalTxHornFan 3,102]

I had no idea of how diverse my frat actually was until the AIDS crisis hit.

Edited June 17, 2021 by DalTxHornFan

[DonkeyCigars 143]

Was a hardcore frat daddy back in the day; probably would not be in one if I were to be a freshman in 2022 and, while I won't forbid my son to be in one if he so chooses, I won't advocate for it these days.

[markstanco 12,577]

Was a hardcore frat daddy back in the day; probably would not be in one if I were to be a freshman in 2022 and, while I won't forbid my son to be in one if he so chooses, I won't advocate for it these days.

It’s a very diverse group now vs 25+ years ago.


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[conVINCEd 21,469]

Just now, DonkeyCigars said:

Was a hardcore frat daddy back in the day; probably would not be in one if I were to be a freshman in 2022 and, while I won't forbid my son to be in one if he so chooses, I won't advocate for it these days.

No real need.  Kids can have fun and connect with each other in a variety of ways.  Back in the day, showing up at the frat house on a Friday night was the most reliable way to have fun if you had nothing planned.

[DonkeyCigars 143]

4 minutes ago, markstanco said:

It’s a very diverse group now vs 25+ years ago.


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I just feel like what the OP said, it's probably pretty foolish in an era of interconnectivity where foolishness led by groupthink and drink/drugs can (and usually does) lead to problematic behavior in young men still mentally developing. Lots of chances for unforced errors that can torpedo you or hinder your career/personal brand right out of the gate. IMO.

That said, I don't regret one raging second, but it was a different time.

Edited June 17, 2021 by DonkeyCigars

[DalTxHornFan 3,102]

Just now, markstanco said:

It’s a very diverse group now vs 25+ years ago.


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Yep -- admission caps and preferences have really changed what the student population looks like now.  I've heard that most of the "Top 6" frats now allow Austin Community College students as pledges and actives.

[conVINCEd 21,469]

2 minutes ago, DalTxHornFan said:

Yep -- admission caps and preferences have really changed what the student population looks like now.  I've heard that most of the "Top 6" frats now allow Austin Community College students as pledges and actives.

Gotta pay the bills.  

[Patricio Swayze 17,058]

11 minutes ago, DonkeyCigars said:

Was a hardcore frat daddy back in the day.

Shocking.

[DalTxHornFan 3,102]

16 minutes ago, DonkeyCigars said:

Was a hardcore frat daddy back in the day; probably would not be in one if I were to be a freshman in 2022 and, while I won't forbid my son to be in one if he so chooses, I won't advocate for it these days.

IDK, I wasn't a hardcore frat guy, and its been 40+ years since I graduated, but there isn't a day that goes by where I don't have some interaction with one or more of about a dozen frat brothers that have stayed close to each other over the years through marriages, divorces, kids, funerals, business successes and failures, and just general tomfoolery.  Definitely was worth the dues! 

[North of Walburg 30]

My son pledged Beta this past spring. He said its diversity was a selling point. There weren’t a lot of options this past year for freshman to meet people so he appreciated the social opportunities pledging provided.

[ztejas 43,464]

1 hour ago, DalTxHornFan said:

I've heard that most of the "Top 6" frats now allow Austin Community College students as pledges and actives.

That's been going on for awhile. Probably close to 10 years now if not longer. 

[Fudge Nuggets 19,196]

2 hours ago, Celery Man said:

Do frats do any kind of actual service? Is there a point to them other than get shitfaced and have an “elite” social group where you can all get each others jobs at your dads’ firms?

 Kinda poking fun, but also that is the literal point and they otherwise provide no benefit to society, right?

Mine did a yearly food drive, but we picked through the donations and kept the good shit before taking everything else to the food bank.  One time I guess a guy was trying to quit smoking so we got a couple of cartons of cigarettes in the donation box.

[ztejas 43,464]

Just now, Fudge Nuggets said:

Mine did a yearly food drive, but we picked through the donations and kept the good shit before taking everything else to the food bank.

[Fudge Nuggets 19,196]

Ok, that wasn’t phrased well, but I’m leaving it.

[DonkeyCigars 143]

21 minutes ago, Fudge Nuggets said:

Mine did a yearly food drive, but we picked through the donations and kept the good shit before taking everything else to the food bank.  One time I guess a guy was trying to quit smoking so we got a couple of cartons of cigarettes in the donation box.

Was this in Oklahoma? 

[Brian Fantana 6,689]

Frats are weird. It's like your parents buying you friends.

[henrygandorf 29,191]

3 hours ago, conVINCEd said:

We adopted a highway and made the pledges clean it.

i spent time cleaning that highway. 

😢

 

[ztejas 43,464]

4 minutes ago, Brian Fantana said:

Frats are weird. It's like your parents buying you friends.

What a hilarious and original joke. 

I paid for booze, parties and pussy. I didn't pay for friends. A lot of those guys sucked anyway.

Now... a sorority... that might be paying for friends. 

[henrygandorf 29,191]

i paid to meet more jewish people since about 6 total went to my high school. 

also because of how shy i am. 

[Victor Lazlo 1,777]

3 hours ago, DalTxHornFan said:

Yep -- admission caps and preferences have really changed what the student population looks like now.  I've heard that most of the "Top 6" frats now allow Austin Community College students as pledges and actives.

[AnotherUTFan 9,750]

IDK, I wasn't a hardcore frat guy, and its been 40+ years since I graduated, but there isn't a day that goes by where I don't have some interaction with one or more of about a dozen frat brothers that have stayed close to each other over the years through marriages, divorces, kids, funerals, business successes and failures, and just general tomfoolery.  Definitely was worth the dues! 

If you want good friends it's gonna cost you.

[Bateshorn 9,928]

I can’t speak to traditional fraternities, they were banned at Bates.  But I can speak a bit about the black Greek system from a couple of my friends and as a resident of the wealthiest minority majority community in the country.  
 

It’s very much a class thing within the black community.  Way less animal house, much more English College system.  Metaphorically speaking.  My local grocery store has literally dozens of luxury cars with Greek license plate frames.

When AKA has their annual reunion in DC, it’s a city and Prince George’s County wide event. 

[CooterBrown 18,014]

Yep -- admission caps and preferences have really changed what the student population looks like now.  I've heard that most of the "Top 6" frats now allow Austin Community College students as pledges and actives.

Wut. It must be even more awkward now when a sorority girl has to reconcile that her date rapist isn’t a future CEO but a future night manager at Taco Cabana.

[South Austin 52,515]

10 hours ago, David Dennison said:

Funny story . . . there are black KAs.

Those were white guys in blackface.

[Beantown Express 2.0 6,559]

Yep -- admission caps and preferences have really changed what the student population looks like now.  I've heard that most of the "Top 6" frats now allow Austin Community College students as pledges and actives.

We need the dues.


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