Fraternities: A Pox on Campus Life

<p>@Picapole actually a Yale professor of law had the gall to suggest this, and was promptly shut down by every liberal media outlet ever. How dare he suggest policies that will help solve the problem instead of indulging in ineffectual rhetoric!?</p>

<p>It’s true enough that some frats do some good works, but unfortunately the frat system has repeatedly shown itself to be completely unable and/or unwilling to clean up its act and get rid of the bad frats or bad brothers or bad behavior - scandal after scandal, year after year, decade after decade. After a while it’s time to stop hoping for reform that never comes and move on to more drastic measures. </p>

<p>It would be unfortunate to lose the good that frats do, but sadly they are a net negative on most campuses. It’s clear that frat-boy culture has a corrupting influence on so many of our young men. It always has and so long as we have frats it always will. Enough is enough.</p>

<p>@jewelessien‌: “Every liberal media outlet ever”?!? Kind of a bizarre phrasing, that. What did the conservative media outlets do? Or even the centrist ones, pray tell?</p>

<p>is it so wrong to have a bit of fun?</p>

<p>I was mistaken in my characterization of what "Cardinal Fang"‌ actually said. I did not intentionaly distort the meaning but was lazy in my reading of it, either way the result was the same so I apologize for it.</p>

<p>Apology accepted. Thanks, Madaboutx. Anyone can make a mistake about what someone else said.</p>

<p>@dfbdfb This is the article I’m referring to: <a href=“Opinion | Mishandling Rape - The New York Times”>Opinion | Mishandling Rape - The New York Times;
It spawned the usual reactions. At one extremity: You’re victim-blaming! At the other: Well it’s your fault for not looking after your safety! And in the middle: Okay maybe talking isn’t solving anything and he has a fair point about policy.</p>

<p>Funny statements here. You are attacked if you engage in any form of stereotype or gross generalization. Yet, the same people will condemn frat life BECAUSE THEY DO NOT LIKE IT. In other words, we don’t like it so BAN it. Would you say that about certain religions, cultures, hair styles, races? Would you ‘ban’ those who live differently than you?</p>

<p>The ‘Rolling Stone’ fiasco, the racially motivated attack on Duke athletes, and the latest ‘rape’ NYT best seller have shown that ‘fair’ people will jump to conclusions without any judicial process, or even a freshman -level knowledge of justice. Such actions by a handful of neurotic young women have damaged not only the frat system, but the ability of women with legitimate claims to come forward. The real problem here are the adults who project their own insecurities about their college life onto their students. I have heard many older people rant on ‘frat life’ because they were offended or rejected from that world 30 years ago. Mothers, fathers, get over it. </p>

<p>There must be folks who rant on frat life for more objective reasons.</p>

<p>For one thing, “frat life” varies, sometimes quite considerably, from campus to campus and house to house.</p>

<p>“neurotic young women” … “damaging the frat system” …?? It’s hard for me even to imagine having this world view. Anyone who has even a passing familiarity with either sex crime research/statistics, or the history of fraternities on campuses, has to acknowledge that there is quite a lot of work to be done. Evidently, even the “work” of demonstrating the vast issues.</p>

<p>Joining a fraternity was not my “thing” when I went to college.</p>

<p>But it turned out to be a great thing for my son, to the point where I think I maybe made a mistake,. The fellowship and comraderie of a more intimate group materially improved the quality of his college experience, I’m sure of it. He’s not that outgoing, and I think he would have had a worse time of it “on his own”.</p>

<p>Certainly nobody wants their daughters asaulted, or their sons injured during pledging.</p>

<p>Hopefully someone can find a way to curb the abuses while not throwing out the proverbial “baby with the bath water”.</p>