Word choice. It's not something that you think of often, especially if you're like me, and don't think before you speak. That's why it's so difficult to fully understand why it's so important that you never call a fraternity a "frat." It's really a sign of respect for your brothers, and for those who support you through everything. By calling a fraternity a "frat," you are taking away from all of their hard work to make themselves a respected organization, and therefore enforcing stereotypes that they're often plagued by.
When you say frat, you are implying the "frat life" stereotypes that include:
- Fraternities are all about drinking and partying
- They don't do anything to help the community, or campus life
- They're all just a bunch of "bros" with no respect for women
- All they care about are preppy name brands
- Drinking is the only thing keeping them together
Instead, you should always say fraternity when referring to your brothers. Here's what the word fraternity implies:
- A group of men coming together to better themselves
- Community involvement, and service through brotherhood
- A strong sense of commitment to each other, and to their fellow fraternities and sororities
- Philanthropic events and educational goals
The main point that you should take from this is that word choice means a lot, especially concerning the words "frat" and fraternity. Through the use of "frat," you are degrading the image of fraternities everywhere, and demolishing all of the work that they do to keep a positive image. Fraternities deserve respect, and through abolishing the use of the word "frat," you're stepping in the right direction of giving them the respect that they deserve for their hard work through brotherhood, philanthropy, scholarship, and education.
