I am well aware that this is an article that has been written thousands of times. I am well aware that these stereotypes exist. I am well aware these stereotypes are perpetuated and that there are organizations who would never dream of partaking. I have seen movies that showcase Greek stereotypes. I have read the other articles on the topic, I have seen the news, and I have heard what people from my own hometown have said about Greek stereotypes.
However, the idea of Greek stereotypes did not fully hit me until the moment when I was sitting in a class and my professor began to discuss stereotypes. My professor said “So I have seen some movies where Greek life is portrayed so I have a pretty good idea of how the pledging process goes, however, I have never participated in Greek life."
I was in shock, I was not wearing my letters that day but had I been I would have shrunk lower in my seat. Not because I, myself am ashamed of my letters, no, I am proud of my organization and everything they stand for, but because this man was beginning to paint the picture that so many movies have, of the hazing process that is associated with Greek life.
What distinctly hit home for me about this comment was that he said he had seen numerous movies about Greek life and this was the knowledge he based his claims on. Greek life is not accurately represented in the media or cinema. We could say this 100 times over but this point will not hit home until the media, I am talking about movies in particular, stop portraying Greek life as these huge hazing heartless college students.
To accurately portray Greek life, a movie would have to capture the thousands of times sororities and fraternities alike have put on fundraisers to support local and national causes. The movie would have to display the hours each sister or brother spends at the library in order to maintain the above average GPA needed to remain in Greek life. The movie would have to showcase the countless times sororities and fraternities have been there to pick up their brothers and sisters when something devastating happens, or when something amazing happens. It would showcase laughter, memories, and getting to know people you never would have dreamed about being friends with. In most cases, it would not picture hazing.
As hard as it is to believe, in most organizations, hazing is not a thing. This accurate description of Greek life actually sounds like a boring and normal movie of a group of friends who contribute to the community, work hard in school, are involved with everything on campus, and who are overall just amazing friends with one bond that they share. Boring, so I guess that is why the media is so insistent on portraying the bad aspects of Greek life. If the media could not talk about Greek life what would it talk about on college campuses?
The reality is, if we want anything to change in the way people see Greek life we need to stop producing movies and TV shows that showcase, to put it simply, the bad aspects of Greek life. Let's remember that Greek life is just like any other organization that you come in contact with. Yes, there are bad people and there are bad groups, but that is not representative of the entire population. It is wrong that I feel like I have to sink a little lower in my seat because the topic of hazing has been brought up. Break the stereotype, dare to be boring.
