mabeaton

April 24th, 2015 at 7:19 PM ^

Something has happened in the last 20 years.  I was not a frat brother; but, I had many friends and went to many parties.  There were always things going on . . . but, this generation doesn't seem to be able to handle Greek life.  Are kids really that immature now?  What happened to conducting yourself with class or, at the very least, not harming property and life>

Where is the respect for elders, property, humanity?  It is very scary that some of the most educated people in our society, the ones going to school and these frats, have seemingly lost their minds.  If frats con't be the valuable, caring institutions that they portend to be, then they've outlived their usefulness and should be shut down.  And, that would be a shame.  

Joined: 09/26/2010

MGoPoints: 271

Bando Calrissian

April 24th, 2015 at 7:25 PM ^

My mom was on the national board of her sorority for years. She was the one they sent to campuses to put houses on probation. 25 years ago, she got so fed up with the kind of crap she was seeing out there in the name of "sisterhood" and quit the whole thing. And it's gotten worse since then, even at her old chapter at Michigan. She doesn't even go to the reunions anymore. The whole thing is totally different now.

Joined: 07/02/2008

MGoPoints: 68123

OccaM

April 24th, 2015 at 8:22 PM ^

It's funny to me that sports teams around colleges/high schools do just as much dumb shit, yet people use the well "most of them aren't like that" excuse. 

Except in cases of fraternities, that excuse doesn't fly for some reason... hmm I wonder why... can't possibly be some bias...

Joined: 11/10/2014

MGoPoints: 9158

Michigan Arrogance

April 24th, 2015 at 7:36 PM ^

I doubt things are significantly worse. It's that there are cell phones and instant social media that are exposing the bullshit these organizations take part in. The freedom of open information is beginning to expose many institutions' ugliness. 25 years ago, a few people knew how bad these things are. Today everyone knows. And that's a good thing.



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Joined: 06/30/2008

MGoPoints: 35517

rainingmaize

April 24th, 2015 at 9:33 PM ^

I was in a fratentity my entire time I was there. Maybe I'm just getting older. But it seemed the frats on campus were becoming more and more d-bagish. In my opinion, the "fratty" image, (ie tank tops, sunglasses, loud music, everyone who is not Greek is lame and thus a GDI) has taken off with more and more Greek members trying to fit into the fratty perceived image.

Joined: 04/13/2010

MGoPoints: 10458

Fred Garvin

April 25th, 2015 at 10:07 AM ^

Entitled, narcissistic kids raised by indulgent parents who flip out at the prospect of anyone outside the family - teachers, bosses, passers by - trying to impose any boundaries or sense of decorum on their offspring.  

The advent of social media.  Youngsters are obsessed with trying to stand out.  With everyone able to post everything they do on the internet, the odds they're going to make their mark by coming up with something like "Hey Jude" are fairly slim, so this is what they're drawn towards.  

Finally, note the prevalence of "extreme" this and "extreme" that in our popular culture.  American culture is kept at max volume, with the woofer always on the verge of getting blown out.  

I hate it, but I think it's here to stay.  The youngsters who can still put together a coherent sentence in face-to-face conversation and conduct themselves with some sense of decency will own the future.  The others will end up in their parent's basement.

Joined: 02/11/2015

MGoPoints: 91

Don

April 24th, 2015 at 7:28 PM ^

I'm not a vet—never spent one second in uniform—and am politically a goddamn pinko liberal.

But.

• Free speech is guaranteed by the Constitution, but abusing the flag isn't a political argument—it's puerile incitement that's no different from smearing shit on a wall.

• Disrespecting veterans of any sort—whether they've sacrificed their bodies, their minds, or have come through luckily unscathed—is the lowest form of behavior. When it's directed at those who are permanently disabled, it's morally indistinguishable in my view from engaging in the production and distribution of child porn.

What the original article doesn't address is whether the actions were politically motivated or just asshole motivated. Neither motivation excuses or justifies, but the political dimension will inevitably work its way in.

Joined: 06/30/2008

MGoPoints: 148445

flashOverride

April 24th, 2015 at 8:26 PM ^

I've seen some elements in the (admittedly more fringe, I won't say who so this doesn't get political) media already looking quite eager to pin this on "anti-American" radicalism and how students at American universities today are supposedly taught to hate their country. I'm guessing this is more just a bunch of overprivileged brats who don't respect anything. 

And I suspect this because I am a college-educated veteran. While I'm not going to lump everyone together, because plenty of students from privileged backgrounds are very patriotic, there are plenty who have a very toxic disdain for servicemembers, and it has 0% to do with their politics. Some see it is as something that automatically marks you as likely not a member of their social stratum, and hence you're just another person they can treat like shit. Firsthand, I've seen people like this being every bit as nasty to veterans as anyone's distorted, bogeyman image of anti-war radicals.  

 

Joined: 08/04/2013

MGoPoints: 9070

JFW

April 24th, 2015 at 8:58 PM ^

"• Free speech is guaranteed by the Constitution, but abusing the flag isn't a political argument—it's puerile incitement that's no different from smearing shit on a wall."

Coming from a person who considers himself a Midwest libertarian, that's the best indictment of that behavior I've yet seen.

Well done. :-)



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Joined: 10/20/2010

MGoPoints: 15285

One Inch Woody…

April 24th, 2015 at 7:46 PM ^

Disgusting, putrid people. America is the one of the few countries in the world where people of all religions, ethnic backgrounds, and personal preferences can live in relative freedom. To disrespect the flag and a veteran is one the most utterly low acts any person in this country can do. I hope they learn to appreciate the freedom and opportunity they were given by this beautiful country.

Joined: 06/25/2011

MGoPoints: 1434

west2

April 24th, 2015 at 9:21 PM ^

disabled combat veterans is despicable.   Drunk or not abusing disabled people and veterans wounded while serving their country is particularly cowardly and shameful.  Those responsible need to be expelled from any schools and required to enlist in the armed services and serve their country for a minimum of 2 years.  I have a feeling they will see things very differently afterward.  

Joined: 01/23/2011

MGoPoints: -998175

DrewGOBLUE

April 24th, 2015 at 9:42 PM ^

If only these UF students could all be injected with a hefty dose of PTSD that has about a 10 year half-life. Maybe then they'd realize how truly deplorable their actions were.

Joined: 12/03/2011

MGoPoints: 2953

kehnonymous

April 25th, 2015 at 12:10 AM ^

Not that it excuses their behavior - far from it - but my unsolicited hot take is that this wasn't a political statement but simply kids being incorrigible assholes.  If it'd been a sewing club or Tibetan tourists, the frat dudes would've acted similarly shitty.

I've never looked at frats as beacons of grace, but what's in the water these days?  Between this, the U-Okla incident, our Sigmas wrecking a ski resort and who-knows-what-else, it's like every frat in America is having a contest to see who can make bigger assholes of themselves.

Joined: 11/25/2011

MGoPoints: 33065

mgoblue0970

April 25th, 2015 at 11:36 AM ^

For those wondering about punishment...  there's a really simple way to handle this.  NO punishment.  NO suspensions, NO sanctions.

Make those little assholes spend their summer at Fort Benning or Paris Island.

Joined: 11/22/2008

MGoPoints: 18648