A Testament to Brotherhood and Sisterhood.

When people ask me why I joined a sorority, I tell them I joined for the sisterhood. As an incoming freshman, I wanted to find a group of girls I could trust, sisters that would stick by me through thick and thin.  

Greek life has been able to provide me with my home away from home. Though it isn’t always apparent, I truly believe that Greeks are able to form a bond that runs stronger and deeper than ordinary friendships.

This week I had to collect survey data for a research paper I am working on. Judging by the amount of survey spam that inundates my email and Facebook account, I did not expect survey data collection to come easy. To my surprise, within an hour of launching my survey I was able to get 50 immediate responses. 99% of these responses were from my Greek-affiliated friends.

Curious as to whether or not my other non-Greek friends would reciprocate the favor, I then proceeded to conduct a little experiment of my own, mass emailing a few of my classes to see if they would respond as quickly to my survey request. Within the hour, I had only 2 responses. No surprise considering these people hardly knew me. A double check of the survey stats that showed very few of my high school friends were willing to complete my survey.

My mini-experiment is only a microcosmic example of the extent to which brotherhood and sisterhood is valued within the Greek system. The Greek community is simply bonded to each other in ways that normal friends just are not.  The rituals and culture that are embedded in Greek life—pledging, families, houses—all contribute to the creation of a lasting connection that will continue past college.

In 2003, Lakoff and Johnson discovered than metaphors create and frame social reality. In this sense, being initiated into a fraternity or a sorority is like joining a family. You have big brothers, big sisters, little brothers, little sisters, pledge parents, and even grandparents. By framing the context of Greek life within a family metaphor, members develop a loyalty to each other that goes beyond surface level acquaintances. Just like the saying “blood runs thicker than water”, when push comes to shove, fraternity brothers will put their grievances aside and defend one another.

What makes the Greek system so strong and durable? Why is brotherhood or sisterhood so different from same-sex friendships? Answers to follow in next week’s post!