A Testament to Brotherhood (Continued)

People often claim that fraternity brothers are closer to each other than sorority sisters. While this statement may be subject to interpretation, there is a ton of evidence that can be presented in favor fraternities.

I've already made my case for the strength of Greek life as a whole, but its the enigma of fraternities that has captivated my interest this week. While girls naturally tend to socialize and cluster in groups, men are often expected to be independent and self-reliant. Masculinity is often defined by patriarchal, aggressive, and macho tendencies, yet fraternities, the very embodiment of traditional masculine roles, cultivate loyalty, selflessness, and supportive attitudes. Where and why did this paradigm originate?

I read a quote from "Inside Greek U" on a fraternity brother who described his experience in brotherhood as "...so much more. Friends don't have a commitment to each other; brothers do. I will be there for them, all of them, even brothers that I don't spend a lot of time with or even like that much. Friends don't think like that."

It's true. Fraternity brothers will support each other to no avail.

The strength of brotherhood, I believe, can be attributed to three concepts embodied by the fraternal system: (1) The family metaphor, (2) the importance of dependence, and (3) the pledging program.

The Marlboro man, stoic and independent

First and foremost, the idea of a family setting for Greek life allows males to take on more domestic, nurturing roles. As a pledge you are given a big brother who functions just like a traditional older sibling, giving advice and providing a shoulder to lean on when times get rough. As an active you are paired with little brothers; they take on roles that force them to be caring and compassionate instead of stoic and emotionless. As you progress through the Greek system, you acquire an entire family, a unit that supports you and one that you must support in return.

This brings us to the idea of interdependence. While its socially acceptable for women to express the need to be near their girlfriends, it is less acceptable for males to seek solace in others. Males are expected to be self-reliant; they are expected to be able to find their own way and pave their own paths from childhood to adulthood. The Greek system, however, provides a socially acceptable avenue for men to become interdependent. Fraternity men are allowed to open up to one another and share their qualms and experiences. As brothers let their guards down and become more comfortable, they develop a unique relationship with one another unlike any other same-sex relationship they would have ever experienced. The fraternity listserv serves just as it would in a sorority, giving members a safe space to gossip with one another and ultimately develop deep, emotional connections with the rest of the house members.

Most importantly, the idea of a pledging process unites all members of a class in a shared experience that nobody else could ever imagine. The same could be said for a sorority pledge-ship, however, hazing has, for the most part, been eliminated from the sorority program in recent years. Many pledge events encourage "self-disclosure and communicative vulnerability" that bind pledges closer to one another. In males this is especially important because it opens up an aspect of communication that was not previously available/acceptable for them. The pledging process, grueling and outrageous as it may be, forces unlikely people to band together against a common threat. For the rest of their lives, brothers will have a set of common memories to reflect back on, a time when they were united and shared an unparalleled and unforgettable closeness to one another.

Overall the fraternity system is able to provide men with the experiences and emotional connections that traditional masculine male roles lack. Every human being needs a certain amount of interdependence and emotional connection, yet most men will go through life learning to stifle this need. The traditionally feminine attributes of loyalty, selflessness, and support are repackaged and embedded into the fraternity system, a system traditionally typified as the embodiment of male masculinity.

This is why the fraternity system is so strong.