Brainwash
The most frightening thing about joining a frat or a community with a strong culture (like Haas) is that you become totally brainwashed as you go through the initiation process. Even upon entering Berkeley, I have this mentality that because I go here, I am somehow better the general population of people at the other UC's. But obviously, that instinct is not logical by any means because I can think of so many individual examples of people who are smarter than I am that just happen to go to one of the other UC's. I guess this is the case with all generalizations -- you can always find exceptions. The problem I find with these sweeping negative generalizations, however, is that there's a great tendency to offend people without even noticing it.
Speaking of offensive, I'm a little offended when close friends claim they cannot share something with me because it's part of that organization's honor code. Okay, well first of all, don't bring it up and I won't even know about it. Second of all, don't constantly rub it in my face that you can't tell me about something. It's annoying and also speaks to extent to which you are being brainwashed by whatever organization you are apart of. When you choose to alienate someone from your past by not sharing something about your present, you are in effect implying that you value the ideals of that organization more than the friendship. And this is not to say that I really want any of my friends to violate the terms of their pledging or the terms of their joining an organization, but fuck, don't even bother talking about shit that will lead me to ask you questions that you cannot answer. It's kind of all or nothing. You can't expect me to listen and understand, and offer feedback without understanding the entire story.
With that said, I think it's more about the way in which a person approaches such topics. If you preface the conversation by saying that you need to vent and say that you can't really go into details that may incriminate, I'll probably understand. But don't tell me "you're not going through it so you wouldn't understand" because you're implying that you are somehow above me since you are experiencing some sort of challenging initiation process.
All of these things lead back to brainwash. I know plenty of people who have joined business frats and are part of the Haas community and they can be some of the most annoying people to listen to when they espouse their "I'm better than thou" mentality without even realizing it. "You just don't know" Okay, I know I probably don't know, but don't rub it in especially if you aren't goin to help me ellucidate such questions that I just don't understand. But this mentality is just carved into their brains through the process by which they are socialized into the organization. Get the fuck over yourselves. The most successful people in this world are individualists who do not need any of this shit to succeed in life. So don't even THINK you are better.
I have to write a precautionary remark at this point because I am considering rushing for a business frat. HAH. I just hope that I don't get brainwashed... I won't get brainwashed. But that's what they all say.
Speaking of offensive, I'm a little offended when close friends claim they cannot share something with me because it's part of that organization's honor code. Okay, well first of all, don't bring it up and I won't even know about it. Second of all, don't constantly rub it in my face that you can't tell me about something. It's annoying and also speaks to extent to which you are being brainwashed by whatever organization you are apart of. When you choose to alienate someone from your past by not sharing something about your present, you are in effect implying that you value the ideals of that organization more than the friendship. And this is not to say that I really want any of my friends to violate the terms of their pledging or the terms of their joining an organization, but fuck, don't even bother talking about shit that will lead me to ask you questions that you cannot answer. It's kind of all or nothing. You can't expect me to listen and understand, and offer feedback without understanding the entire story.
With that said, I think it's more about the way in which a person approaches such topics. If you preface the conversation by saying that you need to vent and say that you can't really go into details that may incriminate, I'll probably understand. But don't tell me "you're not going through it so you wouldn't understand" because you're implying that you are somehow above me since you are experiencing some sort of challenging initiation process.
All of these things lead back to brainwash. I know plenty of people who have joined business frats and are part of the Haas community and they can be some of the most annoying people to listen to when they espouse their "I'm better than thou" mentality without even realizing it. "You just don't know" Okay, I know I probably don't know, but don't rub it in especially if you aren't goin to help me ellucidate such questions that I just don't understand. But this mentality is just carved into their brains through the process by which they are socialized into the organization. Get the fuck over yourselves. The most successful people in this world are individualists who do not need any of this shit to succeed in life. So don't even THINK you are better.
I have to write a precautionary remark at this point because I am considering rushing for a business frat. HAH. I just hope that I don't get brainwashed... I won't get brainwashed. But that's what they all say.
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