Quote: (03-13-2012 02:36 PM)basilransom Wrote:
These people aren't racist per se. They're just very insular. To an outsider of a different color, they can feel like the same thing. There invariably are a few non-white people among them, and they aren't treated any worse than anyone else. They may make the occasional casually racist joke, but so does everyone else. It's not racism so much as casual xenophobia.
And as you alluded, they may travel the world but in reality they can be the most provincial, insular people you'll ever meet.
Fair enough. Yes, there are minorities among them, even blacks. They're simply a) very rare and b) extremely well integrated into their culture. By integrated, I don't mean merely speaking with good diction and getting good grades. I mean totally, 100% meshed within this particular cultural strata. These are the type of black kids you'll find on lacrosse teams and in nothing but polo brands day-to-day.
They're one in a million.
Quote: (03-13-2012 03:34 PM)basilransom Wrote:
I'm a little skeptical that it's 80% of your campus, even at an elite school. But if you go to the right scenes within your campus, these sort of people are ubiquitous.
Well, that class of people (firmly upper middle class or above) definitely constitutes 80% or more of my student body. You'd be hard pressed to find someone with a household income south of $100k here, or someone who has ever even known such a living in their lives.
That being said, you're right. The number who fit your definition of insularity that you mentioned in the last post is probably less than 80%.
Definitely still a firm majority, though.
Quote: (03-13-2012 03:34 PM)basilransom Wrote:
The worst part is that they get a hugely disproportionate share of the hot chicks. The non-athlete top frats for instance, tend to have cooler guys on average than other frats, but not *much* cooler guys. They aren't as cool as their reputation would warrant. They're largely picked based on social connections, though occasionally on looks, prominence, being cool, or some X factor.
Athletes are fairly common where I'm at, and so athleticism has become a major factor in how top-frats select. There is no such thing as a "non-athlete top frat" here.
The undisputed top houses on our campus are the Lacrosse/Rugby house (which has a handful of "cool" squash, hockey, b-ball and football dudes too) and the Soccer house. The hockey house is up there too.
The football house is third tier at best. People on this campus simply do not like football or basketball. Very little respect for the game or the players, win or lose.
Kind of like the twilight zone, really. Even at middling state schools I've visited (think Albany, Stony Brook, Illinois State, or maybe Maine), football players get plenty of love. Here, things are reversed. Lacrosse players are the clear top dogs as a whole.
My Ivy isn't the only one that fits these descriptions, unfortunately.
Quote: (03-13-2012 03:34 PM)basilransom Wrote:
Sororities choose based much more on looks, though still with an eye to other considerations (eg you didn't fuck a sister's boyfriend). Thing is, the hottest sorority girls get indoctrinated into thinking that dudes in the preppy cokehead frat are top dawgs. Once the girl is convinced of that, and you've got that social proof, you'd have to be the biggest loser to make her think otherwise. These top frats have a great scam going. As a guy into game, you want these girls just to judge you for your vibe. You've gotten used to them judging you on your looks and height too, for better or for worse, because that's life. And now, if you didn't get into a top frat, you've got to deal with chicks thinking you're a loser for either not being in a frat, or being in the wrong frat.
Exactly.
Guys have consistently remarked on how big a difference becoming a member of a top house here makes. It truly is night and day.
As an unaffiliated guy myself, I largely just don't bother much.
Quote: (03-13-2012 03:34 PM)basilransom Wrote:
The funniest chicks would be the juniors and sophomores who claimed to be 'above it all' and 'done with Greek life.' I said to two such girls once, let me guess, you guys are in Gamma Gamma Gamma [Mid-tier sorority], athletic, slightly butch/lesbian]. They snarl, "What, Oh my God! Why do you think we're in GGG?! How dare you! We're in Kappa Kappa Kappa [top tier sorority]." I laughed to myself thinking, "well, shows how much you really are 'over' Greek life."
Did you have a Kappa Kappa Gamma where you were?
Around half of the Ivies do, including mine, and I believe they're near the top of the food chain at each one. They are probably the most obnoxious adherents to some of the sorority trends you listed, though even the "lower tier" sororities here aren't that far behind them.
Quote: (03-13-2012 03:34 PM)basilransom Wrote:
One of the aspects of the game that gets severely underplayed here, that's a huge factor in getting quality pussy but is rarely mentioned, is simply access. You can have the same two guys, with equal game, looks and everything, and they will have wildly different results if one has a rich social circle and one doesn't. Yeah, lots of social circles are shitty and not worth the time, but plenty are worth it. Especially if it's just a matter of say, sharing a place with the right group of guys. You don't need that much game if you're in the right setting, and you'll score with some pretty decent chicks.
Very true. I can certanly speak to this on my campus: if you do not want to run social circle game here or are, for whatever reason, simply unable to do so, you're finished. You have no hope. Even casual hookups here (which are the norm, really-very few relationships) depend on social circles to get connected initially.
The social circle is the end all and be all,
especially if you're black or hispanic.