"brotherhoods" and "sisterhoods" that rule America. How our former compatriot went through all the trials of the American student fraternity

I think everyone has seen the movie “Legally Blonde 2” and remembers the scene where the main character met a congresswoman in the toilet, with whom she had political differences, and discovered that they both had rings from the same organization - Sorority Delta Nu. After which the differences were quickly forgotten and the ladies began to work together, as prescribed by the Delta Nu sister code.

congresswoman's ring and ring main character Ellie Woods

Sorority Delta Nu in reality, of course, does not exist, it was invented for the film, but in reality in the USA there are 2 types of organizations for children of the elite, where they join by invitation, recommendations, often with the “correct” zip code (index), a large entrance fee, an annual contribution and a rite of passage, here you don’t have a bunch of idiots, but very “exceptional” children.

The organizations are called sorority (sisterhood for girls) and fraternity (fraternity for boys), and the first such society was organized in the United States in 1775.

Historically, sorority and fratenity were a kind of mixture of a private club for social communication, a semi-Masonic organization for career advancement and an academic society for all sorts of financial flows tied to scolarships, as they were organized at universities and, spreading across the country, opened their branches in different educational institutions. They are also called Greek organizations because they are usually named after the Greek letters of the alphabet.

To understand how elitist such organizations are, it should probably be noted that Greek organizations include the heads of 43 of the 50 largest US corporations, as well as 40 of the last 47 justices on the US Supreme Court. Well, US presidents are no exception. Ronald Reagan - Tau Kappa Epsilon, George Bush - both father and son - Delta Kappa Epsilon, Bill Clinton - Phi Beta Sigma. But Barack Obama was not a member of any Greek organization, either because of the zip code, or because of the color of his skin, or something else. Donald Trump is not one of them either (although his children already had membership), but Mike Pence is Phi Gamma Delta.

Remember everyone's favorite Jen Psaki? About whom many asked, how did she even get such a job, if she doesn’t even know geography? Well, that’s how I got there. Chi Omega sorority.

It must be said that films about legally blonde are one of the most positive images of Greek organizations in cinema. In searching for photographs for this opus, simply after typing the words “sorority party” or “fratenity party” I simply had to wade through so many porn pictures from porn films dumped on the screen by the search engine that I don’t even know, maybe I brought some viruses into the computer, not God willing, of course.

A more typical image of sorority girls in regular cinema, not porn, would be like this.

a scene from the movie "Magic Mike" where male strippers are invited to a sorority party dressed as police officers.

Since Greek organizations are, as I said, social clubs, they host a huge number of social events, not only within their organization, but also jointly with others.

Well, everyone understands that throwing a party for only girls is very boring, but if you invite boys from a neighboring organization, then it’s a completely different matter.

All sorts of joint trips to the restaurant are held on a weekly basis, and the trip should be clothing-themed. Everyone comes in white or everyone comes in black, although in Lately It has become more democratic, for example, everyone comes in these T-shirts.

An event where everyone has to wear Lilly Pulitzer dresses

All sorts of fundraising/money collections are carried out for charity for poor children, for the homeless, for the sick and other humanitarian things. Fundraising accepted different shapes, this one is quite common, i.e. considered standard.

Washing cars in swimsuits

It is believed that by socially communicating in this way, you are preparing yourself for your future adult life, for a career at some job or at home as the wife of some future politician or big businessman, because university is not only an education, but also an “attempt marry" the "right" person. There is even a special abbreviation in English - MRS Degree. MRS is Mrs., designation married woman. And Degree means a diploma in this sense.

In the English-speaking world (I will not say about the entire Western world, I don’t know) one of the main functions of an elite woman is to arrange entertainment activities, during which the elite can talk over a glass or a cup, or even a plate, discuss some business issues, holding a golf club, promise something to someone, looking at horses at a race or boats at a regatta, something sign at a charity opera concert to raise money for this very opera. Well, etc. and so on.

For a woman from the elite, education as a specialty has no meaning at all, because if this woman works, she will be assigned to some dust-free job in a museum, a television studio, a charity organization, or simply even in a family business as some specialist in communications. Yes, to the government in the end, like Psaki.

Well, if it doesn’t work, then there’s no question. The main thing is that this woman received an education, met the right people at the university and learned to communicate with these the right people at the right level. And the rest will follow.

All sorts of engineers, nurses, programmers, chemists, scientists of all stripes, etc. - this is not an elite, this is servants who can, if anything, simply be imported from other countries.

A woman from the elite must be sexy, so that her “elite” husband does not leave her, so many parties at which “elite girls” are prepared for a future life and career are of a very specific nature (here I remembered all the porn photos that popped up on the screen when typing absolutely not porn words)


A party with a dress code of no panties and wet T-shirts.

In English-speaking culture there is an expression sow the wild oats - to sow wild oats, i.e. take a walk.

It is believed that you cannot become a conservative citizen and a boring member of society without going through the wild phase of life, when you have no problem getting drunk to the point of unconsciousness or even going to the hospital with intensive care, and this happens, getting high and getting high, shaking your fists (now this is already not entirely accepted, times are different, but before they fought until their jaws were broken, boxing is a sport for gentlemen), play enough of gambling, take part in a wide variety of types of sex, including very unconventional ones, and then finally calm down.... if it works out and your health will remain.

This is “go and walk around to your heart’s content”; this concept is not something that is welcomed, it is encouraged in every possible way.

So, what forms can such encouragement take among elite children?

Elite children really love to dress like the mafia and pretend to be tough criminal macho men. And also to mock all sorts of minorities who are not part of the elite, but are mainly included in the “cattle” and immigrant circles.

Alpha Elipson at Clemson University. Party theme: "Cripple at Clemson"
The dress code is clothing for the very famous Crip gang from Los Angeles, which actually mainly consists of blacks.

Tau Kappa Epsilon in Arizona state university. “Black Party Martin Luther King”
In celebration of the day of Martin Luther King (a fighter for the rights of blacks in the United States), the dress code was declared to be clothes from the black ghetto in the stereotypical style, as gang members usually dress. The party was accompanied by mocking rituals.

Kappa Sigma at Duke University. Party “Asia-Prime” (meaning Asia of excellent quality)
Clothes in the Eastern Asian style, invitations, menus and other inscriptions with distorted English to match the accent of Asians, all sorts of gestures and movements designed to laugh at Asians.

Chi Omega at the University of Pennsylvania, Mexican Theme Party
Sombreros, mustaches, ponchos and posters with the inscriptions: “I will cut the grass for weed (marijuana) and beer” and “I don’t cut the grass, I eat it” (most people who mow lawns are Mexican)

Kappa Alpha Theta at Columbia University, Beer Olympics Party
Dressed in stereotypical Mexican, Dutch, Japanese, French and Jamaican bobsled outfits, the girls had a competition to see who could outdrink who.

And this is the aftermath of a nice party for University of Michigan students at Treetops Ski Resort. A joint gathering of fratenity and sorority of 100 students, who rented 45 rooms at the resort, got drunk and decided to slightly trash the premises to make it more fun. Damage amounted to 430 thousand dollars.

If during a wild party one of the neighbors calls the police, then the police arrive in a team of 10-30 cars, because they know that there can be several hundred kids, they will be completely drunk and can start fighting so that It costs nothing to injure the police. But unlike all the blacks in Ferguson, these particular kids are not just something you can shoot, you can’t even beat them. Their dads are too big shots, elite. It is even possible that the most important boss over all police officers or the most important prosecutor of the city or even the state.

When drunk elite kids stand on the balcony, throw cans of Coca-Cola at passing blacks and swear offensive words, blacks can of course complain to the university.

A university, which is very dependent on the money that the fathers of these same children periodically donate to all sorts of university programs, in this case will wag its finger at the elite children and send the leaders/leaders to special training courses to improve their leadership skills, where they will be told in lectures How not to anger a future voter, and in general, boys and girls, be smarter, don’t cross the line, even when you’re completely drunk.

Well, what if the elite kids do something completely criminal, for example, they steal something during the process of initiation into the “brotherhood” and are caught? Well, for them, the “elite,” and in this case the laws are not written. Dads will open their checkbooks and write big checks to the university, the local police department, the theft victim, and all other interested parties. And everything will be “hockey”.

**********************
Interesting first-hand reading about the not-so-cool Greek organization, since the University of Houston is not elite educational institution. But it gives a very good idea of ​​what “Masonic” fratenity is.

How our former compatriot went through all the trials of the American student fraternity

Many of our readers ask for details of the process of admission and study at American universities. We are pleased to respond to these wishes and provide you with a series of posts from the Alma Mater blog published by the Voice of America.

“Alma Mater” is a blog for those who want to learn more about getting an education in the USA. The authors of the project are American students who speak and write Russian. They talk about their student life in the USA, about the ups and downs in the American education system and about the funny and not so funny stories that happened to them on US campuses. Well, today is a post by Natalia Zhukova.

The mysterious letters of the Greek alphabet, which are used to call student communities in the United States, haunted me for a long time. I imagined that all these encrypted names like “Phita-Beta-Delta” were hiding secret societies like Skull and Bones at Yale University. The headquarters of this mysterious association, according to rumors, is supposedly located in a gloomy, windowless crypt, and admission to it is accompanied by secret rituals. This student society has a reputation as an influential order, whose members included representatives of the Bush dynasty, the current US Secretary of State John Kerry and many Rockefellers. Rumor has it that such communities can still influence the politics of the United States.

To learn more about fraternities, I decided to talk to the president of Pi Tau Sigma at the University of Maryland, where I attend. Gregory Barr, a smiling young guy in a baseball cap, arrived at the meeting on a scooter. Together we walk inside the large building, where Gregory tells me that his organization occupies one room here. I open the door and finally find myself on the sovereign territory of a real male student society. Inside large room 30 people are sitting with laptops. The young men slowly typed something on the keyboard, and those who needed to communicate with their neighbors did it in a whisper.

The setting was more like a library, and certainly not like a meeting secret order. In order not to disturb the “initiates” from working, we go up to the second floor, to the teachers’ room, where Gregory has his own “office” in a fenced off corner.

Pi Tau Sigma is for those who specialize in mechanical engineering, Gregory said.

The goal of the society is to help its members develop professionally, this is main reason, why students join it. “The main advantage of our society is the connections you make with your colleagues. By joining it, you get huge opportunities for growth and finding a future job.”

Club members constantly meet with potential employers. “For example,” Gregory says, “we met with Exxon Mobile a few weeks ago.” Although Gregory is still studying, he has already worked on robot models at Florida International University and is now working at Johns Hopkins University. He, however, says that he found both jobs on his own, without the help of the student society. And he immediately corrects himself - this is rather an exception to the rule; many of his comrades found work precisely thanks to their membership in Pi Tau Sigma.

Gregory believes that narrowly specialized student associations bring more benefits. There are different engineering societies at the University of Maryland, but the closer the society is to your major, the more beneficial it is to its members. And of course, everyone has to work hard to be honest. Gregory says, “First, you need to have consistently high grades. We are also required to attend all Pi Tau Sigma events and national conventions. But that’s not all, we must be socially active. For example, we help the Relay for Life organization raise money to fight cancer.

Another advantage of societies is that junior students can ask senior students for advice on what subjects to choose next semester, how to design their final project, and so on.

What can I say, Gregory’s prosaic explanations leave no stone unturned in my romantic ideas about student societies. I grasp at the last straw and ask him about the secret rituals. Gregory admits that upon joining, recruits must polish the coat of arms - a symbol of brotherhood - until it shines. The most thorough “rubbers” receive the right to join the society for free, without fees. This, according to him, is the only eccentricity that Pi Tau Sigma allows itself.

By the way, the first student organizations in the states had a different purpose than they do now. Initially, students joined societies to participate in debates and hone their oratory skills. This is how the student organization Phi Beta Kappa defined its goals, the first society named after the letters of the Greek alphabet. Paying tribute to Greece, the birthplace of democracy, debate and the founders of entire schools of philosophical thought, this society used the first letters of its motto in its name, marking a tradition that still allows university clubs to surround themselves with a certain aura of mystery.

Secret fraternities and clubs in American colleges still exist, but open student specialized societies look much more attractive. They help you find a job and bring creative ideas to life. It may not be as romantic as crypts and blood oaths, but what can we do, we live in a different, pragmatic century.

Mentions of student fraternities (fraternities) often come across in American literature and Hollywood cinema. Traditionally designated by Greek letters, all these "Beta Kappa", "Sigma Alpha Epsilon", etc. represent a curious sample of male life on our planet. Fraternities are semi-secret societies that everyone knows about, but very few are members of.

Some consider fraternities to be a source of hooliganism and debauchery, others call them mafia, attributing their activities to finance and politics. For some, these are just men's games that have become part of American history for 200 years. In any case, their activities are not publicized enough that we bet you know almost nothing about them. Neither did we until we met Dan.

Background

Today Dan is successful American businessman, conducting his business in Moscow, executive director of a large financial company. Forty-eight years old, wife, two children, house, several cars. A typical set, a typical biography of a successful person. And only a small tattoo on the right ankle in the form of two Greek letters is not quite a typical insignia for our latitudes. Few of our compatriots had the chance to be a member of an American student fraternity, much less become the president of a unit. He succeeded. Dan Rapoport was born in 1967 in Riga. Eleven years later, his family moved to the United States. They left the USSR with three suitcases and four hundred dollars - Dan, his mom and dad. Upon arrival in New York, Dan's father - a physicist, doctor of science - looked for a job for three months. As a result, he was offered to repair Sewing machines in Alabama for 18 thousand dollars a year or work as an engineer for an oil company in Texas for 20 thousand a year. The choice fell on Texas. The suitcases went to Houston. “At that time there was no Russian community in Houston,” says Dan, “and at the age of 11 I made every effort to stop being tormented by the blacks and Mexicans with whom I studied. At the age of 15, I already had perfect English, at 16, no one could have guessed that I was born outside of Texas, and they were very surprised when they met my parents, Volodya and Alla, who spoke with a strong accent.” Dan went to school and led a typical American teenager's life: playing football, boxing, listening to the band Van Halen, and skateboarding. And in 1987 he entered the University of Houston. “When I arrived at the university, I found myself among 50 thousand students. I didn't know anyone and at first I felt lonely. Very soon I began to notice advertisements from organizations with Greek letters inviting newcomers to parties. I went there at the first opportunity. A crowd of people were having fun in the huge house. Music, beautiful girls... Alcohol, prohibited for people under 21, flowed freely. I realized: this is what I need.”

Brotherhoods

In the United States today there are 54 men's fraternities (and slightly fewer women's sororities). There are large, prestigious ones, founded in the 19th century, with hundreds of thousands of graduates, with magazines, offices, museums and multimillion-dollar budgets. There are small ones with only thousands of members. All of them have branches in one or another university, so in large ones sometimes dozens of fraternities coexist. These organizations are student organizations only on the principle of recruiting newcomers, but in essence, each fraternity is a clan that helps its members throughout their lives. Once in it, you provide yourself with the support of thousands of influential people, eventually becoming one of them. On the one hand, getting into a prestigious fraternity is not easy, on the other hand, Universities are coming active headhunting for promising students.

FACT

Fraternity members make up just 2% of the U.S. male population. They account for 76% of congressmen and 80% of the business elite, according to Fortune magazine. Also, 40 of the 47 chief justices (since 1900) and all but three US presidents since 1825 have been fraternities.

At the University of Houston there were about thirty fraternities, each with 50 to 200 members. Everyone had their own mansion, their own symbols, their own T-shirts and caps - it was very prestigious to wear them. Dan began to attend parties more and more often. By that time he was a good boxer, which turned out to be very valuable quality, because the the most important event In the life of the fraternities there was an annual boxing championship. Dan began to be introduced to people who were recruiting students. “The coolest fraternity seemed to me to be SAE, that is, Sigma Alpha Epsilon.” Beautiful girls, crazy parties - the guys from SAE had it all. They behaved friendly, took me everywhere, gave me food and drink. I really wanted to make these kinds of friends, so I eventually expressed my interest in joining. I was warned: I need to go through a probationary period - 5 months - during which I will have to carry out some assignments. This will be a test, but not a scary one at all. It's like taking one extra item. If only I had known then what I was going through!”

Rules

Soon a group of twelve applicants for SAE membership was formed among the freshmen. They were invited into the house - a huge mansion with a bar, servants, cooks and a swimming pool - and new life has begun. From now on and for the next five months, each candidate practically became a slave of the brotherhood in general and each of its members in particular. This time had to be lived according to strict rules. For violation - punishment or expulsion from candidates. To begin with, everyone received a nickname - not in the eyebrow, but in the eye. One of Dan's rosy-cheeked friends was nicknamed Nipple; another, plump one, - Kolobok; the third, a handsome man with a Greek profile, is Kozyavka. Dan became known as Gulag due to its origin. From that moment on, candidates could not introduce themselves anywhere and under any circumstances other than under their new name. That is, SAE pledge Gulag Dan Rapoport (candidate for SAI, Gulag Dan Rapoport). Only this way and in this order - whether you are called to the board or introduced to a girl. However, both teachers and girls treated this with understanding. Newcomers were given a charter and a textbook on the history of the brotherhood to learn by heart. A trainer specially assigned to the group tested knowledge once a week. Each candidate had to carry with him around the clock a pack of cigarettes, a lighter, a pen, a condom, chewing gum, a pack of chewing tobacco, and four 25-cent coins for the machines - all for the needs of his older brothers. To prevent life from seeming like honey, a brick was included in the set, a real brick weighing 4 kg. Wherever a student went - to hang out or study - he had to carry this ammunition with him. The candidates had a dress code. Since it was in conservative Texas, fraternity members could not wear any jeans except Levi's or Wrangler (fashionable European brands for gays). On the feet are cowboy boots (“Cossacks”) made of ordinary black or brown leather (crocodile leather is foppery), sneakers or loafers. White fraternity t-shirt and fraternity baseball cap. Or vice versa (you cannot wear more than one thing with the symbols of the brotherhood). Glasses - only Ray-Ban. A symbol of prosperity is a long brown Louis Vuitton wallet. On the hand there is a Rolex - steel or steel with gold (all gold - foppishness). Short haircuts, no jewelry, piercings or tattoos. Every time he saw a member of the fraternity, the candidate was obliged to run up to him, shake his hand and introduce himself in full. Although candidates were technically required to visit the house twice a week, in reality they had to be there every day. Their duties included maintaining order, fulfilling all the whims of their elders and responding to phone calls(strictly between the first and second call). “We had to be available 24 hours a day,” Dan recalls. - The exception was emergency family matters. Sometimes one of the brothers would call at 3 a.m. and say, “Dan, bring me a sausage pizza and a six-pack of beer. I'll give you the money. When you arrive, wash my boots at the same time.” And so I went. Those were the rules. For their violation (forgot to shake hands, did not have time to pick up the phone, was late or came without a brick, or even just like that) the entire group was punished - physical, humiliating, but with an invention.

FACT

According to a Harvard University study, 44% of US students abuse alcohol. Among fraternity members this figure is 75%, and in women's sororities it is 62%.

For example, they put you on a chair blindfolded, and bottle shards were sprinkled around the chair. You were asked questions about brotherhood. If you answered incorrectly, they shouted at you: “Jump!” And I jumped. And I heard a crunch and felt something sharp digging into my feet. And then, amid general laughter, it turned out that the glass had been removed and instead, chips had been poured onto the floor. This is how we were tested. Or, for example, they locked the whole company in a closet and did not let them out until everyone had smoked a pack of cigarettes (with the presentation of cigarette butts). Eat 10 raw eggs or 5 onions each - consider that you got off lightly. A typical punishment was being hit on the butt with a special bat, after which you couldn’t sit for a week.”

Life of new recruits

As you might guess, the army principle of demobilization and salabons worked in student fraternities. Therefore, the abuse of the young flourished in all its sadistic splendor. The guys had fun in different ways. For example, one went out onto the balcony of a five-story building during recess and shouted: “Gulag!” And Dan dropped everything and ran to the fifth floor to shake his hand. Then he went down, and at that moment the next one came out onto the balcony and shouted: “Gulag!” Dan rushed upstairs again, and did this several times. It happened that the group was called in the middle of the night, stripped down to their underpants, blindfolded, taken 100 kilometers into an open field and told: “In two hours you should be near the house.” No coin, no phone. Twelve guys in shorts, Wednesday night. And the guys walked, found their way and, hiding in the bushes, set out the puny, bespectacled guy to catch the car. A woman stopped in a Cadillac and the bespectacled man shouted: “I was robbed!” They let him into the car, and eleven more naked men ran out of the bushes, crowded into the passenger compartment and trunk, begging him to take them somewhere, otherwise it would be very bad for them all. “One of our guys had a father who was a sheriff. When we realized that this attraction was repeated from time to time, he helped us get listening equipment, and we began to record meetings of the elders. We found out who they wanted to kick out, what intrigues were being prepared for us, where they would take us next time. One day the destination was a cemetery in the town of Wymore. The guy called his father, who called the sheriff of Wymore; when we were dropped off in our underpants at this cemetery, a police car pulled up and took us to Houston with its lights flashing. Our tormentors drove slowly, drank beer and often stopped to relieve themselves. So when they arrived at the house, all six of us (then there were already six of us left) were standing at attention in our shorts on the lawn. They, of course, went nuts: after all, they had just dropped us off 80 kilometers naked in a cemetery!” There was a special attraction in which the group had to obtain several hard-to-find items within six hours. For example, a man's phone number written on a box of matches from a gay bar. A bill for $50 from a “black” bar (whites don’t go there because of the risk of not leaving alive). Worn bra size DD. Mike of someone else's brotherhood. Police cap. Live mouse. Skeleton. For everything about everything - six night hours. Of course, these things had to be stolen. Of course, from time to time candidates ended up in police custody. But it was even fun. They spent the night in a close-knit group at the police station, and the next morning two young lawyers - graduates of the fraternity - came to pick them up, bought them out, put them in a car, threw them a case of beer and drove them to the university so that the young people would not be late for classes. The Brotherhood never allowed the case to go to trial, a fine, or even a record of arrest. “I had to drink a lot,” says Dan. - This is a traditional test that often ends badly. On average, the United States sees a couple of deaths from forced drinking among fraternity candidates each year. Many were injured - this is also a mandatory part of the program. I suspect that my health suffered somewhat during my probationary period. And the habit of running to the phone before the second ring rang haunted me for several more years.”

Revenge

As expected, the young hated their elders, despite the passionate desire to become the same, and took revenge on them in their own way. It was a holy thing for my brother to give a damn about the hamburger between the bun and the cutlet. Pee in his beer or shampoo, clean the toilet with his toothbrush. And there was also a rule that allowed one to capture one of the elders once during the entire probationary period and torture him for 24 hours. With the caveat that no one should know about it. It was difficult to use the rule due to the heavy workload, but one day the daring plan was implemented. The candidates persuaded a girl they knew, she picked up the hated older brother in a bar, brought him home, where he was captured. They tied him up, taped his mouth and tortured him to his heart's content for 24 hours: they wrapped him in a live boa constrictor, watered him cold water, ketchup, threw him bound into the pool, and finally painted him with a waterproof felt-tip pen, which was not washed for two weeks. "It was quite wise rule, - Dan notes, - in a sense, it limited the elders in their creativity. In general, despite the seeming absurdity and cruelty of all these laws, they had deep meaning. Difficulties were given to us in order to unite us, so that getting into the brotherhood was perceived as having been obtained at a great price. So that those who survived these horrors together truly become like brothers, like fellow soldiers. For many, these five months turned out to be the only serious test in their prosperous life. Like the army - with the difference that this is a voluntary matter, and at the end you do not receive a demobilization album, but the support of a powerful organization for life. Plus, only hardy and purposeful people got into the brotherhood: twelve of us started, and in the end four were accepted. And these guys remained my most devoted friends for life. When I was in New York on September 11, all three of them called me immediately, although I had not seen them for many years by that time.”

Hell week

But all this happened later. Meanwhile, the probationary period was crowned with a grandiose torment called “hell week.” For these seven days, the house turns into a prison for the remaining candidates (in Dan's case, five). You cannot leave the boundaries of the house and site. Sleeping, changing clothes and washing are not allowed. Throughout the week, the same song is continuously playing in the house on reverse at maximum volume (in Dan’s case, “Walk Like an Egyptian” by Bangles). The prisoners' diet all week consists exclusively of one product (in Dan's case, filet-o-fish from McDonald's in variations: covered in beer, frozen on a stick, covered in mayonnaise).

During Hell Week, each of the seniors must entertain the candidates for several hours, arranging tests for them. For example, these. The guys are seated on chairs with their backs to each other, tied up, slapped on the head and forced to take turns pronouncing the “oath of a true gentleman” from the charter, syllable by syllable. A mistake - and a bucket of ice water is poured on the subjects' heads. Or they ask questions about the history of the brotherhood - if the answer is wrong, everyone must eat a spoonful of cat food. One day, during a quiet moment, a girl I knew knocked on the house - she secretly brought the guys a cake from outside. Needless to say, the unfortunate people attacked the cake and devoured it in one sitting. And needless to say, the cake turned out to be another setup and was stuffed to the brim with laxatives. One of the candidates dropped out on the fifth day: he injured his hand, an abscess formed - the guy had to be taken to the hospital. Because of this, he never got into the brotherhood, although he went through almost the same path as the others. Dan recalls: “When all this horror was over, we were given a week to sleep and clean up. After that, we appeared in suits for a secret initiation ceremony - initiation into the brotherhood. All one hundred and more brothers gathered in the house, dressed in purple and gold robes and masks. Solemnly, by candlelight, they explained to us from the book of ritual what our symbols and abbreviations mean. We were initiated into all the secrets of the brotherhood. They taught us secret gestures, calls and handshakes, by which we could always recognize our brother. We were given our membership badges and entered SAE. You will laugh, but all four of us cried.”

Life in a brotherhood

Having become a member of the fraternity, a student begins to live by the rule “one for all, all for one.” If your brother has to fight alone against ten, there is no question whether to stand next to him or not. Even if you don't like him. You share everything with the team, in return gaining access to all the benefits of the organization. Houses by the sea and in the mountains, planes and yachts, beautiful girls... After all, brotherhood means prospects, success and wealth. You increase your chances of graduating from university (among brothers, the dropout rate is 17% versus the usual 50%). All further training takes place against the backdrop of two active processes - competition with other fraternities and the search for entertainment. The life of the fraternity itself has both an official and an unofficial part. Officially, fraternities help their members with their studies and organize charity events. Risky entertainment and not always legal ways of making money are not made public. University authorities, of course, are not enthusiastic about fraternities, but their existence has become ingrained in the American educational system for so long that it is considered a necessary evil. Competitions between brotherhoods are formal and not very formal. There are sports competitions - with crowds of fans, professional judges and press coverage of the championship. Fights until there is blood in pre-arranged places, stealing each other's symbols and the desire to outdo neighbors in the unbridledness of parties - these sports remain behind the scenes of official news. Large-scale parties, the preparation and holding themselves, occupy a huge part of students’ lives.

FACT

Secret handshakes and greetings are designed to distinguish yourselves. A member of the fraternity can come to any fraternity house, prove that he belongs, and get a room, food and drink. Many students travel this way throughout America.

Dan recalls: “I especially remember the annual Jungle parties. We drove around Houston all night and stole banana trees, after which they planted them in the yard. We dug two ditches, lined them with plastic, filled them with water and covered them with dry ice so that the whole thing would smoke. An old jeep was half buried in the ground with the lights on. One guy’s father was the director of the airport, he gave us a broken plane, they hung him from a tree, and the skeleton, stolen from the biology department, was dressed up in a pilot’s uniform - he was hanging from the branches by parachute. In the corner of the property, two rented tigers sat on chains, and the music was provided by a black reggae band. We invited 3,000 people, but outsiders had to pay entry. Special fruit punches were prepared for the girls: fruits were crushed into huge vats, 80-proof alcohol, juices, rum, vodka were poured into them, dry ice was added, and sometimes ecstasy. This drink had no taste, but in the room where this drink was spilled, the next morning the varnish was eaten on the floor.”

The budgets for such parties amounted to tens of thousands, so the fraternity had a person responsible for raising finances. In addition to membership fees ($300 per month), the most different ways replenishing finances - from washing cars to fraud with credit cards and even theft. The fraternity had many more official elected positions: president, vice president, treasurer, party in charge, house in charge, recruiter in charge, in charge of training newcomers, and university representative (usually the most intelligent and eloquent student , who can explain to the dean why there was a live cow in the anatomy professor’s office). Dan was so actively involved in the life of the fraternity that already in his second year he was chosen to be responsible for attracting new members. His job was to keep an eye out for promising recruits, to convince them that SAE was better than other fraternities, and to prove to his brothers that these recruits were worthy of SAE. There was only one principle of choice: the student must be useful to the brotherhood: with his abilities, intelligence, success in sports, and, at worst, connections or money. In his third year, Dan became a coach - responsible for training newcomers. Then he became vice president, and in his final year, he became president. In honor of this, according to the rules, he got a tattoo on his right ankle.

A start to life

FACT

Like many others, the fraternity has no official racial or national policy - only gender. However, blacks began to be accepted only 20 years ago, and then only in California and New York. In Texas, this is still viewed with suspicion. The first Mexican entered SAE in 1989. Dan was the second Jew in the history of the Texas Chapter. There were never any blacks or Asians there. In the United States there are independent Mexican, Jewish and black fraternities.

“My last two years at university I was mostly involved in fraternity stuff. And although my specialty was “finance,” I didn’t understand anything about it, because my brothers took all the exams for me. And all Last year I was exclusively involved in resolving problems with the police, with the city, with the university, with the head office, and also between the guys. When I graduated from university, my parents joked that I was an SAE. Some actually go on to work in the parent organization, which has about a hundred employees. After all, in essence, the brotherhood is a transnational corporation with a budget of half a billion a year. But they quickly found me a job in my specialty in Houston, and I made up for lost theory in practice. For me, the activities in the fraternity became a comprehensive education; I learned to evaluate people, manage, organize, not to mention how to achieve goals and take responsibility.

Of course, over the years, most withdraw from active participation in the fraternity and simply continue to read the magazine and pay voluntary dues. But loyalty to the oaths remains. And adults play this game all their lives, and sometimes even bequeath all their savings to the brotherhood. I left Texas and my life changed. My three guys are still there, they are quite successful. Every year on the birthday of the fraternity, March 9, we, graduates different years, we're going to SAE dinners in different cities across America. This is always great and useful even in business terms, although conversations increasingly revolve around the old days. But I know: if something happens to me, they will immediately rush to my aid, as often happened at the university. Like the time I stole the Sigma Kappa pennant and was surrounded by fifteen enemies."

Funny stories

One day during his probation, Dan went with his parents to a party at a yacht club in another city. As he put on his tuxedo, he decided not to take the brick with him. But unfortunately, the older brother was at the party. He took Dan outside and caught him breaking the rules, after which he forced the candidate to do push-ups in the mud, yelled at him, spat on him, poured beer on his head and threatened him with expulsion. Dan returned to the party in such a formal dress. One of the traditional fraternity events is called “Make an ugly girl happy.” In the 40s, this movement began quite noble: they invited ugly girls to amuse them. Over the past 50 years, everything has degenerated into a completely cynical undertaking. Today poor girls do not know in what capacity they are invited. Each brother herds an ugly animal aged 16-25 years and not heavier than 90 kg. The golden fund is fat cashiers from the Wal-Mart supermarket and McDonald's workers. They flirt with them for a long time and then invite them to a party. Most of them don't realize that they've been the butt of one big joke all evening. The brother who brings the most terrible one wins. Another tradition is parties with female student communities (sororities). One day, 90 guys from SAE invited these neighbors, but instead of the announced hundred, only 15 students came. The guys were disappointed, because they spent money and time on preparation. In retaliation, when the girls had their weekly meeting, SAE sent them several boxes of donuts and coffee as a friendly gesture. It was at eight in the evening. And at ten, when the donuts were eaten, the photograph reached the recipients. It showed 50 guys with no pants (and no faces), each with a donut hanging from their penis. I could only guess about the coffee recipe.

“Why didn’t I join the fraternity?” Zhenya Moldavsky was also imported to the United States as a child. In 1989, he entered Boston University. So you've decided not to join a fraternity. Why?
For several reasons. Many universities are located on the outskirts, far from cities, and students have no choice but to invent their own entertainment. I went to school right in Boston, and frankly, there was a lot to do there other than get drunk and steal T-shirts every day. Then, when you join a fraternity, you have to spend all your time with your brothers, and it seemed to me that university was the right place to communicate with a variety of people. In a fraternity, broadening your horizons is problematic; all interests revolve around beer, football and sex. And in general, I’m, so to speak, an individualist and I don’t like being told what to do. Were beer, football and sex not part of your interests?
They are still coming in. And I was very enthusiastic about attending fraternity parties because I had a lot of fraternity friends. But I didn’t have to follow these idiotic rules and didn’t have to pay fees, which were very large by the standards of that time. Have you ever even been tempted to become a brother?
University is always lonely at first. And fraternities are sometimes called “rent-a-friend” - friends for rent. You really get a ready-made company right away. And for the first two or three months I was actually a little jealous of these guys. But then I started my own social circle, and the temptation disappeared. Do fraternities really help you advance your career?
Absolutely, especially at the beginning. But over time, your business reputation plays an increasingly important role. I don't think my career would have been more successful if I had been a fraternity alumnus. History of the fraternities Student fraternities begin their history in 1776. It was then that five students at the College of William and Mary decided to create a secret society, Phi Beta Kappa. The Greek letters were chosen to differentiate themselves from other communities named with Latin abbreviations. The new brotherhood was based on an interest in literature and philosophy. Soon its ranks began to be filled with newcomers. Two years later, Phi Beta Kappa chapters opened at other universities, and by the beginning of the 19th century there were already several fraternities: Kappa Alpha, Sigma Phi, Delta Phi. Fraternity students competed in debates on philosophical themes and were known as the elite of university youth. By the second half of the 19th century, Greek communities had become an integral part of American higher education. After World War II, a distinct military spirit emerged in the fraternities, and the legendary trials of new recruits became particularly brutal. In the liberal 60s, student communities experienced difficult times and almost died out: young people professed the individualistic and pacifist values ​​of hippies. By the late 1970s, fraternities once again numbered 4 million students. There is now a propaganda campaign against fraternities in the United States, many universities are trying to close their chapters, and parents are suing fraternities due to frequent cases of injuries, fights, hooliganism and even death of their members. Brothers in different ways

Men's fraternities have been around for a very long time. Even earlier than the editors of men's magazines.

Masai bachelors
In most primitive tribes, such as the Maasai of Kenya, they try to keep young bachelors away from decent people. At the age of 13-14, the boy leaves the village and joins a group of warriors who spend the night in the open air, fight, feed on blood and milk, and generally lead an antisocial lifestyle. Ten years later, the young Masai finally comes to his senses, says goodbye to this bachelor romance, returns home and gets married. Spartan units
IN Ancient Sparta boys were taken from home at the age of seven and sent to special camps, where the younger generation, under the guidance of twenty-year-old slackers, learned the life of a man. Boys were expected to kill slaves, steal from markets, fight, endure pain, and engage in homosexuality with each other and with their older mentors. The survivors became real Spartans.

Knightly orders
Fully grown men were already gathering into the semi-monastic military orders of the Middle Ages. To get into the rich and influential order, knights underwent numerous tests - primarily for loyalty, heroism and the ability to keep their mouths shut. Candidates for membership in the order sometimes underwent cruel tests - for example, they wore steel chains with spikes under their armor, did not eat meat, and whipped themselves until they bled on church holidays.

European apprentices
Shop apprentices in medieval Europe were almost in slavery to their masters: they received no money, ate scraps, worked 20 hours a day, seven days a week, and were beaten daily by masters for pedagogical purposes. It is not surprising that the apprentices created their own secret societies, which took revenge on particularly cruel masters. For example, there is a well-known case where the daughters of twelve shoemakers in Hamburg were kidnapped and tied in their shirts on the roof of the town hall.

German students
In Germany's elite student unions, it is still customary to settle disputes with the sword. If two hundred years ago a sword was the normal equipment of a student, and a student duel was commonplace, today these fights take place secretly, in specially rented halls. They fence in armor, but without a mask; the signal to stop the duel is the appearance of blood. The Heidelberg Union is especially famous - its members are easily recognizable among the political and business elite of Germany thanks to the characteristic scars on their faces.

Men began to unite in groups based on interests and occupations from time immemorial: they hunted together and defended their homes from enemies. It was much easier to survive this way, and later the main qualities that characterized these groups were elevated to a cult by men: mutual assistance, real friendship and ability to work in a team. FURFUR prepared detailed guide according to the oldest men's fraternities.

HISTORICAL BACKGROUND: MEN'S ASSOCIATIONS		During times crusades Religious-military partnerships were created. The most famous are the Teutonic Order, the Order of the Hospitallers and the Templar Order. In order to get into the order, it was necessary to endure a series of humiliating tests for the knight over the course of several months.
In Ancient Sparta, male military brotherhood was actively promoted. Weak children were thrown into the abyss, and strong children from the age of seven were collected into camps and divided into groups. The main qualities were considered perseverance, perseverance, the ability to win and unquestioning obedience.		One of the most famous tribes living in Southern Africa. In order to be called men, a group of Maasai boys must leave the village, build their own and live in it for several years.		They are always spoken of as the secret rulers of the world, participating in all the most high-profile historical processes. They originate from associations of freemasons who built churches and cathedrals in the Middle Ages. This is the oldest and largest fraternal secret society. First mentioned on June 24, 1717.

Spartan warriors
Knights of the Templar Order during the capture of an Arab city
Masonic initiation rite

In the modern world, men's associations of this kind have also not lost their meaning and relevance. True male friendship, which remains with a person for life, is now formed in college or institute, where future men work, grow up and look for their life path side by side. It was there that new brotherhoods, secret societies and other associations were born, in which there was a place for everything that was distinctive about the organizations listed above: secret connections, male friendship and mutual assistance, complex entrance tests, heraldic distinctive symbols and much more.

“We have a society, secret meetings on Thursdays. The most secret alliance... What kind of people, mon cher! Juice of smart youth! - Alexander Griboyedov, "Woe from Wit"

In America, such institutional communities appeared first of all. Almost all significant Americans - from artists to presidents - were in one way or another a member of such fraternities.

Before joining these communities, newcomers go through a lot of terrible tests invented by their older brothers: they are placed in separate house, subjected to torture, bullying and given difficult tasks that at first glance seem impossible or even face criminal liability. All this is done not for the sake of banal jokes and fun at the expense of newcomers, but in order to unite the recruits being tested and select the most worthy of them.

A few common tests for beginners:

• Singing in a public place
• Night sleep ban
• Game "who will drink more"
• Tattoo in a location chosen by the older members of the fraternity
• Public insults and humiliation from senior comrades
• Wearing provocative sexy clothes

1. Induction into the fraternity, 1920s.
2. Participants in the initiation of a new member of the Iron Arrows fraternity, Miami, 1926.
3. One of the typical rituals concluding entry into the fraternity, 40s.
4. Same thing, 50s.
5. Test for a member of the Lambda Chi Alpha fraternity, which gave birth to a new measure of length - smoot, equal to 1.7 meters
6. Joining the brotherhood, 40s.
7. Reconstruction of the battle Civil War as a test for newcomers to the Phi Sigma Nu fraternity
8. Acceptance of a new member to Sigma Chi, University of Wisconsin, 50's.
9. Joining a Brotherhood, circa 50s, photographer Arthur Rothstein

The oldest brotherhood.It was founded at the end of the eighteenth century at the College of William and Mary. This community was the first to use Greek letters to represent the name.

The founders of the society were students who gathered in Raleigh Tavern , located on campus. It is said that a secret Masonic lodge met in the same place, so the fact that ten members of the ΦΒΚ later became freemasons does not seem so unusual. The symbol ΦΒΚ is a golden key, on the front side complemented by the image of the index finger, three stars and Greek lettersΦΒΚ. The stars represent the three distinctive principles of brotherhood - friendship, morality and learning.

Redevelopment of the Raleigh Tavern building in Colonial Williamsburg

Phi Beta Kappa is involved in philanthropy and also publishes several magazines that consist of articles on history, culture, science and literature.The fraternity is also the founder of a number of scholarships and awards for achievements in various scientific fields.

As the oldest fraternity, Phi Beta Kappa counts many celebrities among its ranks. Brotherhood members have included 17 US Presidents and 136 Nobel laureates. Here are ten of its most famous representatives:

1. Alexander Bell, inventor of the telephone
2. Mark Twain, writer
3. John Rockefeller, entrepreneur
4. Calvin Coolidge, US President
5. Franklin Roosevelt, US President
6. Harry Truman, US President
7. Dwight Eisenhower, US President
8. Jimmy Carter, US President
9. Francis Ford Coppola, director
10. Jeff Bizos, creator of Amazon.com

Secret society "Kappa Alpha" (ΚΑ ) was founded at the beginning of the nineteenth century. It was formed from an informal association of young people who called themselves “Philosophers”. Its creators were Hunter Jackson and Thomas Hong. The Kappa Alpha Society was originally intended to be a literary society and a place where young minds could express their ideas and debate with each other. "Kappa Alpha took a lot from the first secret society." Phi Beta Kappa" rethinking their concept in your own way.

The society discussed not only the latest literary trends, but also everything related to the intellectual development of the individual. As a result, Kappa Alpha was a kind of connecting link between secret brotherhoods and closed literary societies. Kappa Alpha is the progenitor of all modern system fraternities of North America. This is the first fraternity to eventually join Sigma Phi fraternities. and "Delta Phi" formed the so-called “United Triad” (Union Triad).

The building of the oldest functioning fraternity chapter on the territory of Hobart and William Smith Colleges

Among the representatives of this community there are few internationally famous names, but there were also a huge number of American senators, bankers, public figures and businessmen.

Sigma Phi (ΣΦ) was created in the same place and at almost the same time as the previous fraternity, The Kappa Alpha Society, but unlike the two above, it tried to maintain maximum secrecy, so very little is known about its history and founders. few. Sigma Phi was the first to create its own chapter - in New York, at Hamilton College in 1831.The young people who created this society were distinguished by their special nobility and rare intelligence. Representatives of The Sigma Phi Society include the Vice President of the United States, several ministers and chief judges, and dozens of congressmen and senators.

Union College is also called the “mother of fraternities” - in addition to Sigma Phi, Kappa Alpha and Delta Phi fraternities have appeared on the college campus.

Delta Phi (ΔΦ) fraternity was founded at Union College immediately after Sigma Phi. This brotherhood is the last member of the United Triad, which has never disbanded during its entire history. Delta Phi representatives used the Maltese cross, as well as blue and white colors, as the main element of their symbolism. Delta Phi's ranks included the founder of Motorola, the brother of George W. Bush, a Pulitzer Prize winner, the governor of New Jersey, and other prominent artists and politicians.

In 1889, a new secret organization arose among the members of the fraternity - the “Society of St. Elmo”, which is still active today.

Founder of Skull and BonesWilliam Russell was expelled from the " Phi Beta Kappa" came to Yale and founded his secret society there in 1832. At first, the organization was called the “Brotherhood of Death”, its symbol was the number 322 - some believe that this is a reference to the death of Demosthenes (322 BC), while others are sure that this is simply a distortion of the founding date. Skull and Bones is the most famous secret society, a real incubator of the highest American elite. Hmembers of this organization were accused in absentia of organizingThe Watergate scandal, the Bay of Pigs invasion, and even the assassination of John F. Kennedy.

George W. Bush's grandfather Prescott in 1918 tore up the grave of Apache leader Geronimo and stole his skull, which became the symbol of the organization.

Although the brotherhood is secret, there is a well-known initiation ceremony - in April, by candlelight, newcomers strip naked, lie down in the grave and tell their older brothers about their wildest sexual fantasies. Then they are brutally beaten and drink blood from the ritual skull.