Bama Rush on HBO Max

[BamaNation]

There are choice words for how I feel about the invasion of stupidity at MY university. I'll keep them to myself, but I now question the admissions staff for letting these idiots in. If anyone is offended by my opinion then I'm talking at you. #sorryNOTsorry

Bama Rush’s most expensive OOTD? It’s reportedly $22,635

What college kid doesn't have a Rolex, right?

www.al.com

 

[mdb-tpet]

There's so much STILL questionable about the entire Greek system, that I'm not really concerned about how it looks on TV. We all know there's a lot going on that won't be cleaned up until the lights are shown in all of the dark corners.

 

[rolltide_21]

My wife and I watched the documentary. It made us both very sad for these young women. I get they choose it, but still. A lot of this is driven by clicks/likes on social media accounts like TikTok. Those things can be fun, but they can also be psychologically detrimental, as noted on this board several times.

 

[CrimsonNagus]

They covered The Machine, is that a thing that is still going? It feels like something of that origin can't survive in today's woke culture.

Well, this doc only finished production last year so, yes the machine is still a thing. That's why the lady had to wear a disguise at the end, that's why one of the girls stopped talking to them. But really, the doc didn't dig into the machine has much as I was hoping.

Honestly, I thought it was going to make the university look really bad but, in the end, it really only makes the girls look really, really sad. Basically, they are spending thousands of dollars to buy friends. It's kind of pathetic.

I also found it funny how many of the girls interview talked about not want to conform, wanting to stand out, be their own person. Then it shows them all blending in, were the same clothes, same hairstyles, same everything. All those girls basically look exactly the same, the complete opposite of what they all said they wanted.

It was depressing to see all those insecure girls needing to spend that much money to "earn' the acceptance of others.

Makes me so glad that we can't even come close to affording this so my daughters have no shot.

 

[4Q Basket Case]

For the girls, a lot of the issue is the parents, especially the mothers. Many of them are at least as tied up in it as the girls. There are literally consultants that charge well into four figures, or more, for counseling on what to wear, what to say, what to have on your resume — yes, the process can start in early high school.

Those same consultants also provide counseling during rush week, which can be really traumatic if a girl either doesn’t get a bid, or doesn’t get a bid to the one she wants.

Fraternity rush is a lot less structured, and if you don’t have the experience you’re looking for, it’s not as public. For the girls, it’s kind of laid bare.

I was in a fraternity and can say that the Greek system isn’t all bad. Left to my own devices, I’d spend a lot of time by myself, and it forced me out of my shell. I‘m still friends with a few of the guys from back in the day. There’s an undeniable bond of shared experiences. They can provide business connections that are especially valuable early in your working life. It can be a positive in the community…. it was a huge force in the days following the April 27 tornado.

But there is also a dark side — misplaced priorities around academic vs. social activities, big pressure to conform, groupthink. If you don’t fit perfectly, you’re frequently reminded of that in some form or fashion, even if there’s nobody in your face about it at the moment.

I wasn’t mature enough to handle the dark side well, and pondered for years whether it was a net positive or negative for me personally. I came down at about 50.1% positive, 49.9% negative. But that’s just me. Some people thrived in it; others drowned. I was somewhere in the middle.

If I had it to do over again, knowing what I know now, I wouldn’t join. I’d fill in the gaps in social development through other organizations.

 

[BamaNation]

Let me say this ..

my wife was in a sorority. Not only that she ended up as the Panhellenic president. She was NEVER pressured to be anybody other than who she was. She had absolutely no money other than excess scholarship funding which she was able to use to pay the fees. She only had positive experiences because she knew who and Whose she was and her sisters loved her for it and she was zero concerned about anyone who didn’t.

this current “$22k for an outfit“ culture (and promoting your stupidity and costs on the interwebs) is unrecognizable and should be summarily rejected as evil. There are many more things about colleges that I’m concerned about other than Greek life but a Greek life that encourages and promotes (requires?) this level of hedonism at MY university is a huge concern to me.

the UA student life folks should come down hard on this and Panhellenic should issue some strong condemnation (if they haven’t already). I’m not talking about any 1st amendment stuff. It’s one’s right to publicize your own stupidity. Pointedly, suppressing free speech sometimes inhibits us from identifying stupidity.

in this case it is the complete lack of discernment and the promotion of this culture that is at issue. Not Greek life in general or even this girl in particular.

 

[Slowpoke Catracho]

I think this is something that is at every major University as part of the Greek System. It could have easily been filmed at FSU.

I question ALL "reality based" documentaries these days because they're so linked to Social Media and your 15 minutes of fame. Most of the people that participate in these sorts of things these days use them to springboard and create spin-off social media business ventures on YouTube, TikTok, etc....