Literature Blog Review #5

Citation: McWilliams, Wilson C. The Idea of Fraternity in America. Berkeley: U of California, 1973. Print.
Summary:  In this book, McWilliams argued that there was an "alternative tradition" to the dominant liberal tradition in America, which he variously traced through the thought of the Puritans, the Anti-federalists, and various major and minor literary figures such as Hawthorne, Melville, Twain and Ellison. He argued that this tradition drew philosophical inspiration from ancient Greek and Christian sources manifested in an emphasis upon community and fraternity, which was properly the means to achieving a form of civic liberty. He contrasted this tradition with the liberal tradition, which conversely held that individual liberty was thought to culminate in political fraternity (Wikipedia).
Author: Wilson C. McWilliams. Was a political scientist at Rutgers University
Key terms: "Liberation"--> The popular public yearning to express the individual. "Counter-culture"--> That which is in opposition to the dominant societal culture.
Quotes: All from 621 "But the yearning for liberation apart from it's obvious roots in liberal individualism, indicates that fraternity in counter culture is a bond of embattlement, of unity against oppression"
"Less hopeful, even, is the belief that the common lifestyle provides the basis for brotherhood"
"It is sad that men who feel a desperate need for communion have been so deeply effected by a society whose life and thought deny it, that they can conceive of community only as an image, an illusion no less ephemeral for being willed"
 Value: This is a politically scientific approach to fraternity as counter culture around the time of individualism and liberation. Shows how a sense of community was frowned upon and exactly when fraternities began to be viewed as counter culture.

Research Blog #9

Fraternities have been coming under fire as of late for various different reasons. Between the UVA scandal and the Oklahoma racist chants, fraternities are setting up camp in the newspapers. My argument says that Fraternities never had inherent problems with racism, sexual assault or binge drinking at all. That the party stereotype was placed upon them during the time period that Animal House was released in theaters and gained tremendous amounts of national presence and popularity. My argument more specifically is that fraternities have become scapegoats of counterculture, that they have been created from the need to break stuffy traditions but have been ostracized when they get too out of control.

A counter-argument to my position where fraternities are seen as counter-culture would be to believe that fraternities have always had always had these inherent problems that persisted throughout time since their founding. So an argument that someone could make is that Southern fraternities hold strong ties to racism. Specifically, certain actions of the Kappa Alpha Order of University of Alabama have recently been suspended. Unlike distasteful themed-parties that are usually isolated occurrences, Kappa Alpha Order's "Old South" parade of dressing up in Confederate attire have been an inherently racist and historically persisting tradition.

Both sides recognize that there are problems with fraternities. This counter-argument serves to show that fraternities have persisting issues such as racism within their culture, whereas my argument tries to show fraternities went through a change within the relatively recent past because of public pressure.