Frat Boys: Part I

You've seen them everywhere, sitting out on porches, grouped together in the quad, stumbling across the street in a drunken stupor. Frat Boys. What is it about that Greek letter that white college males strive to attain, only to become a clone of five others before him?

"From the Latin words "frater" meaning brother and related to the Greek word "phratry" meaning a group of related families whose members were not necessarily of common descent." applied to college surroundings: "A men's Greek letter organization characterized by a ritual, pin and strong tie to friendship and moral principles."

I guess over time that slowly changed to "A group of identical white males that engage in heavy drinking and public displays of lewd conduct".

How to spot a "Frat Boy" AKA, "Frat Fuck". They generally stick to the same dress formula: cap or visor, oftentimes reversed, sometimes fitted, usually worn and tattered despite being newly purchased and possibly upside down (applied only to visors) thus, voiding any possible protection from the sun. Accompanying the mentioned headgear go the "threads". Small polo shirts of a varying solid color, with collar popped, in the upright position. Perhaps to guard the neck against wind or cold, but we may never know it's true purpose. Continuing on you will find them outfitted with a pair of Khaki cargo shorts, many times with loose fibers hanging from the pant legs symbolizing the fabric was cut at one point in time. The lighter the fabric, supposedly the longer stretch of time the article of clothing was owned and put into use. Rounding off the formula are sandals. Sandals regardless of weather or ground conditions. Perhaps to aide in the cooling of the feet, but it is not a logical piece of footwear once the temperature drops to the low 40's.

Other things to look for are "Frat speak", a unique dialogue acquired by one after having joined a fraternity. This includes the frequent use of "dude", "rocks" or "sweet" among others. Also, the length one holds a "woo" is indicative of their expertise on the situation. For example:

Frat Boy 1: "DUDEEE! Did you see that hot chick playin beer pong?"
Frat Boy 2: "YOOOO, She was totally checkin me out as I held her hair while she puked!"
Frat Boy 1: "SWEEEEET!"

::High Five ensues::

As you can see, exclaiming the vowel of any given word for an extended amount of time can not only portray one's emotions on the subject, but also serves as recognition for the previous statement made. Various physical gesticulations may accompany any conversation, thus adding to the overall affect.

An integral part in the 'Frat' life are "Frat Parties" often interchanged with "House Parties". The average Frat party consists of cramming as many people into one house as space permits. Scattered about the house are what can be referred to as "activity rooms", key rooms being the kitchen (which often is the central hub, housing the kegs and liquor), dance floor (which is just an open room with loud, oversaturated speaker playing various "popular" rap music), and the "game room" which contains various drinking games: in particular "Beer Pong".

Beer Pong appears to be the game of choice among the average Frat Boy. The game centers around two opposing teams seeking to toss a dirty ping pong ball into an opposing team's colored plastic cups, contaminating their drinking supply, thus penalizing them. Once one team has consumed all of the contaminated drink, they are deemed the loser.

Just because the average Frat Boy has the IQ of the ping-pong ball they incessantly toss about, doesn’t mean they don’t have access to technology. The computer serves as the central communication hub through which they communicate. Whether it be through instant messaging, My Space or Facebook, the signs of spotting the 'online Frat Boy' are obvious.

The average Frat Boy will have at least one popular music quote in their Instant Messaging profile, followed by an inside joke, and finally a link to another electronic form of identification. The link being a unique 'buddy profile', or as mentioned earlier, a link to a My Space, Facebook, or similar site with their profile picture consisting of them either mid-yell, holding a beer/plastic cup, or looking smug into the camera with their A&F outfit. Common bookmarks to look out for include Ebaums world, College-humor or any generic collection of internet "humor".

Stepping away from his Internet presence, the average Frat Boy will be operating from a brand name computer, most likely laptop from HP, Dell or Gateway. On that machine you will find countless desktop shortcuts, obnoxious background images, and peer-to-peer applications along with included spy ware. While they possess the basic skills needed for word processing, little else is known about what else lies within that scary complicated piece of technology. Typically, the only videogames that the Frat Boy engages in are Halo 1/2 and Madden. Oftentimes they will proclaim themselves "the best" or being able to "take anyone on" while they are clearly out skilled outside of their own social circle.