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TheDag  Per Aspera ad Astra  11mo ago (text post)   2743 thread views

Calling all Lurkers: Share your Dreams of Effortposting

It’s been pointed out recently that the topics discussed in the Culture War thread have gotten a bit repetitive. While I do think the Motte has a good spread on intellectual discussion, I’m always pushing for a wider range (dare I say diversity?) of viewpoints and topics in the CW thread.

I was a lurker for years, and I know that the barrier between having a thought and writing a top level comment in the CW thread can loom large indeed. Luckily I’m fresh out of inspiration, and would love to hear thoughts from folks about effortposts they want to write but haven’t gotten around to.

This of course applies to regulars who post frequently as well - share any and all topics you wish were discussed in the CW thread!

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One thing I really want to write about is Fraternities, specifically German ones, and what role fraternal groups and societies play in the development of people and Culture.

It would probably be a series of posts, something like this:

  1. The role of Fraternities in the German culture war.

  2. Freemasons, Rugby clubs, voluntary fireman and other such groups.

  3. Personal development in fraternities, masculinity and Alcohol

  4. The slow extinction of fraternal societies.

It's baffling to me how little these organizations are talked about, given that its members dominate our politics. I think I can give an interesting inside scoop on this parallel society. Also, it would hopefully interest all the people here who frequently talk about the lack of male spaces and the self-isolation of the modern male.

Please ping me when you get around to it. I might be able to add something.

Dunno, I feel like they are talked about to exactly the appropriate degree. I'm a german and they are occasionally mentioned both by acquaintances & media, always in a sneering, disdainful way a la "who is even still joining them, must be a loser" or "guess he must be a fraternity member" after seeing a guy misbehave.

Frankly, I can't help but agree with them. At least at my university, nobody in power I know of has any affiliations with them, and their reputation as places of toxic masculinity means that their at odds with the current social norms, so being a member is if anything a hindrance to gaining power. I'm not even sure we have them locally here, they are just the kind of negative stereotype that people love talking about - especially those who claim to not be prejudiced. I guess they used to be relevant and so some of the old guards had some affiliations, but nowadays everyone is scrambling to make sure that everyone else knows how much you hate them.

Fraternities have definitely lost most influence in the 21. Century. As you said, the old guard have connections, but that's about it. But the stuff you learn about them tends to be factually incorrect. Current members are of course marginalized and completely powerless.

Your post is emblematic of the surrounding discourse, though. Fraternities are now so insular and small that they have become this bogeyman of student culture. Nobody actually has any idea what they do, just what rumours and journalists who know as much as their readers spread. Since 1968 there's been a real organized effort to discredit, marginalize and bully fraternities into dissolution. Things have calmed down in most cities only because they have essentially succeeded.

German Fraternities are an openly "conservative" thing. The members are usually not conservative, but what they get up to is, the entire point is to be conservative. They created a multipolarity in student cultural power, between left and right. Used to, at least, since such a thing can't be tolerated on the modern campus.

My future post will go into more depth. In the meantime, could you please stop hating on what are essentially, in their current form, Friend groups that take part in funny and entertaining traditions in their spare time haha.

– Have you heard anything about the Westphalian secret court?

Sasha was a little taken aback. Then he thought about it.

– I don't really remember German history, – he admitted. – I've heard something, but that... Some kind of secret society like the Freemasons.

– Freemasons are Freemasons. - Wietz made himself comfortable, obviously intending to speak at length, - I'm talking about the Westphalian, aka Free or Femean Court. The name comes from the Latin fama, «popular opinion». The secret courts arose in the thirteenth century, in a situation similar to what we have now in Russia. Power exists, justice does not. Imperial justice did not work and did not want to work. But the Germans, unlike the Russians... – here Witz was silent for a second, and Sasha thought about how unpleasant this word, "Russians", was – took matters into their own hands. The Feme system worked like this: any Christian could turn to the secret court, and it summoned the accused to its session. If he appeared, he was tried according to the ancient laws and sentenced. If he did not appear, he was considered guilty, and the assassins caught up with him.

– Could a Jew turn to it? – Tsypin asked for some reason.

– He could turn, – Witz said; as one could describe it, pointedly.

– Sounds like the Mafia, – remarked Sasha.

Vincent wrinkled his forehead, trying to find the exact wording.

– It's Mafia that's like a Femean court. That's what it was, but then the uomini d’onore tried to switch sides, lost everything, and turned into mediocre mascalzoni. Fema is a different matter.

<...>.

For two centuries the Fema courts acted in isolation. But then came the idea of uniting under a single will.

– The party is a hand of million fingers, clenched in one smashing fist, – Sasha couldn't resist another stilted quote. He became somewhat animated: the conversation became bookish, and bookish talk calmed him down.

– You guessed it again, – the guard looked at Sasha with approval. – Exactly a fist. Latin for faustus. The Fema Courts, as well as a number of Fereins and some other forces, created an organization by that name. Which subsequently assumed responsibility for the order and prosperity of Europe.

http://haritonov.wiki/Вечность

Also interested.

would definitely be very interested. even just spitballing the German fraternities part and then doing the modern day later would be fine.

Sounds interesting

Would definitely read this

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