In this very space, I have argued that the very essence of masculinity is derived from being a garish, obnoxious oaf, intrinsic qualities that all men, straight and gay alike, are blessed with. The man's man, the cigar smoking, bourbon drinking, womanizing huckster whose socks don't match his tie and whose idea of good entertainment has to have sex, fire, death or balls. Valid or not, the college male stereotype must be rewritten while being vicariously reinforced, and I'm the man to do it. Aside from jest, though.
Man can indeed live on nicotine, caffeine and alcohol alone.
There are most likely three pictures that come to mind when describing the college male. Fraternity men have been offering up service projects and charity fund-raisers for years, the likes of which rival the works of Mother Theresa, Audrey Hepburn and Moses combined. This is an era of philanthropy that looks great, but new outlets like our campus pub always seem to highlight acts like the hanging of a pledge upside-down from a whirling ceiling fan while having him drink a fifth of 151 while citing the founders' names in alphabetical order. While both acts have their ups and downs, neither are truistic about the typical fraternity man. For the sake of clarity, though, few fraternities seem as good as they bill themselves or as bad as the typical anti-greek would portray them.