The Dartmouth publishes an article today on the all-male secret society known as the Phrygians. It's a very interesting article and is quite well-researched—this is what I meant the other day when I talked about not publishing the moment you get a few facts, but waiting until you have a full story with some context.
I've known about the society for some time, but was unable to make the types of discoveries that they have. One thing that they did not mention, however, but I believe to be true is that the History of Dartmouth club, a COSO recognized group, is a front organization for them in much the same way the Evelyn Waugh Society is for The Review.
As for the membership, I'm not going to be so rude (actually, I'm not sure what purpose it would serve) as to release all the names—I only have the class of '07 anyway—but I will say that The D picked up on most of the notable names and was correct on all of the 07s they named.
I do want to say, however, that I would not assume that all of the members are equally committed to the anti-administration effort; a few are very committed, write op-eds (like Eastman or Fenn) or write for The Review, but a lot of the men, as far as I can tell, aren't really that politically engaged. I mean, maybe they take the message back to their frats (Chi Gam and Phi Delt are the two most represented), but it doesn't seem to me that all of the members are even that conservative, much less John Birch Society material. You do have to love the conservative reaction to ideological opposition, though—"does this mean we can form a shadowy organization?"
My only further note is that I had been wondering if Malchow had been tapped for next year—I would say that the fact that he has, and is taking such a prominent role in the society, is evidence that the students really don't have the reins, as I can't imagine varsity captains and Greek presidents taking marching orders from him pleasantly. Conservative alums, however, especially the PowerLine trio, have been underwriting and supporting him for some time.
I do love Malchow's little attempt at ye olde poesie:
"A threat gathers, you see, by the Old Pine down yon,
Abusing this plain with a poisonous yarn,
About conspiracies and folklore and threats to this school.
But the gravest threat I see is the King and his rule."
I get it! I get it! Jim Wright is Sauron! Omg that makes so much sense!
They're against political correctness, but are they against awful writing? Because if they are, Malchow would be a tough call.
ReplyDeleteGiven this,
http://www.thedartmouth.com/photo.php?aid=2007030701010&pnum=1
I'm not sure that your decision not to name names really matters.
As for Jim Wright being Sauron, he has a big head, but his minions are nowhere as cool as the LOTR monsters. He's more like the principal in Ferris Bueller
Yeah, but those (I think) are just the 06s. I know the 07s.
ReplyDeletePS. Check out Ellis's head peeking out awkwardly behind Zywicki, trying to get in the picture with someone more important. Kind of a metaphor for his life so far.
ReplyDeleteThat's kind of a cheap shot. What's the basis for that?
ReplyDeleteWhat's a cheap shot? Malchow stuck some little addendum to one of his posts on how The D usually respects secrecy with societies and should've treated the Phrygians no differently.
ReplyDeleteThe difference is though, while Sphinx and Dragon strive to have an extra space to play pong in, grill burgers, hang out, feel some fraternal camaraderie, and be generally sweet, Phrygian is not only a politically ideological group, but one that is deliberately striving to 1)(mis)represent student opinion regarding the administration and 2)drastically alter the future of Dartmouth College.
As they mail rich old alumni and beg for money to fund their society , they should be every bit as subject to scrutiny as any other politically active campus group.
On another note, at least this explains why Malchow gratuitously stuck the phrase "grim rig" in a recent entry...kind of.
cheap shot = Check out Ellis's head peeking out awkwardly behind Zywicki, trying to get in the picture with someone more important. Kind of a metaphor for his life so far.
ReplyDeleteyeah, i figured that out as i was typing, but at that point I was on a roll, and needed a lead-in
ReplyDeleteA bit of fact checking with my neo-con friends: for the 8 months since graduating it seems that Mr. Ellis has been working in the White House as a Special Advisor to the President in the Office of Strategic Initiatives. He apparently just changed jobs and is now Deputy Director of the 2008 Mitt Romney Campaign. Not what I would choose, but impressive no doubt - even for a Review alum. I dont think he is particularly worried with cheap shots...
ReplyDeleteI think its unfair to label Ellis as being successful "even for a Review alum". While there do certainly exist Reviewers who don't write much, drink a lot, and generally fall into the category of "degenerate apathetic conservative", most of the people who are smart enough to move up in the Review are very successful post-college. Compare the alums of the Review to those of The D - Reviewers have a higher percentage of post-collegiate success than our daily staple. This applies, I believe, whether you define success as monetary or political. Like it or not, The Review is the best connected paper on campus, and has by far the sickest alumni hook ups.
ReplyDelete