A fine and recent article on the mensur sword fraternity tradition still alive and well in Germany. This section intrigued me:
With the establishment of the Third Reich in 1933, Adolf Hitler perceived the unswerving loyalty among corps brothers as a threat. They refused to split with their Jewish members, saying corps membership was for life and that fealty among “brothers” was unbreakable. So Hitler banned them. After the war, the corps flourished again. Today, in addition to the Hannovera, there are six other such groups in Gottingen alone.
(Source: FinancialTimes.com. Published: January 2 2004 16:00 | Last Updated: January 2 2004 16:00)
Posted by Mike at January 12, 2004 10:24 AM | TrackBackThis reminded me of the importance of shared culture and its almost total disappearance in modern consumer society. Consumer society encourages procurement for yourself, with total disregard for the bigger group. About the only shared culture prevailent in modern america is television, which is a sad statement indeed. A shared culture or life experience is the fundamental element to our innate pack nature. We forget that we are pack animals and crave the shared experiences a pack brings. We go to great lengths in America to , however pathetically , recreate the shared experience. Favorite bars, Bowling leagues, Volunteer fire companies and to some extent church membership are all manifestations of our desire to be part of something bigger than ourselves. It is no accident that the more dangerous this shared experience is, the tighter the bonds it creates. To place your life and well being in the hands of another touches a part of our nature so deep it defies our understanding as does adversely reacting to the presence of a pack. It doesn't surprise me these fraternities are under constant attack from the outside. A pack after all is principally a threat to the loner, and that's the point. So put down the personal pan pizza and pick up a sword. Howling at the moon is much more fun when you're not the only one.
Posted by: Quinn on January 12, 2004 11:52 AMwhereas this smacks just a little too much of a Skull and Bones style thing to me, perhaps i've just been listening to too much AM radio again, but the thought of right-wing fighting fraternities with ties to business sounds just a little ominous to me.……
Posted by: matthew on January 13, 2004 04:21 PMTo follow up on Matthew, I suppose you have to strike a balance, as in all things in life: not too much of a cult or cabal, and not too much of a lone unabomber, paranoid mentality. Camaraderie good, conspiracy bad.
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