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Skull & Bones

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tommyedison

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Ehh... I meant the Skull and Bones secret society of Yale of which people like George W. Bush and John Kerry are members.

I keep reminding myself of the way John Galt describes conspiracies, that the random thugs of the moment who cash in on peoples' demise, are just chance scum riding the torrent...

It's difficult sometimes. Those scum can look awfully organized and powerful. But you have to ask yourself - where would they be in a rational society ? and is it worth struggling against them but not the underlying source of any power they may have - bad philosophy ? Shouldn't we instead focus our efforts on rebuilding the dam and stopping the torrent ?

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Is it really as influential as many people say it is?

Okay, the answer is "no". Historically, they had some rather important members, and I have no doubt that a number of eager children hope to be one of the lucky 15, but S&B has no influence at all beyond the 800 or so members, and we have no idea what influence the society has on its members. They have an amusing dark building (entirely lacking in windows), but for cryin' in the beer, they don't even have a web page.

Now maybe you're really wondering, do these guys have secret meetings where, like Pinky and The Brain, they plot to take over the world. I cannot say -- if I did, they would surely have me killed. It's pretty certain that their members are influential, but that's the whole point of a Yale education -- the $38,000 has to buy you something.

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Is it really as influential as many people say it is?

The fraternity Delta Upsilon has had more people on the cover of Time than any other, if someone is on the Supreme Court, even money will have it they are a member of Phi Alpha Delta, the Freemasons are, well, the Freemasons.

I think you can find many organizations that have extreme success in one area or the other. The things is, the whole "connection" thing that fraternaties push is really just marketing hype. Every organization has a loyalty pledge that promises that no member will criticize another, they'll help each other out economically, etc. You can get the same thing from the Chamber of Commerce, Objectivist club, or rugby team.

Where it helps is in things like interviews or in a bar. The frat provides a base of common experiences that helps you identify with another person. Maybe add in a "network" of alumni of the fraternity, not much more.

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