Closet case

A couple of weeks ago, a lawyer ambled over to a law school student, member of a rival fraternity, and engaged in this thing we so quaintly call a rumble. After much glowering and punching and hair-pulling (or whatever else occurs during those pretty sanitary fraternity mix-ups in Manila - which is so unlike Cebu where the fratboys carry unlicensed firearms) the incident ended at a police station, where "a battery of lawyers" from both sides (seeing as the two fraternities were law school-based) showed up and waved their briefcases around.

Now, what's a full-pledged lawyer doing and getting himself involved in (and if the accusations are right, actually picking) a school fight? One would have thought that, as soon as the lawyer's oath is taken, these fratricidal feelings are naturally shed. And yet here he is, already a professional, still in the middle of it all.

And what could have triggered it? Was it because the poor student was sporting a t-shirt or a notebook or some other paraphernalia identifying him as a frat member?

Which highlights the dangers of wearing fraternity shirts, I guess. I used to be the proud owner of t-shirts belonging to various fraternities in college, seeing as I made it a point to befriend the rival factions just in case I get caught in the crossfire, but it wasn't and it still wouldn't be prudent to walk around Manila wearing those. I might just end up an unwitting target by a witless pimpled plebe.

My most memorable shirt was when Francis Pangilinan ran as chairman of the student council. The senator's then-fraternity, Upsilon Sigma Phi, came up with white tees with the frat seal occupying the whole back and in front, shocking pink lettering proclaiming "I'm for Francis!" (I'm not sure why pink was the chosen color for this bastion of machismo-ness - or was it to signify that they had a soft side after all? Or maybe because it was funded by the sister sorority, Sigma Delta Phi?)

Anyway, I had this blockmate who had this absolute girly crush on Francis. We plotted and schemed on how to get ahold of this one of a kind t-shirt, surely something that would be valuable two decades hence (we had crystal balls predicting Francis would eventually become famous). Ultimately, I think I managed to squeeze one out of a Sigma Deltan, and furtively passed it on to blockmate dearest. Naturally, she was ecstatic. Not that she ever wore it in campus, since that would have advertised her feelings for Francis to the whole law school world.

I wonder what she did with the shirt after she got tired of wearing it to bed. Is it still balled up in her closet somewhere? If you wear that shirt nowadays, not only will it attract the notice of Upsilon's rivals, but even Upsilonians might take offense, seeing as how they eased Francis out from the frat when he was still Student Regent of the University Council. (Of course, my student politics might be out of date - for all I know, they might have quickly reinstated him after he won election as senator).

About fifteen years ago, a group of friends active in HIV-AIDS activism wanted to set up a mock-fraternity called GUTS - which was supposed to stand for Gay Urban Terrorists. Nothing much happened to that idea, which I thought was great, but they could have made some interesting tees. And much less risky to wear, except maybe if their planned kiss-ins ever came to fruition, in which case it wouldn't be conducive to quick get-aways.

Back to the lawyer.   Not that I have inherent issues with fraternities, unlike what some people think, but I do believe that 'graduating' into the legal profession does carry with it some responsibilities including, hello, upholding peace and order. Unfortunately, I don't believe this fratman was cognizant of these responsibilities, so something has to be done, although I don't really know what, except for maybe the Supreme Court sanctioning him (much hand-wringing and anguished thinking at this point).

I hate it when I have to worry about what I can or cannot wear.