This photograph was taken during a fraternity event at Tulane University. In this photo the brothers are laughing, cheering, and enjoying themselves on the front porch of their fraternity house. Though one would assume through a superficial perspective that these guys are just “a bunch of dudes who party together,” in all actuality the bonds of camaraderie and brotherhood between these men run much deeper.
This represents a certain aspect of southern identity, one usually lost or mistranslated to individuals either outside or skeptical to the idea of southern brotherhood. In fact, this photograph transcends the boundaries of solely Greek Life because it represents something as old as the South itself, the idea of the ‘good ole boys’ -- in other terms, a group of young southern men who may get into mischief but are actually honorable men with generally good intentions. Although this term may be over generalized it is something that runs deep in Southern culture. In Walker Percey’s novel The Moviegoer, he describes this phenomenon when he narrates the story of how his friend bought a river boat that he and a few other men spent time on hunting, fishing, and drinking. Another example that epitomizes the idea of southern brotherhood and ‘good ole boyism’ is the 1980’s show The Dukes of Hazzard. In this series Bo and Luke, “two regular southern boys” sporting a 1969 Dodge Charger named The General Lee, evade corrupt government officials and regularly find themselves in some sort of trouble and mischief even when trying to play by the rules.
When people refer to the good ole boys there is usually a connotation of both bad and good associated with it. It brings up images of mischief and buffoonery but also of young white men just living their lives and having that ‘good ole’ time that only a southern society can both tolerate and understand as just being a part of a young man’s life.
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