Brotherhood of Funny Hats: Difference between revisions

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In the media, fraternal orders and secret societies tend to go one of two ways: they're either a front for a sinister and fearful [[Ancient Conspiracy]], or they're... the '''Brotherhood of Funny Hats'''.

These guys are more interested in living it up and having some fun with "the guys" (in a [[Ho Yay|non-homoerotic way]], thank you very much!). They go to lodge meetings (wearing funny hats, of course), throw wild parties (which may or may not conflict with the schedules of the protagonists and necessitate a [[Two-Timer Date]], if they're members), memorize the new secret handshakes, and put new members through convoluted, ~~embarassing~~, and/or painful hazing rituals. If they pull any strings, they do it for members of the brotherhood because hey, they're just those kinds of guys.

These guys are more interested in living it up and having some fun with "the guys" (in a [[Ho Yay|non-homoerotic way]], thank you very much!). They go to lodge meetings (wearing funny hats, of course), throw wild parties (which may or may not conflict with the schedules of the protagonists and necessitate a [[Two-Timer Date]], if they're members), memorize the new secret handshakes, and put new members through convoluted, embarrassing, and/or painful hazing rituals. If they pull any strings, they do it for members of the brotherhood because hey, they're just those kinds of guys. [[Henpecked Husband| And their wives certainly wouldn't want them to have such parties at home.]]

It's not all fun and games, though. Sometimes there's a fierce pecking order in place, with more ambitious (and less scrupulous) members trying to claw their way to the top. And on rare occasions, the image of drunken, ~~loveable~~ middle-aged men is [[Obfuscating Stupidity|just an act]], and they really ''are'' a front for an [[Ancient Conspiracy]].

It's not all fun and games, though. Sometimes there's a fierce pecking order in place, with more ambitious (and less scrupulous) members trying to claw their way to the top. And on rare occasions, the image of drunken, lovable middle-aged men is [[Obfuscating Stupidity|just an act]], and they really ''are'' a front for an [[Ancient Conspiracy]].

While this is by no means a [[Dead Horse Trope]] there is apparently something a little retro to it, and such societies seem to appear more frequently in works set in [[The Fifties]] (such as ''American Graffiti'' or ''Peggy Sue Got Married'') than in works set in set in the present.