If you have a Facebook, it's more than likely that you have at least seen the trailer for the movie "Goat."

Before I go any further, I must say this. The events portrayed in that movie were real, and horrific. No human should ever endure that type of torture.

That being said, I, like many of my friends, was infuriated by the movie. Not due to the content, but due to the reiteration of the negative stereotype that male fraternity members in college have been branded with for so long.

Obviously, there is truth behind most stereotypes. I cannot deny it, it isn't uncommon some for "Frat Boys" to spend all their time boozing, partying, cat calling women, and being somewhat lazy. I can say that so bluntly because I am in fact, in a fraternity.

But this is only a small portion of our community. The common perception of fraternities in our culture is the description stated above, and is normally justified by their yearly philanthropy donations and the over used cliché, "It's just college".

This, like so many other things in our country, is just another over-exaggerated lie polluted by mainstream media.

Now, before you brand me as a whiney millennial beating a dead horse, hear me out.

The intent of this article is not to attack this stereotype, rather to prove its falsity.

Adversity followed by reward is one of the greatest ways to mold boys into men. If you have ever had an objective and chosen the more difficult route to reach it, you know then how much greater the reward is.

Earning my way to becoming a brother in my fraternity, along side 18 of the greatest men I've ever met, was one of the most rewarding things I have ever done. I am incredibly proud to be a part of a society that instills values into its new members rather than subjecting them to pointless degradation. We do not believe in using fear as a motivator.

But we do believe in reward due to merit.

We do believe in earning the right to become a brother.

We do believe in knowing the history of our brotherhood and understanding its values.

More than anything, we believe in earning each other's trust.

We do not do this because it's fun. We don't do it for the sake of earning it, nor do we do it because we feel required to. We do it because it instills an undying loyalty inside of young men that can only be described as true, brotherly love. Once that goal is reached, you find that your only desire is to see it carried on.

When you were growing up and had a bad day, you went home to your family. You retreated to your comfort zone, the people who you knew beyond a shadow of a doubt would love you unconditionally.

For some reason, it has become a common theme that men shouldn't address their feelings. But who are we kidding? Everyone has bad days in college. Hell, I have bad weeks. There have been times when I have been in such a funk that I called my Momma weeping and told her I wanted to drop out of school and come home.

When I hung up the phone, I walked into my house and into the arms of one of my brothers. I said nothing, but he hugged my neck and I kept weeping into his shoulder for five more minutes.

Sappy right? Well, I needed a hug at that moment. I needed family.

That is what we are. That is what true fraternities are.

I am not blinded by the heat-of-the-moment into thinking that I will be as invested in my brothers or my fraternity for my entire life as I am now. I will graduate, and move on with my life. More than likely, I wont hear from a lot of them as time goes on. But I know for a fact at least five of them will be in my wedding, and all of them will be there. Moreover, it isn't about what is happening now that makes what we do so great, its about what becoming a brother teaches you and how we use it to better ourselves and the world around us.

We are at a time in our culture where stereotyping a group of people is more than frowned upon, it is despised. Stereotyping has caused far too much negativity and conflict in recent years. So, why should we as Greeks be subjected to it?

We shouldn’t be.

Ultimately, we have nothing to prove because we have already proved it to each other. Neither I nor my brothers nor any true Greek should have to defend our values or our reputation because news outlets can only make negative stories go viral.

Please, do not mistake my passion for naivety. I am well aware that there are chapters out there who embody none of these values, and in fact, waste their four years of college without forming any real relationships with their brothers

Those chapters have no claim to this article.

But if you are one of the lucky few that embodies the values of a real fraternity, share this. Make it go viral. I for one have long grown tired of being judged by anyone who isn't one of us. What we accomplished is something to be immensely proud of and I for one will do anything to see it carried on.