This discussion is now closed.

Check out other Related discussions

Secret Societies

8

So I was on the John Kerry wikipedia page which disclosed he was a member of Skull and Bones. Read a bit more on the organisation and apparently a bunch of conspiracy theorists reckon their controlling the world due to a number of illustrious connections - politicians, judges, financiers etc. :rolleyes:

This got me wondering about two things: do you think these societies (wikipedia has a long list of them in US colleges) are simply places for like-minded individuals to have their views represented, or are they up to something? Personally, I think it's a load of fuss over nothing.

And out of curiosity, do you know or have heard of secret clubs at any university in the UK?

By the way, wasn't sure whether to put this in Gen. Discussion or Gen. University

Reply 1

L i b

19

I think the conspiracy theories are a load of crap.

So far as I know, most of the rumours about secret societies at UK universities are ****. Unless you count all societies that are non-affiliated, have exclusive and private membership lists and keep themselves to themselves.

The Speculative Society of Edinburgh was a biggy - there were legal cases trying to get judges to disclose membership and all that sort of thing. Basically, so far as I can tell, it's a debating society for pissed up law students. A membership list was leaked in the early 2000s.

In St Andrews supposedly the Strafford Club was somehow secret. This was rather undermined by it having a public facebook group with all the officebearers listed, a website and a celebrity honorary chancellor - so I think that one's excluded.

Reply 2

tucker672

1

I really want to be a freemason :biggrin:

Reply 3

MrsShifty

10

Not heard of any uni ones, but my maternal grandfather was a freemason.

Reply 4

Veggiechic

9

Sounds like fun, to be in a "secret society" but they probably just meet up and have a fun chat with like minded people. Depends what the topic it though. It's bad when the intentions are terrorist and it becomes action not words.

Reply 5

tucker672

1

MrsShifty

Not heard of any uni ones, but my maternal grandfather was a freemason.

Was he trying to take over the world?? :awesome:

Reply 6

MrsShifty

10

tucker672

Was he trying to take over the world?? :awesome:

Quite possibly. But the Roman Catholics probably put a stop to that by giving him Alzheimer's. Shame really.

Reply 7

stevie0444

type in the new world order conspiracy, Gordon Brown has made a number of new world order speeches which you can find on youtube, it has the conspiracists wetting themselves

Reply 8

Dionysus

15

About the most secretive thing I'm aware of is the Assassin's Guild, which isn't secret and is just a game. The OTC isn't secretive but does have closely-guarded initiation ceremonies etc. Closely guarded until they ended up in the local paper last month.

Reply 9

TheQueenOfComputerScience

13

Dionysus

The OTC isn't secretive

Heh because I went to the one in Northern Ireland it actually was kinda secretive! We wern't allowed to wear the uniform out and if you got a taxi to the HQ and the driver asked where you were going you had to say it was a rugby club. There also had to be someone sitting watching the gate on CCTV and only pushing the buzzer to let people in if they knew them. Was quite fun!

Reply 10

Invictus_88

1

L i b

In St Andrews supposedly the Strafford Club was somehow secret. This was rather undermined by it having a public facebook group with all the officebearers listed, a website and a celebrity honorary chancellor - so I think that one's excluded.

Strafford have never been secret! They're just discreet about their membership. Most dining clubs are the same - it saves a lot of trouble.

If it has a wikipedia page, it can hardly be called a "secret society"!

Reply 11

L i b

19

Invictus_88

If it has a wikipedia page, it can hardly be called a "secret society"!

What about those that, like the Skull and Bones, have a lead sentence in their articles which reads similar to "Skull and Bones is a secret society at Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut"?

Reply 12

ImperceptibleNinja

13

Since this is active again, TSR makes an excellent secret society at university. You get to meet up in pubs and look like a very diverse group with no apparent links, and occasionally, someone will questions how two of you know each other and there's a pause followed by a wonderful, creative explanation that is then revealed to be a lie with the phrase, 'We... we're from the internet.'.

Reply 13

Rob 106

7

Henry JW

So I was on the John Kerry wikipedia page

Reply 14

Invictus_88

1

L i b

What about those that, like the Skull and Bones, have a lead sentence in their articles which reads similar to "Skull and Bones is a secret society at Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut"?

Then they're a bit crap at keeping secrets, aren't they?

:yes:

Reply 15

fox_the_fix

13

tucker672

I really want to be a freemason :biggrin:

cool, but it isn't a secret society.

Reply 16

Gamers305

1

Original post

by TheQueenOfComputerScience

Heh because I went to the one in Northern Ireland it actually was kinda secretive! We wern't allowed to wear the uniform out and if you got a taxi to the HQ and the driver asked where you were going you had to say it was a rugby club. There also had to be someone sitting watching the gate on CCTV and only pushing the buzzer to let people in if they knew them. Was quite fun!

Whats OTC

Secret Societies

Related discussions

Articles for you

How The Student Room is moderated