GDI: When Did Being Independent Become A Bad Thing?

By Christina Oehler on October 19, 2014

Independent: to be free from the control of others, and not dependent on others’ authority. Independence is what nearly everyone strives for in life; the ability to control your own future is what most value over anything else. Yet lately, being independent has been unpopular.

If you’ve roamed the streets of U of I, you have probably heard the term “geed.” Like most made-up, U of I phrases such as “block” and “unofficial,” geed is a particularly popular one in the world of Greek life. Without further ado, geed is the nickname for the acronym “G.D.I” which stands for “God damn independent.”

What… what?

I first heard this word last year, and simply thought it was just some name for non-Greek students. But when I learned what the acronym stood for, I was pretty surprised- and fairly embarrassed.

I’m in a sorority, and don’t get me wrong, it’s a great experience where I am exposed to hundreds of different personalities everyday. I have built an incredible network of friends at school because of my house, and I am very happy with my choice to go Greek my freshman year. But to hear the words “GDI” come out of my peers mouth really saddens me for the Greek life on campus.

Our generation is becoming adult: the future group of people who will hold business meetings, operate on patients and run companies. We will soon be married, have children and attempt to raise them to be good people, but we’re still fixated on this middle-school popularity contest that plagues the student body at U of I.

It disappoints me to hear other members of Greek life use this term, because it shows how pathetically insecure and codependent they are. These people choose to base their college experience around other interests, activities and relationships, and the fact that our twenty-something Greek community acts like grade school bullies is almost comical.

I mean, come on, you’re really going to make fun of people who choose not to pay for their friendships the way you did?

Maybe this is a little harsh, but frankly I’m starting to become embarrassed to be associated with the Greek community on campus when I hear this phrase thrown around so loosely. I know what you’re probably thinking, chill out, its a joke. And yes, in certain circumstances I have witnessed this phrase being used in a strictly joking manner. But most of the time, it’s as if independent, non-Greek people are from another planet.

Why does being independent have to be a bad thing? I give the non-Greek student population so much credit- they have found ways to make friendships, get involved with campus and deal with the ignorance of those who continue to turn their college lives into a scene from “High School Musical.”

Grow up U of I, because you’re losing the opportunity to meet incredible people when you create these sort of biases.

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