L-I-V-I-N

Thank you, gentlemen, for brilliant posts. You've both demonstrated your deep understanding of the quintessential Frat Lord - after all, it takes one to know one - and I am sure that Maverick, Bodhi, and Wooderson would all be proud. We may never truly identify who frats the hardest, but we have undoubtedly established a new understanding of everything frat-tastic.

But before we start patting our backs, I should take a step back. At Kiwi's request, I would like to further explore the world of 1976 - an "insignificant" year seen as a "preamble to somethin' else." It was a time of indecision, youthful angst, and transition. To the kids in Dazed and Confused, the late seventies were a time of ambiguous disappointment, held worthwhile only by the promise of the next ten years.

Unless, of course, your name was David Wooderson.

A simple man with simple pleasures, Wooderson lived one day at a time. Nothing more, nothing less. To Wooderson, the summer of 1976 - just like the ten summers before and after - was sure to be a great one. He had everything he needed: an endless supply of beer, 390 horses under the hood, and smile that could melt butter. Wooderson had not a care in the world, and that is why, my fellow princes of the funnel, David Wooderson fratted oh so hard.

No, you say? Well, before you write me off, allow me to elaborate. Wooderson didn't have the karaoking charm of Maverick, nor the live-on-the-edge spirit of Bodhi, but he had the unwavering confidence of a seventh-year senior hitting on a freshmen. He lived by his own rules, on his own time, and by his own agenda - he was free from the fear of consequence or reprisal. Always taking the "quiet cool" approach, Wooderson was the grandest facilitator ever depicted in film.

Wooderson, always a man of principle, believed in only one thing - having a good time. Only a true Frat Lord would have such clear priorities. Classes, interviews, and any other considerations of the future were mere distractions, minor inconveniences in the grander pursuit of Life. Wooderson knew it all worked out in the end, and, although we have yet to be graced with a sequel, I would bet the family farm he was right.

And this invariably relaxed, yet confident persona is the highest embodiment of the Frat Lord. Whether sailing, playing croquet, crushing beers, or hitting on three girls at once, the true Fratty never blinks an eye - he is always on top of his game. Wooderson just kept on livin', man, L-I-V-I-N.