2 Minute Read

Happy Friday and today's post may make some long for the days of London Calling.

Because one of the founders of the company that produces this blogging platform recently reminded me that there's woke, and then there's Madison Wright and the Psycho Woke.

There's no better example of the latter than the barring of the word master from today's lexicon, and that was the topic of David Heinemeier Hansson's blog post, entitled Forcing Master to Main was a Good-Faith Exploit.  

Here is most of it.

Look, I get it and I understand the desire to remove the stain of our country's chattel slavery past and its despicable treatment of Black people.  And the word "master" is indeed one-half of "master/slave," while the word "white" has unfortunately come to connote "good" and "black" implies "bad."  An example is being put on a whitelist vs. a blacklist, and there are of course, sadly, others.

But that means a new term is now required for when there's no electricity?

Aren't we capable as humans with brains to 1) learn from our past and improve, 2) appreciate what's been accomplished, and 3) focus on what matters for a better future?

Or how about at least understanding that the term Master Bedroom comes not from the slaveholder's plantation, but from a 1926 Sears Roebuck catalog, where the term first appeared?  For the record, it was in reference to the main or principal or primary bedroom of the kit homes they were selling - not a grim nod to the enslaved past of Black Americans.

So I now see the term Owner's Suite in real estate listings instead?  Won't some find that offensive, too? 

I say, like David Heinemeier Hansson:  Who cares?

Because what matters is progress. 

It was a big deal for a Black man to play in The Masters golf tournament for the first time (Lee Elder in 1975).  And a Black man (let alone a Black woman) being a member at its venue, Augusta National, was almost unthinkable at the time.

Now?  I see Condoleezza Rice - a former Secretary of State - in her green Augusta National members' blazer, cheering on Tiger Woods.  At something called "The Masters" - oh, the horror of it all and the scary message a golf tournament's name is sending to . . . somebody.   Somewhere.

But Condi Rice is rightly a member at Augusta, the Seinfeld episode featuring the term "master of your domain" is one of the show's funniest, and I am told "Master and Commander" is a pretty good movie.

And MasterClass does offer RuPaul teaching a class on self-expression and authenticity.

That is progress, despite the name of the company.

Do we have further to go?  Of course - a country and its people can always be better, and we still obviously have a long way to go on race in America. 

But I would like to concentrate our efforts on things like wealth and justice inequality, and make America more fair and equitable, for everyone. 
 
The cancellation of words doesn't do that.

Have a great weekend.

I appreciated the stamp of approval from friend of Israel André Aurich.  His response to Wednesday's post on the Middle East was simple:

And a huge shout-out to our dear friends and neighbors, Andrew Whistler and Laura Gonzalez.  A bit later today, they will become Mr. and Mrs. Andrew Whistler!  We will be there and are looking forward to every minute.

For the record, we were also fortunate to be invited and to attend last night's rehearsal dinner; it was held at Perry's on Union Street, and need I say more?  It was perfect, as are they - what a couple.   

Tomorrow?  It's a friend’s actual birthday, there's a 60th birthday party that's not a birthday party for another, and there's a third friend with his own 60th in a couple of weeks.  And we'll all be together, celebrating none of it.  Confused?  Perhaps because it's the weekend of 4/20?

Thank you for reading this newsletter.

Heck, I've even been told by Günther Strobel that, despite its potentially offensive name, this is the very best heavy metal album ever made, and who am I to argue?  Here is SF's own Metallica, and their very serious Master of Puppets.