The term “House Master” does have a certain anachronistic charm to it, but why give the Social Justice Warriors and media nitwits any fodder to rally against some imaginary social injustice? Good move to change it, IMO.
It seems people on CC are sick of “political correctness” and the banning of words, even when out of context. Personally, I’m glad the title is gone, because even though it has nothing to do with slavery, it has to do with one person’s superiority over another. It still seems like a degrading title to me. I don’t think anyone should be any sort of master over people.
Do I think the term should be banned? No. Do I still think they did the right thing? Yes.
Master seems like a fine word to use when speaking of the acquirement of skills, one’s own fate, or any other matter where it does not mean the domineering of one human being by another.
From the NYTimes article December 2 2015
“The undergraduate housing system at Harvard began in 1930. The Oxford English Dictionary says the modern usage derived from the 1550 Dutch term “huismeester steward,” the male head of a family or household, as well as the German “Hausmeister,” from the 15th century. It could also have connotations of a chief servant. The dictionary defines it as “a teacher (originally a male teacher) responsible for the welfare of pupils in a house at a boarding school,” and cites examples going back to the 19th century, including one by Rudyard Kipling.”
Here’s another controversy about naming:
Students at a small Pennsylvania college are demanding that administrators rename a building called “Lynch Memorial Hall’’ because of the racial overtones of the word “lynch.’’
The building is named after Clyde A. Lynch, who was president of Lebanon Valley College from 1932 until his death in 1950.
They want the building renamed, though one suggestion was to simply include the “Clyde A.” Still, it seems that possibilities for offense are infinite.
No contemporary student has been subjugated by a ‘master’, nor have their parents, grandparents or great grandparents. There is no direct link to master as slavedriver that should trigger any personal nightmares. Teachers at Oxford used the term ‘Master’ as early as 1190. That is long before the use of slaves in North America, yet millenia after slaves were used by Greeks, Egyptians, Persians and cultures of the Pacific Rim.
Racism exists today and not just in the USA. Much of the contemporary angst in the world comes from the inability of Sunni and Shia to coexist. That is racism. Tribal warfar in Darfur is racism. The important solutions will address the overt racist actions of individuals, as opposed to potential interpretations of strings of letter that form what we call words. Eliminating the word Master at Harvard will not make elitist snobs disappear any more than eliminating the Confederate flag will eliminate redneck imbeciles. These populations will continue to harbor antagonistic thoughts and commit overt actions if we merely attempt to whitewash tangentially related words.
^^^^^ BINGO.
Best higher education in the world, and this is what it’s all coming to.
Wow, stupidest thing I’ve ever heard of! Maybe Harvard ain’t so great after all.
I’m pretty sure this is a Harvard Lampoon spoof.
@Willow613 i wish it was a spoof but sadly it isn’t. Harvard, Princeton and Penn have already taken action throwing away the term master while Yale will make a decision soon and I am sure other top schools will follow too. it is disgraceful really imo
Let’s hope that they also get rid of the title: “Masters Degree”
That is even more offensive since House Master is only used within the campus. but the degree name is something that people put on their resume!!
I wouldn’t be surprised if the term “house master” returns in a few years or so after we (hopefully) emerge from the current PC insanity. The Cincinnati Reds, for example, were renamed the Redlegs during the mid-fifties and the whole "red scare’ hysteria. They were the Reds again after people regained their senses.
If someone wants to find a reason to be offended, they can do it every time.
@skyoverme Well, the reason they chose to eliminate “House Master” but not “Master’s degree” is that a Master’s Degree implies mastery over a subject or topic. A House Master implies mastery over a human being or group of human beings. The concept of having a “Master” is much more offensive than someone being a type of “Master” in one field.
@KoloradoKid Not to get too political, but I think you’re way off on that comparison to the Confederate Flag. As much as rednecks like to claim that it is a part of “tradition,” it is not-- The Confederate Flag is a flag that was flown by an opponent of the Union. It is the flag of an enemy of the United States of America. To me, it’s equivalent to flying a Nazi flag because that’s “tradition.” And the discussion is not wether we should be allowed to fly the flag or not. It’s whether the state should be allowed to fly it alongside the United States flag (which is a ridiculous thing to even argue, it should not). People are free to fly or not fly whichever flag they want as a private entity.
Likewise, Harvard, as a private entity, can choose to forego “tradition” for a term that will make more of it’s students and faculty comfortable. Just because, as you pointed out, racism is still prevalent doesn’t mean we should turn a blind eye. Yes, eliminating the word “master” will not eliminate racism, but that is no reason to allow what might be a source of more issues to remain.
When you say “Racism exists today”, that is exactly what Harvard is trying to combat. I don’t see how you think inactivity is going to drive change?
And just because no “contemporary” student has been a subject of slavery does not mean it should be embraced. For example, as a Jewish person, I did not experience the Holocaust, and neither did my parents or grandparents. But that doesn’t mean I would appreciate the terminology associated with those practices.
Excuse me…how is can one use the term ‘redneck’ ? This is offensive and also a microagression against those who can not afford to use sunscreen on their necks. Also, it is a microagression against the poor or those with medical conditions which preclude the use of sunscreen.
Again,…why is it okay to say someone is a 'redneck"?
@dietz199 I only used it because I was responding to a post where someone else used it, so I was simply trying to respond to that person. But I agree, the term “redneck” may be offensive to some, although I think you’re a little off on the origin of the term… I’m pretty sure it’s not a “microaggression” against the poor who couldin’t buy suncreen. The term originated ~100 years before sunscreen did. The term originated from the fact that Southern men would work in their farms during hot summer days and would get sunburnt as a result-- So yes, it is a term to describe the working class Southern man in the 1830s (who didn’t usually have very progressive ideas), but not because they couldn’t afford to buy sunscreen, but because they were viewed as brutish and lacking in education. In fact, in a lot places it’s used to describe a good work ethic for physical labor. I’ve heard that used in Texas, at least.
That being said, I don’t agree that the term should be used to insult someone. I’m just pointing out that it’s not always used in that way.
@humanperson well said. Some people want to try and mock every effort to make the world a better place
I grew up in Texas, and I never heard “redneck” used in a positive way.
Semantics. No big deal.