I should be ashamed of myself, but I think “Master” and “Mistress” sounds pretty kinky.
I don’t know – it seems to me that African-American students are justified in finding it awkward to have to address someone as “Master.”
When I was young, back in antediluvian times, I recall that “Master” – instead of Mr. – was how one would preface the names of male children on the envelope if one wrote to them. I suspect that that fell out of use some time ago!
Musicprnt, for someone who’s usually empathetic, I’m incredibly surprised that you would call someone a twit because they objected to the “master-slave” terminology used in technology and engineering. What, it’s in the U.S. Constitution that that terminology has to be used? Do you seriously think that terminology would be pass without objection if it were coined today? It would really be such an arduous task to call it something else?
Some of you are at least as easily offended by those who find certain language offensive as the people you’re criticizing. Talk about being too sensitive.
Well, there are still common household products like [this product](http://www.spicnspan.com/) and [this product](http://www.amazon.com/Nabisco-Cheese-Cheddar-Baked-Crackers/dp/B008CASDP4) being sold… odd that they have not been renamed, like the English name of [this product](http://www.darlie.com/) was (explained [here[/url], though the product name in a non-English language could still be questionable by US standards, as described [url=<a href=“https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Darlie]here[/url]”>Darlie - Wikipedia]here](Oral Health and Dental Care | Colgate®)).
Oh good lord, spic and span is a real expression denoting keeping something super clean. No one seriously considers it a slur against Soanish speakers. You are so amazingly literal at times.
“finding it awkward to have to address someone as “Master.””
No one ever addresses them as “Master.” That’s their job title. It’s only used in talking about them. No one ever called me “Associate Director Stotland” when that was my university title.
My House Master and co-Master (who are still in that role 16 years after I graduated) go by “Chief” and “Coach” to all students and alumni of Leverett House. Many other Masters ask their students to address them by their first names, but the default is “Professor Smith” or “Dr. Smith,” not Master Anything.
This is the heigth of riduculousness. I suppose the ‘master and slave cylinders’ are verboten language.
How about ‘mastering’ used as a verb? Or the cliche ‘slave to fashion’? Or as my mother used to say ‘slaving over a hot stove’? Did her use of that expression make her racist?
People have too much time on their hands and seem to feel righteous if they claim to be victimized.
^^ Was your mother micro-aggressing herself?
Doctor or Doctress? Professor or Professoress?
As I understand, “actor” is now the preferred term, (instead of actress) so I am wondering if eventually, Master" couldn’t be acceptable, considering the unsuitability of the obvious alternate.
ucb,
Your first link is a bad link (page not found) but I guessed it was going to go to an ad for Aunt Jemima products. I was wrong. Spic’nspam, cheese nips-- people will find stuff to be offended about. Lets add honkey-tonk to the list. Someone will find that offensive (anyone channelling memories of Richard Pryor and a classic SNL skit?)
I digress. What do people call Bill if (I say if) Hilary is elected as President? Mr. First Man?
^^^First Gentleman
“Mr. Clinton” comes to mind.
The norm is to refer to politicians by their highest rank held. He would still be referred to as Mr. President, which would make for a bit of confusion. Fortunately for those in the media, that situation is appearing to be decidedly less likely.
As for the rest of this nonsense. It speaks more to the poor education that many have received than to anything else. This particular word has a very long history which predates the European presence in the Americas, much less any tie to slavery in particular. Furthermore, it was extraordinarily common for an employer of help (especially domestic help) to be referred to as ‘master’. Slavery itself predates even the ‘relatively’ modern ‘discovery’ of the Americas by Europeans. The understanding most people have of this type of thing comes more from Hollywood than it does from history. Modern people are offended by words that are mis-characterized by other modern people trying to sell movie tickets.
The sooner everyone stops finding things by which they can be offended, the sooner real healing can continue. The ultimate insult will likely be the use of English as all as it could represent the subjugation of the Native Peoples, the African slaves and the immigrants from countless nations across the globe.
I think that since this America, not the UK, that we can and should call the President and the President’s spouse whatever we want as long as it’s polite.
BTW, first question I’d ask Bill if Hillary wins is, “so when you do the official dinners and the like, do you stick with the vegan?”
Master in most usages referred to “master/apprentice” because any employment or advancement in a professional field going back to the age of guilds required either an actual apprenticeship to a master or a less formal equivalent. That is the idea behind the res college usage.
“Master in most usages referred to “master/apprentice””
It had at least a couple of other very common uses. One was for any teacher. This usage survives in the term “Headmaster,” who was the boss of the other masters working at a school. Another was as a formal term of address for a young boy. Technically, this is still correct if you are addressing an invitation to a formal event to a child: Master Ethan Lastname.
@donna:
I am very sensitive to people’s plights, but I also have little tolerance for people looking for things to take offense at without looking at context. I am of Italian origin, and unlike some, I had no problem with the portrayals in things like the Godfather and The Sopranos, because the reality is the mob existed and the people characterized in the movie exist. I think the people who got their nose bent out of joint about those kinds of things were trying to sanitize something they felt uncomfortable with, that they felt embarrassed about,when quite honestly they had nothing to feel that, given they likely are not in the mob nor are the kind of ignorant schlubs you see in real life like that.
There is a little thing known as intent, and it is one of the problems with political correctness where it really exists, it throws out intent. Master/slave in engineering describe the relationship between the items involved, and master/slave in that context is a description, period. It has no origins in slavery in the US, it has no origins in any particular system of oppression, and it is making a mountain out a molehill, the same way arguing the term “black ice” is racist is idiotic, when it refers to ice so clear you can’t see it and you see the color of the road surface, which happens to be black. It is looking for slights when there clearly aren’t, and more importantly in my opinion it is someone trying to make themselves look important by claiming victimization.
Having seen really ugly incidents called ‘political correctness’ by those who think the good ole days, where it was okay to denigrate women, gays, non whites, Jews, you name it, having seen a moron like John Schilling defended as being the victim of political correctness for his comparison of muslims and germans vis a vis the Nazis, getting upset about something that has zero connotations of a historical wrong is not only misguided by demagoguery of the worst sort, and it in the end can be used to take the legs out of real attempts at getting rid of real ugliness. It is much the same way with terms like “dark” used to describe something as evil or foreboding a bad thing, and claiming that is racist, dark as a bad thing goes back to the dawn of human awareness, and is in all cultures and languages as far as I know, yet the claim it is racist because of course dark=bad came from seeing people with dark skin and assuming they were evil or something. I have seen enough real ugliness with use of language, I have seen real cases of dehumanization, that trying to create offense when there is none bothers me, much the same way when I hear idiots comparing the horrors of the holocaust, for example with the supposed persecution of Christians in the US, it is someone with an agenda trying to make an issue of something that doesn’t exist, and in the process trivializes the real evil that should be fought. I am sensitive to people’s feelings, I care that people not be hurt, but I also have disdain for those who abuse it, claim sensitivity without even thinking if maybe, just maybe, there is no reason to be.
@Lergnom There is no official title for the spouse of a UK Prime Minister or anything like that. They are just called by their name (and they don’t have a role like the US First Lady does. They get photographed on holiday, when the press attack their fashion sense, and that’s pretty much all. They just get on with their lives). However, Cherie Blair was famous in her own right because she was a high flying lawyer, so she more involved than most.
Actually, no. There is only one “Mr. President” at a time. Bill would currently be correctly referred to as “Mr. Clinton.” Which is not to say that the average man on the street would get it correct, since nearly 20 years after her death, people still incorrectly refer to the mother of the Duke of Cambridge as “Princess Diana.”
http://www.emilypost.com/forms-of-address/titles/118-addressing-a-former-us-president
Actually, I believe Bill can properly be referred to as “Governor” (Jimmy Carter and Bush fils as well) and Hilary (after her presidency) can be referred to as “Senator.”