Masonic Social Media Movement Highlights Member Disappointment

A small but growing movement in Masonic social media is calling attention to a problem that Freemasons have long swept under the tessellated carpet. Under the hashtag #MMeToo, writers on Twitter, Facebook, Gab, and other sites have been detailing their disappointment in having been recruited simply to keep the membership numbers up, either in their lodges, or in the other bodies. 

The Past Bastard has been following these for the last few months. Here are some of the more heart-wrenching examples.

"He was like an uncle & I looked up to him. The night I was raised, he gave me a pin and a petition for the YR "to get the true word." I went right into Chapter but never saw him after that." #MMeToo

"The old timers are always talking about how they need "fresh blood" for the lodge. I used to think vampires were fiction, but now I know better. I'm 26 and they're all in their 70s. I was recruited for my youth." #MMeToo

"I remember thinking he was so cool, with his stories of top secret clearance and those crazy card tricks. At first I was proud to feel like he had taken me under his wing. But then he started pushing me to join his Scottish Rite Consistory. I spent two years chasing down degrees all over my state, but now he's got some new guys to impress. Haven't talked to him in years."
#MMeToo 

"I used to go to events at the lodge when I was a kid, so I trusted those guys. But after a few years in the line, I felt like all they wanted me for was to do the heavy work of moving the fish fryer and pancake grill."
#MMeToo

"Joined for the Wisdom of the Ancients. Got stuck with the Bitching of the Old Guys." #MMeToo

"I thought the OES ladies that met in my lodge building were just being helpful by trying to fix me up with one of the younger girls. We started getting serious, and before I knew it, I was being drafted as a Worthy Patron to her Worthy Matron. We went to every stupid function that year, and it cost me a fortune in travel expenses. She broke up with me after that year was over." 
#MMeToo

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SR NMJ to communicate entirely by Twitter

Seacaucus, NJ -- Hinting via videos that there were going to be "major changes coming to the Scottish Rite in the upcoming months," the Scottish Rite NMJ announced that by the end of  this year, all official communications will be made by Twitter.

The soon to be empty SR Auditorium where the NMJ
records their video degrees to be mailed to candidates.

"It was the next logical progression," said David Glattly, 32º Sovereign Grand Commander for the Northern Masonic Jurisdiction told The Past Bastard during a recent Google Hangouts interview.. "We're trying to position ourselves as the more progressive version of the Scottish Rite. The past couple of years have shown  us that Twitter is the new way to communicate, especially since they doubled their character limit."

We asked Commander Glattly if he really thought Twitter would be enough to communicate their messages.

"Most people don't have time to read any long messages anymore, so Twitter is perfect. And if we need to get into any more depth, we can easily write up a script and have one of our guys do a video. Millenials love videos."

The Past Bastard noted that the Southern Jurisdiction seemed to be doing well doing things the more traditional way, and that some NMJ members have complained about the NMJ turning itself into something very different from the original Scottish Rite

"Nonsense, the members love this," said Commander Glattly. "I mean, we're already livestreaming meetings, and we have DVDs of degree work. Our expectation is that by the end of my term, we should be able to run without any human interaction at all."

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York Rite bodies to initiate new temple project

Tyre, Lebanon -- Speaking from the newly discovered tomb of King Hiram, spokespersons from GEKT - the head of the various Grand Chapter, Council, and Commandery bodies in North America - announced this week that they will begin work on a new temple project that will be similar in scope to the Scottish Rite Temple in Washington, DC.

“The fractured nature of the York Rite bodies has, in the past, kept us from creating anything in the same range as our Scottish Rite brothers,” said project coordinator Mario van Pebbles. “We’ve managed to come to some agreement now, and our intention is to build a temple that will act as a repository for the various writings and research of our respective bodies.”

The as yet unnamed temple is in the planning stages at the moment, and will be located in the central United States. “We are considering three or four different locations. Our plan is to build a temple, at which there will be a re-creation of Hiram’s tomb, plus several other copies of historical interest. We expect to be offering bus tours, sponsored by the Grand Lodges of the surrounding states to help generate interest.” 

The Tomb of King Hiram of Tyre, which will be
re-created at the proposed York Rite Temple

When asked about funding, Pebbles said that several members have donated up-front money to help get the project started, although they expect that the majority of the funding will come from craft lodges, chapters, and councils, as well as from many individual members.

“We came up with the funding idea when we saw several baseball stadiums at which the fans bought engraved bricks to be placed in the building and walkways. We think that this would be an excellent way to raise the capital needed for this project, and would be an easy selling point to get people to come visit so they can see their brick actually in place.”

Noting that Freemasons will buy anything with a Square & Compasses on it, the temple project will sell personalized bricks with a stylized S&C, and a name and personalized message.

"We are gearing up for a massive informational campaign to get the news to the lodges around North America. With over two million Masons, and who know how many thousands of craft lodges, chapters, etc., we figure that buying our bricks, which will cost  $50 to $100, will fund almost the entire project in a couple of years.”

Still in the preliminary stages are a library and research center, a hotel and restaurant area, and a waterpark.

-- Conte Calvino Gliostro

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