It was then that the term “Master Bedroom” had a light shone upon it as being indicative of those invisible prejudices we’ve lived with, seemingly, all our lives.
Alison Hunter had this to say about it: “Things that were once considered wholesome are being viewed through more nuanced lenses and could possibly be deemed exploitative in retrospect. One example: Aunt Jemima and Uncle Ben have retired from store shelves and now reside in the same place where the public consciousness sent other emblems of subtle and not-so-subtle racism.”
“The word ‘master’ carries a hefty load of baggage. In addition to conjuring a mental association with slavery, it is also a term that inexorably describes a male person in power. (Swap out “mistress bedroom ” or “madam bedroom” for “master bedroom,” and we’re probably not talking about real estate anymore.)”
The real estate trade has been quick to adopt, in some places, the term “Primary Bedroom” or “Owner’s Suite.” There doesn’t seem to be a consensus, and for those toeing the line to maintain a kind of political correctness with a reawoken sense of the times we are living in, those new terms in the real estate world are valid steps forwards the kind of social justice we started looking for when this decade began.
Alison Hunter again chimes in, “Outside of real estate, change is more forthcoming. As mentioned, Mars retired Uncle Ben, PepsiCo replaced Aunt Jemima, and Conagra dismissed Mrs. Butterworth’s.”
So, if these steps have been taken in the world of real estate and the larger corporate world, is it time the wine trade re-examines one of their oft used terms, “Master Class?”
Of course sometimes those classes are being taught by someone who has achieved a level of certification bestowing upon them the title “Master Sommelier” or “Master of Wine.” Whether or not we should still be using those terms is a subject for another day. For this purpose, I will only examine the use of the term Master Class whether or not it is taught by someone who has achieved certifiable mastery.
Allowing for a certain social atmosphere that is still sensitive to issues of enslavement, at least among a segment of the population that still believes in truth and fairness, in a diverse society that is still interested in justice for all, the term "Master Class," to me, seems offensive. And it’s not because the arrangers of such classes often employ folks who have no possibility of mastering the subject at hand. That also is another story for another time. It’s the nomenclature. It implies a rarified spot in the world of wine. It borders on snobbery. Wine snobbery. Which for the last 40 or so years many folks have been working tirelessly to vanquish wine snobbery from the wine trade, along with sexism, racism and any other shameless “isms.”
So, what could we call a class like that, which purports to inform the pedants in the room in a manner which would be all-encompassing and well-rounded and not sound snobby?
I’ve come up with a few. They are:
- ace-worthy
- consummate
-
extraordinary
- incomparable
- nonpareil (a bit archaic?)
-
peerless
- singular
-
top-flight (edgy)
- top-notch (kind of spunky and fun)
- unprecedented and unequaled ( still a bit snobby and elite sounding, but has a certain oomph to it)
- world-class (though it might have passed its “use by” date)
I’m sure there are those of you out there with your own ideas, if the thought of the term “Master Class” doesn’t appeal to you anymore. I’d love to hear from anyone who has any thoughts.
In any case, I reckon we need a Master Plan for scuttling the term Master Class. Or would that be an “Extraordinary Plan?” Or maybe a “Singular Plan?” In any case, we need a plan. And it ain’t for a canal in Panama. Over and out.
