The free masons

[smilingcrow]

Apparently a lot of the bosses in my company are indeed free masons. Are there any on here? A lot of people are mem=bers and have high positions despite how bad they are. Has anyone encountered this before?

[craft1948]

My friend's son is a freemason and a nicer man you couldn't meet. He is a tradesman, not a boss, but is actively involved in fund-raising for charities, an activity for which publicity is not sought. They recently donated a very large sum to the local hospice.

[chaptazbru]

I forgot about that side of it too, Dad was involved in charity fund raising when he was a Mason.

[maggiebee]

Smilingcrow, why are you singling out the masons? Many a lucrative deal has been struck over a game of golf or because you wear the same old school tie.
Fact of life, not always what you know but who you know. Having said that, the masons raise thousands of pounds for charity and are not all "bosses". My da was a roadsweeper!

[chaptazbru]

My Dad a plumber !

[smilingcrow]

Im not 'singling' them out. I am talking about them because of the relevance in the company I work for. I am not saying there is anything wrong with them.

[chaptazbru]

I'm not cross with you smilingcrow, it's some of the nasty answers on here that get up my nose !

[sinderella]

how bad they are at what?if there is a connection between being a bad boss and a freemason you should be able to see it clearly.you could ask them.i have definately encountered "this" before ,its called prejidice and you are guilty

[d9f1c7]

Bunch of boy scouts really. Harmless enough, no worse than nepotism, well I suppose as it's a brotherhood it is actually nepotism. You have to believe in a god to join so I'm not in it. Their term for god is GAOTU, they have at least succeeded in forming a club were different religions can exist in harmony so they ain't all bad but all that ritual/initiations stuff is a bit over my head for what is mainly a drinking/dinning club.

[237SJ]

I remember being asked to waitress (as a 14 year old) for the Freemason`s christmas dinner. I`ve never met such a rude lot in my life.

[ladybirder]

So murraymints thinks they are silly boys.
Canary says They're a back-scratching misogynistic Secret Society on a par with such organisations as the Ku Klux Klan and the Mafia. Don't you be holding back now canary.

D9 thinks they are a bunch of boy scouts.
Plus various other opinions.
Any the wiser smilingcrow?

[woofgang]

Wolfgang, look on the bright side, you don't need to roll up a trouser leg or expose a breast in order to get a drink at the bar.
sandy you obviously didn't drink in the Kings Road Chelsea in the 60's

[Brinjal]

I think it is the rituals such as sandy mentions that make it seem like a satanic organization but my oh is a fm as is fairly normal I think.

[Wharton]

The Masons and the Knights played each other at football. I'd like to tell you the score but it's a secret!

[Johnysid]

Freemasons? I have been fortunate enough to be invited to several of their functions. They are mostly harmless and well meaning and possibly more charitable than the average person. The injunction to help each other (it is a mutual society) can get them into trouble.

[xud]

I always thought it was quite well off people that were invited to join. i.e Judges, Bank Managers, Lawyers etc.

Jobs for the boys.

[nannybooby]

LOL sandy roe !

[Mosaic]

Like others have said, Freemasons are one of several mutual backscratching societies - there is the RC equivalent, the Catenians aka the Murphia (big in Preston) - old school ties - the Buffaloes etc.
It's a characteristic of humans - we like to be in groups.
However I agree with Smilingcrow that these groups can be a pain in the veritable when you come across their capacity for opaqueness. A surprising number (or unsurprising, depends on viewpoint) of male headteachers are Freemasons - ditto high-ranking local government officers.
Having been given a rough time in a small-town job once, because a certain lodge member took against me personally, I can absolutely sympathise with the direction Smilingcrow is coming from.
But as for virtual Freemasons on AB......I'm wondering what the digital handshake looks like..... :)