issue 18
In a sunny office, once again containing nothing out of the ordinary, Laurence discussed the basics of Freemasonry in New Zealand. There are over seven thousand Freemasons throughout the country, and about one and a half thousand in Wellington. It is hard not to notice the numeric parallels between Freemasons and another group in society, the dudebro—there are probably seven thousand dudebros in Wellington, and about one and a half thousand at Victoria alone. Freemason numbers peaked in New Zealand after World War II, when men sought avenues for male companionship and a place to drink after pubs closed at five pm. The need to resort to secrecy for male companionship is reflective of gender norms at the time, though no one is more heteronormative than the modern day dudebro, still embarrassingly heard justifying close dudebro friendships with “no homo”. There are only two prerequisites to become a Freemason—that you are a male over twenty-one, and that you believe in a supreme being. Note that many dudebros are around twenty-one years of age and are seen sporting knockoff Supreme clothing—yes, I can also hear The X-Files theme song. Laurence then emphasises the inclusiveness of Freemasonry and that any supreme being is acceptable, with your word being sufficient testament. Religious discussion is in fact discouraged as it can lead to exclusion, which is not the Freemason way. For women, there is a masonic group called The Order of the Eastern Star, and wives and daughters of Freemasons are also welcomed into the community. Dudebros are also inclusive in this manner—the ubiquitous Puffer Jacket Girl acts much in the same way as an affiliate masonic group. Freemasons focus on the construction of King Solomon’s temple for allegorical teaching, while The Order of the Eastern Star focuses on the heroines of the Bible such as Martha and Ethel. In the same vein, dudebros find salvation at the temple of Hallensteins and Puffer Jacket Girls at Glassons. If the prerequisites are met, all one needs to join is to get in touch with one’s friendly neighbourhood Freemason, either through the phone or online, have a coffee with them, go along to a few social events, and then decide whether or not it they want to proceed with membership. You are officially initiated through a “dignified”
Features ceremony, where you are blindfolded and led inside a masonic lodge. Other Freemasons tell stories aloud as the new member is marched around the lodge, until they are finally asked to promise to uphold the principles and laws of Freemasonry, which are basically to have high moral standards. Then, the blindfold is removed, symbolic of the member having entered “in darkness” and now “open to the light”. This language is similar to the language used when a dudebro smokes weed for the first time. As a member, you attend monthly meetings proper regalia, consisting of aprons, cuffs and sashes. The exact type of regalia changes as you move up the ranks or “degrees” of Freemasonry, which can be achieved through “time and choice”. Dudebros also have a uniform, which consists of singlets, too-long t-shirts and chinos or shorts. It is unknown at this point whether or not dudebros operate on a similar system to the Freemasons; do burgundy chinos denote a higher-ranking dudebro than one in mustard-yellow chinos? The uniforms of the two groups also highlight a point of difference—masonic aprons and robes are of thick material, while dudebros are often seen in shorts and t-shirts, even in winter. This can be attributed to the thick layer of insecurity that keeps dudebros warm, while Freemasons are more mature and secure with themselves so do not have this layer, hence requiring warmer regalia. Finally, I asked Laurence about misconceptions the public may have and if there are really any “secrets”. He noted that Dan Brown’s writing, bar creative leniencies to create plot, was quite accurate its representation of modern Freemasonry. This surprised me, but I was even more surprised that not only is The Da Vinci Code a dudebro’s favourite movie to quote to
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appear intellectual (others include Shutter Island and Fight Club), have a look at the initials of Dan Brown—and the first letters of Dude and Bro… As far as secrets go, Laurence stated that “everything is on the internet these days” and that the only real secrets are their handshakes and passwords. The knowledge of these also differs according to your rank, a tradition that began as a system for stonemasons to prove their adequacy for employment before there were regulated qualifications. When I asked what happens when a Freemason tells a non-member about these secrets, Laurence said that they would merely tell him “that was very silly”. This reflects a somewhat positive attribute of the dudebro, their laidback “whatever bro” attitude. In fact, the only way a member faces automatic expulsion is if they break the law, as this is not reflective of the high standard of ethics Freemasons live by. In my attempts to become more informed about an organisation shrouded in mystery, I did not find what Nicolas Cage found on the back of the Declaration of Independence, but I did find a community of dudes active in charity (giving out $200k of scholarships this year alone), dudes swearing by good morals, dudes wearing special rings and allegorically learning from King Solomon, just dudes being dudes. Laurence’s message to the student body was to not be put off by the “old”ness of Freemasonry—they are very much welcoming of younger members and he felt optimistic about the future of Freemasonry. As I have already highlighted, the parallels are already there—so dudebros, why not become a Freemason?
Masonic Handshakes/grips 1. Grip of an entered apprentice
5. Real grip of a master mason “Lion’s Paw”
2. Apprentice to the pass grip of a fellow craft
6. Pass-grip of a mark master mason
3. Real grip of a fellow craft 4. Pass grip of a master mason
7. Real grip of a mark master mason 8. Grip of a most excellent master
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