Dark Rhetoric Series – Gatekeeping: How Power Hides Behind Standards
Download MP3At its surface, gatekeeping appears to be about quality, tradition, or protecting standards — but beneath it lies a hunger for control. In this episode, we explore how gatekeeping functions as a subtle form of exclusion, transforming shared ideals into barriers. When standards become instruments of ego, the pursuit of excellence turns into the defense of privilege.
🔑 Key Takeaways
- Gatekeeping disguises domination as discernment, turning inclusion into hierarchy.
- True mastery invites participation; false mastery restricts it to preserve status.
- Freemasonry reminds us that worthiness is demonstrated through conduct, not credentials.
💬 Featured Quotes
- 0:00:06 — “Gatekeeping is a technique used by people who are looking to assert control over who gets to participate in a conversation or group.”
- 0:00:28 — “It’s a way to elevate oneself and gain control by asserting who gets access or privilege.”
- 0:00:45 — “You’ll hear it in comments like, ‘You didn’t go to the right school,’ or, ‘You’re not in the right organization.’”
- 0:01:12 — “When someone decides who is allowed to speak or belong, they’re protecting power — not principle.”
🔗 Explore Related Episodes
- Dark Rhetoric Series – Tone Policing: How Control Masquerades as Civility
Examines how manipulative calmness can be used to silence emotion and assert superiority in discourse. - Charity Starts Where?
Explores how compassion without exclusion redefines what it means to serve and belong. - Freemasonry Brings Receipts
Demonstrates how transparency and accountability are antidotes to elitism within systems of belonging.
Dynamic Inserts
Creators and Guests
Host
Brian Mattocks
Host and Founder of A Mason's Work - a podcast designed to help you use symbolism to grow. He's been working in the craft for over a decade and served as WM, trustee, and sat in every appointed chair in a lodge - at least once :D
