When I was a child, there was a music company called HMV, which was short for His Master's Voice. The company's logo was a dog sitting in front of a gramophone listening to it attentively. Initially I thought the dog was just listening to his master's voice singing. When I grew older, I felt perhaps the company implied that the master was no more, but his voice was immortal, and the dog kept listening to it. I don't know what to think today, but the Wiki story states this notion was true.
Even if the company has stopped being, the concept has remained quite strongly. The masters continue to believe that their dogs should know their voices. I experienced this the other day. I was working in my office when the phone rang.
"Hello" I said.
"I got your letter" a high pitched female voice said. "I think..."
I held the receiver some distance some distance from my ear so as to protect it and said cautiously "Who is speaking?"
There was some silence and then the voice said in tones of irritation "I am the Academic Assistant Boss. Remember my voice in future. As I was saying ..."
What the Assistant Academic Boss was saying subsequently has nothing to do with our story, so I will not narrate it. But what she had already said supports my theory. This person believes she is the master, and also believes the others are similar to the dog in the HMV story who should remember the master's voice. If the dogs will not manage that on their owns, they have to be warned to do so, so that when the master calls, the dogs respond immediately, without having to be told who is calling.
I wonder if the true Master of all is watching from the heavens and enjoying the joke.
Even if the company has stopped being, the concept has remained quite strongly. The masters continue to believe that their dogs should know their voices. I experienced this the other day. I was working in my office when the phone rang.
"Hello" I said.
"I got your letter" a high pitched female voice said. "I think..."
I held the receiver some distance some distance from my ear so as to protect it and said cautiously "Who is speaking?"
There was some silence and then the voice said in tones of irritation "I am the Academic Assistant Boss. Remember my voice in future. As I was saying ..."
What the Assistant Academic Boss was saying subsequently has nothing to do with our story, so I will not narrate it. But what she had already said supports my theory. This person believes she is the master, and also believes the others are similar to the dog in the HMV story who should remember the master's voice. If the dogs will not manage that on their owns, they have to be warned to do so, so that when the master calls, the dogs respond immediately, without having to be told who is calling.
I wonder if the true Master of all is watching from the heavens and enjoying the joke.
