Yet another post from a FetLife thread.
“I was tempted to let this go… but I’ll jump in 🙂 First, my thoughts on the OP question.
As a practical matter – what is the real difference between a Master and a Dominant? In short – if someone is called a Master and someone else is called a Dominant, what do these terms tell me about them?
_Not a damn thing_. The terms are so subjective, so misused and so badly defined that they are meaningless as a way to convey information outside of someone intimately familiar with that person.
Let’s turn it around then… when do I consider someone a Master as opposed to a Dominant? _Never_
I know a bunch of dominants who I consider to have mastered specific skills, or specific people. I may refer to such a person as “He is a master at Mindfucking people” or “he is ____’s Master”. but they are still dominant, they are still a dominant.
Of all the ways people acquire the term “Master” the one I find _least_ impressive personally is the popular acclamation of some group of people I have no reason to respect. That this guy (or gal) has managed to play the politics game well enough to be awarded “Grand Master of the Western Marches” or whatever carries no weight with me.
To me this is ultimately the same standard I apply in the martial arts. When I see someone wearing a black belt I have no reason to believe it says anything about them unless I know where it came from – and then I respect it only as much as I respect the source.” – Soulhuntre
So there 🙂