Well, hold on. There is a large sliding scale of what is meant by “secret” here. Masons certainly do have secrets which they are pledged not to divulge. That doesn’t mean that they aren’t available to the non-member who wants to do some digging. The existence of Masons is not a secret, but most of their goings-on are. They also have rituals that appear to be religious, but are not.
Elks have fun and supposedly secret handshakes and who knows what else, but it’s more like a boys who don’t grow up club who do a lot of public service.
Rotarians (also on those town signs) along with Lions and Kiwanas are mostly social and networking and may have some in stuff, but I’ve been to a bunch of meetings and never noticed. (I’ve been to Mason and Elk events too, and noticed stuff going on, particularly with the Masons. (I’m not a member of any.)
I suppose the quote I’m replying to is interpreting “secret societies” in the sense that they deny they exist to outsiders, like Yale’s famous Skull & Bones, a debating society enhanced with the drama of hush-hush, or the supposed Illuminati which may have once existed. The bogey-men of the far, far right, the Tri-Laterals, Bilderbergers, etc. existed, were public about their existence and even had portions of their meetings with minutes the public could gain access to, although some sessions would be off the record, supposedly to allow the members to speak freely.
Let’s throw in Odessa, the organization of former SS agents (it’s a German anacronym) was a secret criminal society that aided former nazis fleeing justice. Oh, and La Cosa Nostra is a secret criminal society too.
I think secret societies are getting less and less secret these days. Just the other guy, I saw a guy wearing a jacket that said “Illuminati” across the back. (No kidding. I thought it was pretty ironic.)
Please, please, please tell me this is what I think it is. Thumbs on the temples fingers out, right? Do Moose lodges get upset if you talk like Bullwinkle?
Alas, no. It would be way cooler of it were. To make the Antlers of Protection, you hold your arms out with your hands raised and your fingers spread. Picture a waiter carrying a tray at head-level on each hand and you’ll get the idea.
Really? In four years as an officer in our Elks lodge (I’ve sat all four chairs, as the saying goes) I’ve never heard of an Elks handshake. If it’s a secret handshake, then it’s a really good secret!
Oh, and for those who watch too much Flintstones, there aren’t any hats, either.
The Antlers of Protection is the recognition sign for the Elks. A Bullwinkle joke would go better with the recognition sign (if they have one) for the Moose Club.
Well, then my Elk friends have been pulling my leg, which is entirely possible, they are fun loving fellas. On the other hand, maybe you are keeping the secret, secret. All I know is that I don’t know and the Elks are pretty good guys who do a lot of good stuff for the community.
Does a list of all these clubs exist? Or photos of particularly dense society signs?
What would it take to start up a ‘secret’ society and get to advertise it on one of these sign posts?
You could probably have a sigh shop make you a plaque and slip it onto the post yourself without anyone being the wiser.
In reality, it just takes the local authorities recognising your organization as one with which they would like to be associated. City council decides, in other words.
