Bob Rakestraw’s first real job was on a Scripps Research vessel. His adopted parents had already seen an alcohol problem developing, so, since drinking was forbidden on these ships it seems the logical thing to do. The “dry out theory” so to say.
However, the experience did give him the opportunity to seek other means, something that had more excitement and adventurous than cruising the sea, with a ship full of dorks, geeks, and scientists studying the science, biology, taxonomy, morphology, behavior, and ecological relationships of some widget marine life that inhabits the ocean.
How boring and definitely not a Rakestraw thing!
With a bit of seamen knowledge, it landed him a deckhand job on a commercial fishing vessel in San Diego. At the time, the Portuguese dominated the fishing fleet in San Diego along with the Italians.
Even if he was kicked out of his house, Rakestraw still respected his adopted parents, this was very obvious when he would get real drunk and mentioned he would still call them twice a month. We have to remember, his parents were very straight laced with Christian ethics, so any type of vulgarity was a God-sin in the house. And he did in later life and eventually died in Morongo Valley, where they retired.
Cussing was forbidden and strangely enough, Rakestraw had to have respected that because he was never known to say or even mumble a cuss word.
So when Rakestraw started working as a deck hand, he was probably shocked by the blatant use of profanity. His virgin ears got a Devil full of words that God Himself would blush over. Those damn fishermen!
The word Merda is a very strong Portuguese cuss word which means, shit and it is the same in Italian.
Deepening on how it is said, of it, it can translated into “you fucking piece of shit, you little prick, you little fuck.” And it was a regular word used for the hard-core fishermen when referring to something that pissed them off, like that 200lb tuna flopping around on a deck and slaps a wet fin into your chins … and the screams of Merda! … trying to kick the Merda aside as you struggle with another one.
When Rakestraw arrived back in port, his bastardization of the Portuguese cuss word Merda, suddenly became Meda, a substitution for profanity that may have kept him in good graces with his adoptive parents. Meda also developed a sadistic gleam when he started destroying things and/or got pissed at whatever …
… and one where it added the second word for Mac Meda … an preamble or MO that latter developed the third and forth word, Destruction Company
Mac Meda Editors Note: This article/post is built on writers speculation based on facts, stories and real life. Rakestraw, as far as we know, never told anyone how and why he started saying,” Meda” We will let the reader decide if this is now Meda came together. Your choice?
Facebook/ Gmail BOB are really alive. You saved me my life please talk to me
Marxcuse was Angela Davis’ wize guy.
Even radical UCSD professor Herbert Marcuse was influenced by Meda…San Diego Magazine editor Tom Blair wrote in an old SD Union column…Writer Tom Wolfe was in town, speaking at UCSD…Herbert Marcuse would go for walks at Windansea in the late 60s…he would see the youht of La Jolla shouting “meda” on the beach and generally doing meda-type things…he apparently was developing a theory that the revolution was at hand, here in the Jewel…and then realized that the Windansea youth was just a bunch of funhogs…whooping it up. Had to revise his whole theory.
Remember when Angela Davis was stirring it up at UCSD? That was 40 years ago this fall…time flies…
A. Davis & H Marcuse were Frequent Flyers at Danny McLister’s White Whale(Hippy/Left Wing Radical Bar across the street from Dave Osborn ‘s (not Olson) Red Mtn Inn.