Everything you think about Game Mastering is probably wrong: Part Iv: The Game Master is not the boss
When I see people seeking advice for their various horrible social cesspools, invariably part of the response is talking to the GM to ensure the problem is fixed or helping a GM learn some social tricks to fix problems with players. Someone else out there with no doubt several similar views to my own put together the brilliant piece of advice that is The Chart. Hats off to whoever you are random Internet stranger!
While useful, I think that misses a bit of a larger assumption many people seem to have which I think is the real problem. That the GM is in charge of the entire experience. I see advice for how the GM can handle people being on their phones too much, to mediate conflicts between players, and how to juggle scheduling no-shows and nightmares. This is not the GMs job. Sometimes this is weird "Alpha Nerd" behavioural problems with the GM, feeling they need to be the boss and to be in charge. It can be a power trip for a person not used to authority. While no doubt this is somewhat common among teenagers, I would guess that far more often it is instead merely a bad learned tradition where a GM has a bunch of responsibilities dumped on them by the larger group of players because its easier for the majority. It can be awkward for you to have to turn to the person on your left and have a conversation with them about how them being late to every single game is forcing you to give up your free time to sit around and wait for them to deign to grace you with their presence. Letting the GM handle it is an easy way out of being forced into the emotional labour of referencing said chart yourself.
The GM's only additional responsibility is to things happening INSIDE the game. Does your character's fireball set fire to the curtains? That is the GM's call. Can Pat eat a tuna and onion sandwich at the table? That is not the GM's call. Your role as player or GM does not have an impact in those kind of non-game issues. The only person with real authority on such a matter is the host (or owner of the location). That so many games take place in the GM's home, is what I believe caused this massive inflation of the GM's role. When people started playing in Sam's game and saw Sam make so many calls about non-game behaviour, they misidentified the source of Sam's authority as stemming from being the GM instead of from being the homeowner. When those new gamers went and started running their own games, their error propagated.
In the end, the Game Master is just another player. They definitely have an important role to play and usually have the most work between games by a gigantic margin, but they are only masters of the game itself, not the social event that is a game night. That also means they have no extra responsibility to sort out of the problems of the social event. If there are interpersonal problems, or scheduling conflicts, or a need to find a new location then it is the responsibility of every player in the game to pitch in. If your group needs to find a new place to meet next month then Chuck (the player of the 3rd level warrior) can get off his duff and call around the local libraries to book a room. Pat (player of the Priest of Thor) can arrange the carpool, and Sam the GM might end up with no additional task at all (merely needing to be ready when Pat shows up with the car).
Next time I'll discuss why attempting to plan epic scenarios will result in boring forgettable dreck.