Experiences with so called "minorities" as JWs

by Lady Zombie 7 Replies latest watchtower beliefs

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  Lady Zombie

  I was thinking the other day that by and large, I had more positive experiences with black JWs and other "minorities" in the bOrg. Not completely 100% as there are a-holes in every "race," but for the most part, the black JWs were more loving, accepting, and tolerant than the white JWs.

  I haven't had much experience with hispanic JWs but the few I've had, were pleasant.

  This isn't to say that a lot of the white JWs weren't kind, on the contrary, many were. I just find it interesting that when I tally up all the negative vs. positive experiences with other JWs, I haven't had many negative ones with black JWs.

  Of course, in all of my old congregations, there were by far more whites than any other groups.

  Maybe I am wearing rose-tinted shades about this, but I'm also not pulling this observation out of thin air.

  At risk of starting a heated debate, have any other whites here noticed this?

  This is another blow against the WTBTS. Sure they've been careful to include pictures of minorities in their publications, but the ratio of white annoited vs. minority annoited, is very skewed. It would seem that if this was "the truth" and the WTBTS followed the teaching of Jesus, the annoited would have representatives of every race. This isn't the case.
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  snowbird

  for the most part, the black JWs were more loving, accepting, and tolerant than the white JWs.

  I'm Black, and I've had White people tell me the same thing about Black people in general.

  This brings something else to mind. When I was a little girl living far back in the sticks, a White man and his son used to come down every Sunday to visit our little community.

  The father would hang out and drink moonshine with the men while his son played with us kids.

  The mothers would fix a big dinner and feed both of them along with their families. The boy would eat like there was no tomorrow; the man would try to contain himself, but you could see it was a struggle.

  As the day waned, the women would fix them a nice helping of food to take home, then they would set out for home wherever that may have been. It never occurred to me to ask where they lived or why they chose to mingle with us.

  Looking back, it must have been the love, acceptance, and tolerance shown to them by the Black community that kept them coming back.

  Just food for thought.

  Sylvia
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  Wordly Andre

  Free food and moonshine Hell what time is dinner!
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  nomoreguilt

  In a congregation that I attended in the mid 70's, a mixed one, we had a black brother that claimed to be of the annointed. A few years later he recanted and quit partaking.

  On the other isssue, I knew many blacks that were VERYconscious of their color. Some had issues with this matter and always had a chip on their shoulder. One couple I was friends with vocally expressed their own desire to have been white. He was an elder and often gave talks away in the inner city. On one such occasion on the drive home the younger son, about 6 at the time made the observation to his parents that " Did you notice that we were the only WHITE people there" !! His mother let him know that, " Son, I hate to tell you this but you are BLACK."

  NMG
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  jamiebowers

  Most of my years as a jw were spent in a congregation that was racially diverse as far as black and white were concerned. I found that friendliness generally fell along economic lines. The working class blacks and whites were mostly more friendly and welcoming. The upper socio-economic class of both races were not, for the most part. I studied with a black lady that suffered many catastrophies in her personal life, (husband was a drug addict, lost her apartment, and she and her children would've been homeless had it not been for me and two of her "fleshly" brothers, was injured in an explosion and was severely disabled after that). I took her to NC where she grew up to see her family, and I had the pleasure of meeting a very old, black sister who put me up. She didn't have indoor plumbing, but her house was spotless. I knew her income had to be limited, but she cooked meals like she was serving royalty. She had the most generous spirit I've ever seen.
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  wha happened?

  I live in a fairly mixed city. Certain neighborhoods will prefect the community by those attending at the KH. I'm Latino, wife is mixed Latino/Black. I'm usually mistaken for Caucasian because I talk like an ex surfer/skater/ valley speak. That and I'm so white that a 100 watt bulb will give me a sun burn. I've heard a few off color remarks by certain white witnesses before they realize my ethicity or because they haven't met my wife.
  
  On the other hand, I know that some of my former Latin Bro's thought they were repressed. I especially got this in the work place, as they were employed by me. Along with that alot of Latinos from different countries have opinions about each other.
  
  I'm glad I grew up where just about every race and ethnicity was represented. It kept alot of stereotypes from lodging themselves into my life. I found that poorer English congregations were friendlier as a whole. Along with most congregations where the make up was more racially/ethnically mixed.
  
  I think the two biggest a-holes were from the same congregation. One was introducing the watchtower at a meeting for field service that showed a black slave with his wrists chained. He went on to relate, while in front of an audience of publishers who were about a third black, that it wasn't the whites that captured the slaves and brought them over, it was their fellow Africans. I was extremely uncomfortable by this and there was alot of fidgeting in the room.
  
  The second one was an elder who had issues with black men either cutting their hair down to a #2 clipper, or shaving their heads. He would ask them if they were performing some sort of Black statement.
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  WTWizard

  In the congregation I used to go to, a majority of the witlesses were black (though not a huge majority). And there seemed to be very little racism there.

  And there seemed to be no consistent difference between the races and the way they treated others. The one "elder" I sort of trusted was white, and yet the one that initiated telling me that I should just meet men was also white. We had some of the hounders that insisted on being 100% unreasonable, and trying to mold everyone into the same cookie-cutter image were black, but so were some of the white hounders. Publishers were also like that--no consistent correlation between race and being jerks.

  No worse than you find in the world, at least not in my former congregation.
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  mrsjones5

  I think the two biggest a-holes were from the same congregation. One was introducing the watchtower at a meeting for field service that showed a black slave with his wrists chained. He went on to relate, while in front of an audience of publishers who were about a third black, that it wasn't the whites that captured the slaves and brought them over, it was their fellow Africans. I was extremely uncomfortable by this and there was alot of fidgeting in the room.

  Geez, that reminds me of an recent episode of "This American Life", I'm not gonna be able to explain it to my satisfaction but l will say it was about people knowing a little bit about something and then running with it like they were experts. That "a-hole" was partly right, some fellow Africans did capture Africans for the slave trade (I seem to recall one African country recently apologized for the practise), but I wonder why he made it seem like the Africans were the only guilty party?