Some of these people are sticking with the Watchtower because it's the course of least resistance. Think about it. If they really believed that these are critical times, and the end is right around the corner, would they be going to college? Would they be working full-time? NO, they would be engaging in the full-time ministry! The fact that so many JWs are content to live a "normal" life (2 meetings a week plus Saturday a.m. door-knocking) shows a latent skepticism toward the counsel of the FDS.
Yes, JWs are eat up with cognitive dissonance. Even though I've been inactive for years now, I still have occassion to associate with a few JWs...and my family is all JW. It is interesting to watch these people in action. Their beliefs and how they talk is in opposition to how they actually live. They go to meetings, they go in service, they wail about the end times...but then they turn around and buy new homes...new, expensive cars/trucks, send kids to college. These people are not living as if the end is right around the corner. They're planning their retirements and their kid's futures.
I was at a JW gathering ('party' to the rest of us) and several parents were comparing notes on what colleges their kids had applied for. I was a bit stunned. Back when I was of college age, all that was ever asked was, "is he going to pioneer or go to Bethel". That was the only two options for a truly dedicated JW male. Anything else and you were considered less than faithful. Girls had more choices...pioneer, marry a pioneer or marry an MS/elder.
I listened to my father-in-law get on his soap box one day about how bad the system is. He commented that it can't go on another 10 years. He was convinced that Armageddon was coming before he'd die of old age. Then not 30 minutes later, he was talking about how he was going to have to get creative on how to plan his retirement funds to last until he was 80/85, if he lived that long. That conversation was truly brain numbing...
OMG, you told me of someone that thought the whole JW belief system was hoo-hah but yet stayed with it..."hedging their bet" was the term I think was used. How is it one can realize that something is BS yet not take action at being used or fooled? To me, this is convincing proof of the mind control that the Society has on it's followers. Even those of us out now are still impacted by it...Why else are we here posting?
And because of that control on the vast majority of dubs, you'll never see a "revolution" as some want to see. Real life isn't like the movies. This isn't "V for Vendetta" (no offense to "V" - I love the reference) where all the Brits stand down the army and ruling political party just by marching together against them. Nice sentiment...but flawed. JWs are never going to organize an underground movement to change the status quo of the ruling party. But yet, they'll continue to live life on their own terms, never giving 100 percent to the Society, but never really free either. It's a waste, really...