Some scattered thoughts about the granting or denial of “privileges of service” as a control mechanism:
This method of persuasion involving reward or punishment is so deeply ingrained in Watchtower function, it is second nature. Although sometimes subtle, sometimes blatant, everyone from new Bible Study to traveling overseer is subconsciously aware of the possible limiting of his official opportunities to serve God and his brothers.
As in a large corporation, the irony is that one man’s distinct “privilege of service” becomes another man’s punishment in this so-called “theocracy”.
In the late 1960’s Thomas E. Moore, a circuit overseer, wrote what he described as a heartfelt letter to the Society, detailing how long he and his wife and been on the road without the opportunity to visit family and friends. He requested an assignment to a California District Assembly. He received a terse response from the Society, stating that circuit overseers were not needed in California, but, nevertheless, assigning him to one of the California assemblies with “no privileges”. He was to pay his own way. When I saw Tom later that summer, he said: “Boy, when the Society says “No privileges”, they mean it. All they had me do was act as chairman for one session (introduce the speakers) and work as a departmental assistant to a publisher (Tom’s designation for one of the local elders not in full-time work)." I often thought how thrilled one of the local brothers would have felt to have been used in that way, but for a veteran traveling brother use to much more, it was a punishment.
Longtime district overseer Eugene Brandt was assigned for one year in 1978 to circuit work in Arkansas. He confided to one of the brothers that he was being disciplined by the Society. How many brothers would give their eye teeth to be circuit overseers, even for a year?
Even Ray Franz, after narrowly averting disfellowshipping in a close governing body vote, was evidently offered Special Pioneer Service on the infirm list. How ironic is that?
In the local congregation, control can seem more subtle, even innocent. The elder conducting the meeting pretends to scan the audience for “hands”, not acknowledging the lone arm nearly out of socket belonging to Brother Not-Well-Thought-Of. “Well, if there are no further comments, let’s have the reading of the next paragraph.” Nearly everyone in the hall is aware of the intentional snub and adjusts their theocratic ledger accordingly. Brother Not may be guilty of any number of infractions, real or imagined, but this little curtailment of his theocratic opportunity is part of his readjustment and puts others on notice to conform to theocratic order.
TMS