Definition of "Negativity" according to JWs

by LongHairGal 20 Replies latest jw experiences

  • DarioKehl
    DarioKehl

    One of the buzzwords I'll never miss is "upbuilding." Keep your conversations UPBUILDING, people! GEEZ! psshh!!! Yeah, right. Easy for them to say! For the average R&F Dub, life is an endless treadmill of obligation and responsibility. Just a simple sigh and a comment like "I'm so tired" would routinely get me in trouble with senior pioneers in the afternoon car groups. One time in particular, an opportunistic brother who was "weak" but put on his best performance and hurled the "you're so negative" slur at me one chilly afternoon during breaktime when I exclaimed how tired I was. Of course, he had an audience of a terrible pionsneer elder wife so he was only demonstrating his zeal at my expense.

    Regardless, I'm negative and proud of it! One thing is certain: Pessimists enjoy being right more often! Pessimism and being realistic are interchangeble terms. Here, here! Raise those half-empty glasses!

    TO NEGATIVITY!

  • factfinder
    factfinder

    DarioKehl-

    I agree: pessimism and being realistic are interchangeable terms!

    My best friend told me someone said to him that "A pessimist is an experienced optimist"!

  • Ding
    Ding

    The WT religion is all about the organization. The organization MUST look good.

    Thus, the WTS portrays to itself as "Jehovah's happy organization," as the best way to live, as an unparalleled worldwide brotherhood, and as the closest thing to paradise on earth.

    Because of this, "negativity" about the organization or the JW life cannot be tolerated.

    If you are a JW and things aren't going so well, the fault must lie with YOU.

  • DarioKehl
    DarioKehl

    A cynic is an idealist with a broken heart.

  • factfinder
    factfinder

    Ding- you mention that "If you are a JW and things aren't going so well, the fault must lie with YOU".

    This reminds me that years ago my brother kept telling me that my unhappiness in being a witness was because I did not have the "yoke" on correctly!

    It is always the fault of the person- the gb and elders are always right! I never did get that "yoke' on quite right! Guess it did not come in my size!

    DarioKehl- That is an excellent way of putting it: " A cynic is an idealist with a broken heart".

  • LongHairGal
    LongHairGal

    FACT FINDER: Wow, you are describing a very extreme witness. On a scale of 1 to 10 he sounds like a 15. I barely even reached a 5 - and that was on a good day! As far as that "yoke" is concerned, I really do feel you have to do a number on your own brain just to belong to this religion. What a head-trip! Yes, it is true that many JWs do not live in the real world, well at least in their minds anyway. I work for a living and cannot comprehend how a responsible adult can have a mindset like this. To me it sounds unhealthy because when reality breaks in (and it will at some point) it will be harder to deal with because your brain isn't accustomed to it. THANK YOU EVERYBODY for your great responses!

  • MrMonroe
    MrMonroe

    The Watchtower has always warned against the "dangers" of negative speech, so naturally the drones will go to extreme measures to comply. Essentially it's just another control tactic to ensure people are made to feel BAAAD if they ever criticise the authority structure or one of the WTS's methods. Because ultimately it's not the idiots running the show you're criticising, you're actually finding fault with God!

    Years ago, after the Revelation Climax book came out, I was having a discussion with an elder who was a bloody moaner himself, always complaining in coded language about the way the other elders treated him. I mentioned some minor criticism about the Revelation book and he suddenly leapt down my throat and said I was being critical.

    After a while you just don't bother raising any criticism -- whether it's the boring, repetitive meetings and assemblies or the pointlessness of spending hours in the field service for no constructive purpose. There'll always be someone who starts sooking and accuses you of being negative and then word will get around that you're a "murmurer" and "complainer".

  • WTWizard
    WTWizard

    One hypothetical example would be if I did something to better myself. Suppose I had the opportunity to quit my job, work for half what I am now making, and I could pious-sneer. I would also be held captive to the dingbat that dragged me into the cancer in the first place--with his stupid ideas on top of that of the religion. Life there would be dreary--no colors, no real music, no computer, no nothing. I would never have the opportunity to do anything worthwhile. Beyond that, the job would be worse than what I have now, on top of getting paid much less.

    Now, suppose that instead of accepting that offer, I went online and found a nice business opportunity that, with hard work of a nature I could enjoy, I could become quite rich. The catch: I would have to move to New Zealand to take advantage of that opportunity, and there would be no more contact with the witlesses that dragged me into the cancer in the first place. I investigate that, and though there is a lot of hard work, I could pull it off. So I work toward that goal--getting my paperwork in order while learning about the business. With one final push of paperwork, I am able to get a loan for the move in New Zealand dollars. And, within a week of arriving, I get the business going and put everything I have into it. It is hard work, but within 6 months I have all the loans paid off and I am making about a million New Zealand dollars a year profit.

    Which would the witlesses rather hear? They would be pxxxed if I took the second course and blew off the first. Even though I was getting nice stimulating work, even though I was able to live very comfortably after a few very stressful months, even though after a year I had the business running well enough to have a reasonable amount of time to actually enjoy the much New Zealand has to offer, they would be bumming. Why I would throw away a perfectly good opportunity to pious-sneer, live with the pig that dragged me into stagnation (and, for all I know, as good as set me up for sex with his then-8 year old nephew when I first joined the cancer)--and for what. A trip to New Zealand and a "worldly" business!

    And, especially after a couple of years when the US becomes a full totalitarian country under the next president, they would rather hear that I threw away a fulfilling business opportunity (that is filling a need in a country with much to offer me), much profit and affluence, happiness, and freedom--and now, freedom from political oppression and major hardship as well as religious freedom. They would rather hear about how I gave all that up for Jehovah--who would give me nothing worthwhile in exchange. (And never mind if I am able to keep working until almost age 100, despite that the dingbat that dragged me into the cancer gets heart disease, diabetes, and cancer and dies before reaching age 60).

  • lilbluekitty
    lilbluekitty

    I can't seem to do a quote on here, anyway

    "I've had the opposite experience with JWs. In my experience ALL THEY TALK ABOUT is negative. How bad poverty is. How bad war is. How bad people are. And how WONDERFUL it all is because it is "the sign" that "the end" is nigh.

    I think somewhere in their holy book mister Hoover said, "woe to those saying bad is good," or something to that effect."

    I totally agree with this. Plus I even hear them badmouthing the org or at least complaining about how things are being done and yet they won't leave. My mom was telling me on the phone tonight how alone she feels and I wanted to tell her, then get out, but she's hard-core so I couldn't. There are a lot of them that complain about everything all the time.

  • factfinder
    factfinder

    @lilbluekitty

    - there was a couple I used to get rides with to the meetings. They were nice, but all the sister did was complain." The book study is too hard, witnesses should not have "cake night" we don't believe in parties.' etc. It was so discouraging. The poor brother was quiet and never said anything about his wife's constant complaints. Finally- I stopped calling them for a ride. I felt bad-I think it hurt the brothers feelings. But the only socializing with the witnesses I was getting was on cake nights-and she insisted they go home right after the meetings. And I could not stay to get literature or talk to anyone after the meetings- she just wanted to go right home. It was too discouraging for me. Some people just love to complain about anything no matter how petty it is!!!

    @LongHairGal- yes, my jw brother is far too extreme in my humble opinion! I guess when I first became a witness and was so zealous the first several years I'd have been a 9! As the years went by I became a 5 before giving up all together.

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