by Amazing 19 Replies latest jw friends
Good thoughts, Amazing.
Still, I wonder if some might not cringe at yet another attempt to employ the term "terrorism" in order to promote ones agenda, no matter how honorable that may be.
Still, I may steal the term for my next article, if you don't mind. :-)
Mike Pence
"Sentiment without action is the ruin of the soul." -- Edward Abbey
You know Freddie boy, you are one hypocrite. You are either for us or against us, make up your mind.
I took a smoke break (though I don't smoke) with a workmate, and he said that he thought that the term "sexual terrorism" was distracting, and that the point can be made without resorting to such terminology.
I think I agree. Dictionary.com defines 'terrorism' as:
"The unlawful use or threatened use of force or violence by a person or an organized group against people or property with the intention of intimidating or coercing societies or governments, often for ideological or political reasons."
But, as always, your thoughts are entertaining and well developed.
Mike
Fred, you and others like you, need to get helplessly raped a few times to understand the trauma.
Guest 77
Hi Mikepence: Well, I suppose that the use of the word 'terrorism' does have broad and possibly confusing connotations, much as the word 'cult' can have. The term 'terrorist' does invoke images of those who use violence to cause instability of a government or a region. In some ways, during the Al Capone era, Chicago metro area was terrorized by the Mafia.
The terrorism I have in mind are the SilentLamb who are molested, and then due to Watchtower policy are not encouraged to go to the sauthorities, and in many cases, the victims and their parents were discouraged from talking to the police. At the same time, as Bill Bowen has posted, some of these JW pedophiles continue to have parts in the meeting, standing up as examples while the victims suffer in silence, not knowing when they or others will be victimized next.
I believe that there are over 20,000 pedophiles among the JWs in the USA. So, this represents a significant ratio to the 930,000 JWs in the USA. I personally witnessed how pedophiles are given chance after chance ... and I eventually went to the police, only to discover, that, contrary to stated policy, the JW Elders did discourage the victims and their parents from talking with the authorities.
Having witnessed my own sister being raped ... I also understand how this strikes terror into the heart and mind of a person.
I appreciate your cautionary comments ... but this one I need to think about some more.
Dictionary.com defines 'terrorism' as:"The unlawful use or threatened use of force or violence by a person or an organized group against people or property with the intention of intimidating or coercing societies or governments, often for ideological or political reasons."
Amazing I actually agree with your use of the word terrorism. According to the dictionary quote above the only part that does not fit is that it seems to refer to groups of people rather than individuals. In most of my research on abuse, the dysfunctional nature of abuse exists on individual/personal levels as well as group levels all the way up to cultural/national levels. The mechanisms are the same. The dynamics are the same and the effects are the same.
I too as a child experienced a lot of abuse. Whether it was to me directly or to a sibling whom I was trying to protect, the effect of threats of violence to gain a desired goal (whether that is freedom or sex or anything else) is to intimidate the victim into surrendering.
I had a father and step-father who used threats of harm to siblings to get me to comply with his wishes. I had a mother who used the threat of abandonment and foster homes to get me to comply with her wishes. I had a father who killed my pets and told me that if I did not do what was expected (sexual abuse) the same would happen to me. I had a step-father who used threats of sexually abusing my little sister to force me into sexual acts. I had a husband who used the threat of adultery and blood-guilt to force me into unwanted sexual acts.
One thing they all had in common was the threat of violence if I talked to anyone about the abuse. When I took my father to court for sexual abuse he stopped me on the courthouse steps as we were leaving and said "If I ever see you again I will kill you". Yup same man who forced me to watch while he killed my kittens.
A few years ago I was reading an article about POWs and the kinds of torture they are submitted to. Many of those techniques were used in our home to get our compliance and maintain our silence. It was this article that helped me to realize that I grew up as a terrorized and tortured child. Sounds dramatic doesn't it. Thing is I don't like to dramatize it. I most often prefer to believe it wasn't that bad. Some how if I can say it wasn't that bad (after all I am here aren't I?) then maybe I don't have to deal with just how bad it really was. Maybe I am just remembering it wrong or just like attention so make it worse. Wish that was the case. If anything I still prefer to downplay how bad it was.
Unless one lives in that world of perpetual fear and intimidation they cannot possibly understand the terror in the child.
Granted some perpetrators use kindness to get what they want. But still, there is the fear of getting caught, of telling, of someone finding out, of shame, of being guilty. Silence always makes it worse. And it is this element of silence - the intense need the abuser has for no one to find out, that is so destructive to the victim and what permits the abuser to continue his terrorism on his victims.
The best way to stop an abuser is to tell the truth. The best way to protect the victim is to allow him/her to tell the truth.
The best way to protect an abuser is to remain silent.
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Rejoice in the healing and not in the pain.
Rejoice in the challenge overcome and not in the past hurts.
Rejoice in the present - full of love and joy.
Rejoice in the future for it is filled with new horizons yet to be explored. - Lee Marsh 2002
I think terrorism is the perfect word. Too often, peodophiles are treated as sick, deranged, needing help and often given more help and long term attention than the victims. Sod that! Hunt them down like Al-Quida and let them face a firing squad!
For too long, too many bad people have got away with too many bad things - it's time decent people made a stand and fought back. Enough of this "dumb morality of forgiveness" which just perpetuates the problems and causes more victims and hurt - good people can play hardball and should start kicking some ass IMHO.
If you stop to think about it for a minute you will realize the amount of planning it takes for an abuser to commit his act of terrorism on a victim.
I can accept that the very first time he "might" act out of a lack of control - maybe. But as soon as he becomes aware of his actions and the implications if anyone discovers the abuse he moves into a self-defense mode. He must make sure the victim does not talk. Knowing the victim he must use whatever threats possible to get and maintain the victims silence - not for their protection but solely for his.
The second time he abuses any victim he must plan it. This takes deliberate thought and action - strategy. Sometimes this strategy means gaining the trust of those who have access to the victim. He must devise a way to gain access to his victim. He must ensure that he has enough time to do what he wants and escape undiscovered. He must also cover his tracks so that he remains undiscovered and further his access to the victim. He must maintain the victim's silence - again for his own protection.
Just how similar are these thoughts and actions - strategies - to any terrorist?
And he does this over and over until he is caught. And even then he does not change his thoughts or actions if there is no action taken against him and his abuses are not made public. Silence - stealth - is always his best friend.
Rejoice in the healing and not in the pain.
Rejoice in the challenge overcome and not in the past hurts.
Rejoice in the present - full of love and joy.
Rejoice in the future for it is filled with new horizons yet to be explored. - Lee Marsh 2002
Amazing:
Again..thank you for this thought-provoking piece.
I was talking to some friends just yesterday about how it boggles the mind how so many JWs can hear about this and still support the WTS's policies and denials of hiding pedophiles. Yet they do and will continue.
When you say:
because good responsible, mature adults cannot sit by and do nothing while this sexual terrorism continues and is harbored by the JW religion...how can anyone believe that a loving God could sit by and watch even one horrified child be brutalized by some monster, let alone the thousands on record?
Yet that's what they are actually saying God is doing when they do nothing and say "God will step in in his due time and straighten this out" or "we are leaving everything in God's hands to handle".
Yet, at the same time, it warms my heart to know that there are open-minded, caring JWs, who upon finding this has been going on for so long and they've been duped, are shocked into reality and freeing themselves from its hold....and there will be more to leave as this gets known....I am sure of that.
Thank you again.
Had Enough
"Never doubt that a small group of citizens can change the world.
Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has."...Margaret Mead
Orangefatcat - This place is not big enough for two cats, so leave.
Guest77 - My heart goes out for anyone who gets raped.
