It's pretty insulting to say that my involvement over the past ten years or so doesn't count. Just because I don't play to your tune doesn't mean I'm doing nothing.
The WTS will eventually expire from exhaustion. No overt warfare required.
if we don't all unite, we may win a few battles but Watchtower will win the WAR.
by excaliber 116 Replies latest jw friends
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Apognophos
Okay. I can see both sides of this. Now, I don't agree with most of ekruks' last remarks, but I know he was feeling frustrated and will probably regret what he said later. But I absolutely have to say something more about this idea of making a movie. Some of you keep saying, "People don't care about Witnesses. They're small fries. There's way bigger evils out there. Nobody would be interested in a film."
Of course there are bigger problems, but why are you being so logical about this? People aren't logical, for God's sake! They're emotional. If a video like the Kony 2012 thing (I haven't seen it) can make people care so much about one man, out of proportion to the larger issue (I believe Angelina Jolie made a remark to this effect, that Kony is just a part of the larger problem), then there is absolutely an opportunity for people to be moved to act by a moving film (preferably one based on actual life stories so that it's defensible as a factual work and not subject to accusations of hyperbole).
For some reason none of you seem to be thinking about the children. That sounds corny when I say it, but I'm being serious. What kind of upbringing did we have? It was effing awful for most of us, wasn't it? Don't try to mitigate it by saying, "Well, there are lots of non-JWs being abused way worse than the average JW child." That's not the point. The point is, if people knew what goes on in a JW childhood -- if they clearly saw the indoctrination, the effects of being isolated from one's schoolmates, the no-blood policy being drilled into us, and then the teaching being loosened only after many children died under it -- if a movie could tell them even 50% of the experience, people would flip their wig.
But you guys already know this, don't you? I know for a fact that some of you have told a friend or loved one about your life as a JW and gotten mind-boggled reactions. "I thought they were just a little weird." "I thought they just really loved the Bible and liked to bother people at their doors to talk about it." They have no idea how a high-control group works or the anguish we went through in keeping up the act (substance abuse to cope, nervous breakdowns)... and when realizing TTATT... the attempted suicides, the family shunning us, the loss of a network of friends.
I think you guys have probably tried to lessen the impact of your past on your present by retroactively minimizing the damage. I get a strong impression from your responses of, "It's nothing, it's no big deal. It didn't hurt much. I'm okay *fake smile*" It's reminiscent of a child trying to cope with physical abuse. And I'm sorry to see that, because this reaction only occurs in response to genuine trauma. You may say in response, "No, it was bad, I acknowledge it was bad." But then when someone wants to tell the story of what it's like, you tense up. You don't want the pain exposed to the world.
I know some of you may be pretty irritated by what I'm saying and want to call me an "armchair psychiatrist" or something similar. Maybe you're right. But I think you should really reflect on what I'm saying before you go ahead and say it, just in case there's some truth to what I'm saying.
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jgnat
How about slick, punchy YouTube clips? None will get as much press as the WT's own Masturbation instruction, but YouTube clips do fit modern attention spans.
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Simon
people start looking for information online when they are ready. I am happy to support people who come here and sympathize with them by telling my similar story. I can't bring down this organisation but I can be here for the people who have had enough.
Ultimately, I think this is all most of us can do and yet I believe it accomplishes far more than all the other campaigns and schemes people come up with in actually helping people to leave in a successful way and get on with their lives.
Knowing you are not alone and it isn't just 'you' is a very empowering gift and people shouldn't be so quick to dismiss it.
The reason it's important to tell the stories and share our experiences is so that other people in the same situation can identify with them because this is the thing that helps them.
Pulling some crazy stunt or waving a banner in someone's face is just unpleasant and reinforces their whole belief system, possibly pushing them back into the clutches of the WTS.
We really don't need to look like a bunch of obsessive opposers - just people who have been hurt and care enough about others to share our stories.
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Simon
It's pretty insulting to say that my involvement over the past ten years or so doesn't count. Just because I don't play to your tune doeesn't mean I'm doing nothing.
Not only that, it's also kind of ironic - there are people who've been doing this for 10, 20 years all the while some other people were giving talks, preaching and supporting the org.
Would they have woken up without the information and support of those already out who've been doing it a long time? Possibly not.
And yet a few individuals have the gall to immediately balk at those people for somehow 'not doing enough' like they are.
It's like a new recruit to the front-line thinking they are single-handedly winning the war now that THEY are there and imagining they have already done more than tired soldiers who have already given so much.
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OUTLAW
Don't try to mitigate it by saying, "Well, there are lots of non-JWs being abused way worse than the average JW child."
I think you guys have probably tried to lessen the impact of your past on your present by retroactively minimizing the damage.
I get a strong impression from your responses of, "It's nothing, it's no big deal. It didn't hurt much. I'm okay *fake smile*".....Apognophos
It`s like you`ve never read any posts on JWN..
JWN exists because of all the damage done by the WBT$..But..
The outside world doesn`t care about the WBT$ or JW`s..
They certainly aren`t going to pay to see a movie about something they don`t care about..
Unless..
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...........................I`m the Star of that Movie!..
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...OUTLAW -
Apognophos
Sure, Outlaw, I've read lots of angry and sad posts on here. Some of them are real tear-jerkers. That's why I don't understand why, if people are so affected by their past and want to save others from going through the same, they don't want to publicize it in a general, "This is what we went through" kind of way.
Take a look at the biggest movies from this past year: http://www.imdb.com/search/title?year=2013,2013&title_type=feature
There are movies charting at the box office about (1) Wall Street brokers, (2) Walter Mitty, (3) a guy that looks at porn (!), (4) a guy that falls in love with a computer, and (5) the White House butler. And you're telling me that a movie about a series of people going through our weirdo former religion wouldn't have a chance? Preposterous! But of course it's true that the star power of a moderately big-name actor would help.
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OUTLAW
That's why I don't understand why, if people are so affected by their past and want to save others from going through the same,
they don't want to publicize it in a general, "This is what we went through" kind of way.
you're telling me that a movie about a series of people going through our weirdo former religion wouldn't have a chance? Preposterous!
But of course it's true that the star power of a moderately big-name actor would help......Apognophos
Unfortunately the only people who will be interested in a WBT$/JW movie..
Will be a small percentage of exJW`s,thats not a lot of people..
I wish anyone who decides to make the movie..Luck..
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.................................They`re Going To Need It..
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...OUTLAW -
Band on the Run
If you read human right sites, the Witnesses are small actors. A well, written personal story might sell.. i don't see tons of well written material here.
when I faced them down at as a teenager, it took courage. I marched on DC the week after the murders at Kent State. A panel of judges, alumni, and journalists awarded me a civl rights scholarship. Yet someone posted that I was antiactivist b/c I disagree with someone who just had the courage to withdraw from the organization. It makes me furious.
These self appointed leaders can't even incorporate their organization properly. The FB fiasco was further proof that they are not ready for prime time protests. OMG. What a NYT reporter would note about the exploits of the anti-group. The very notion of defining yourself by using your enemy's values shows immaturity. I feel from reading the comments this past year that many here are mature.
I notice that they could not even respond to one post about what skills should be used. They have no experience in the world. Part of me was worried there would be a long list of people running to wage war. I found out people here were much more sophisticated than I gave them credit. It felt cool to see fellow former cult members decline in their own articulate words.
...OUTLAW