Just the Borg "...becoming all things to all people" (barf).
Or in other words the ole bait and switch method of recruitment.
Folks, The Word Is "Syncretism" ( Or Why I Agree With The Governing Body)
by metatron 16 Replies latest jw friends
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Sam Whiskey
Maybe they are actually "getting it". Worship doesn't have to be *that* complicated. The streaming TV, the Internet. They're getting the point that Jesus made, it shouldn't be difficult to worship God.
I'm applauding them...
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Terry
This is New Coke.
On the 100th anniversary of Coca-Cola, the company's marketing division made a bold move.
Trends in the sales of Coke were headed in the wrong direction. Competitors were eating away
at the soft drink market once dominated by Coca-Cola. The "governing body" of this soft drink giant
put all their hopes into a complete REPACKAGING and SWEETER formulation.
Taste tests had confirmed the average man on the street preferred the sweeter formula.
What the company did NOT forsee was the backlash by long time customers who bitterly complained that
the company had betrayed the tradition and continuity of a great product.
Press releases in advance teased out the idea new and startling change was coming so as to better prepare for the sudden switch.
The attitude by the "governing body" was "New Coke--or NOT Coke." In other words, "Take it or leave it."
That condescending attitude really pissed off the customer base and all hell broke lose.
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Here is the really interesting part.
The chief competitor, Pepsi, realized Coca-Cola was making a big mistake. They immediately started a campaign aimed at targeting
the main reason for such a drastic change: COKE WAS LOSING MARKET SHARE and was desperate to win people back.
If we see Pepsi as the "Apostate" community and New Coke as the JW.TV--a remarkable parallel becomes clear.
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COCA-COLA fought back by NOT telling the truth.
Rather than admit sales had been trending downward and the company was losing ground, Coca-Cola lied rather than allow
apostate Pepsi even an inch of ground.
Total bullshit soon followed. Coke gave no credible reasons.
Even worse--Coke began making HUGE CLAIMS for GREAT SUCCESS which was disinformation at the very least.
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At the very first, company stock went up and 8 out of 10 people surveyed said they were very much aware of what was happening with the
Coca-Cola product change.
Statistics demonstrated, as the marketing division had predicted, an 8 per cent increase!
What came next however . . . had not been forseen.
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BACKLASH
Nobody at the top of the corporation had the least idea of what a BETRAYAL of the older customer they had created.
The move was heralded by long-time consumers as a total SELLOUT.
Many of these drinkers were Southerners, some of whom considered the drink a fundamental part of regional identity. They viewed the company's decision to change the formula through the prism of the Civil War, as another surrender to the "Yankees."
FOUR HUNDRED THOUSAND calls and letter poured in!
The bad will, complaints, anger, and outright hostility in these calls and letter took the corporate leaders by surprise.
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Coke hired a PSYCHIATRIST to listen in on calls and told executives some people sounded as if they were discussing the death of a family member.
The chief complaint really amounted to one thing: HOW DARE THOSE BASTARDS AT THE TOP decide what we can and can't have!
The comfortable OLD Coke so many generations of consumers had been familiar with had been destroyed right before their eyes and
they felt powerless and insignificant as a result.
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Coke executives, rather than admit they had not handled the transition delicately and wisely, began slowly changing the formula BACK again!
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THE PARALLEL
Coca-Cola's winning slogan for its product had been to call the drink THE REAL THING.
The irony for the consumer was obvious: IF IT WAS THE REAL THING--WHY DID YOU CHANGE IT?
Sort of like Jehovah's Witnesses calling their doctrine: THE TRUTH and then having it change into something ELSE.
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CONCLUSION
It took only 3 months before the overwhelmed Coca-Cola bottling company announced the old formula was coming back.
However, they couldn't help changing it one last time by trying to reintroduce it as COKE CLASSIC!
"The simple fact is that all the time and money and skill poured into consumer research on the new Coca-Cola could not measure or reveal the deep and abiding emotional attachment to original Coca-Cola felt by so many people."
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THE BOTTOM LINE
Soon, New Coke's sales were down to only 3 per cent of market share while COKE CLASSIC had overtaken and surpassed Pepsi.
What the bottling giant learned from the debacle took a long time to discover.
THE CONSUMER of the product had been DICTATED TO and the resentment resounded loud and clear.
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In the end, bad publicity is still publicity. If people aren't thinking and talking about you--you don't exist.
Even if they are saying bad things--they are still mindful of your presence.
Whether or not older, long-time consumers of Jehovah's Witness preaching style and corporate image WILL COMPLAIN or not--only time will tell.
We will NOT be able to know simply by listening to the Governing Body SPIN.
In the long term (about 3 months)whatever subtle changes come about will tell the tale.
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Phizzy
Problem is Terry the New Lite tastes just like the Old Lite, they both taste like Shite, so the R&F JW's are not going to feel they are drinking anything different.
Although a big part of me is hoping for a major backlash, another part of me says, no, if they have swallowed s**t for this long, anyone still in will swallow anything.
The old time JW's who feel a bit of discomfort at the changes, deep down perhaps aware of the rank hypocrisy they represent, will comfort themselves by what Vidiot pointed out above, the old hardline Rutherfordesque doctrines and policies still stand.
As an Elder said to me a few weeks back, "There have been changes, but basically we are still the same".
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Vidiot
done4good - "Spot on."
Thanks.
I forgot a really impotant one, though (facepalm)...
...authentic mainstreaming also involves dropping apocalypticism.
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metatron
They softpedaled marriage in the new world recently.
They have whittled down the blood issue.
They are/will change (or reduce) covering up crimes in congregations (no choice there - lawsuits).
Witnesses collectively are compromising on shunning/ not associating because of business ($) or because Sister CrazedFanatic wants to see her grandkids once in a while. That's why HQ keeps harping about it.
Just because a religion has lunatic/cruel/crazy beliefs doesn't mean the people won't compromise or do what's convenient for themselves. Look at Catholics or Mormons.
metatron
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Vidiot
metatron - "They have whittled down the blood issue."
It did seem like that for a while, but didn't they recently put out directives suggesting that they were shoring up that policy?
