Alan:
Dan Fitzwater threatened to sue the Society if they DF'd him
All other things being said, the threat of legal action, and getting Caesar into the play, puckers the Society's butt like nothing else.
However, I'm thinking that there are several fundamental shifts occuring (most, if not all, of these are at play in the Fitzwater case):
1) Court cases the Society has fought and won were generally perceived as a pro-active defense of Constitutional rights--they could take the high moral ground. Defense against abuse accusations is a totally different situation. In the current international climate the Society can do no better than be in a purely defensive posture of "guilty until proven innocent." Not good for the Society.
2) Dubs never used to even consider the possibility of suing "mother." And the exceptions (Olin Moyle) are so infrequent that they are notable (read notorious) if only because of that. Now, especially in America, litigation for any and every reason is becoming the norm, and it's inevitable that there is a "trickle-down" effect into dub thinking. Puts the Society in the position of legally defending against its own. Not good for the Society.
3) Negative publicity almost always came from without, and could be twisted by Society Spin Control doctors into a "Satan's world vs. our righteous cause" theme. Now, more and more of the negative publicity is coming from within. Puts the Society in the position of morally defending against its own. Not good for the Society.
4) Before 1980 there just weren't enough ex-JWs to make much of an impact. But now there are several hundred thousand that are DFd and going to stay that way, and twice that many inactive (and therefore more or less disillusioned). The "unusual" disgruntled ex-JW is not now nearly so hard to find. The Society can try the "sour grapes" defense, but the shear numbers of negative experiences will persuade public perception. Not good for the Society.
The increasingly aggressive group-control policies of the Society over the last 20 years demonstrate that this is a real phenomenon. Hard evidence from cases like Fitzwater will, I suspect, increase the pressure to the point where the Society will have no choice but bend.
Craig
PS: Alan, thanks for the post, and Laurie, thanks for the followup.
Edited by - onacruse on 15 January 2003 17:51:19