Liftons Dispensing of Existence in JWs....
In his book " Thought Reform and the Psychology of Totalism" Lifton lists his 8 thought reform criteria under the chapter heading "Ideological Totalism".
With regard to the criteria of "Dispensing Existence" and what it comprises, Lifton says:
QUOTE: The Totalist environment draws a sharp line between those whose right to existence can be recognized , and those who possess no such right.
Perhaps no more need be said than that. However Lifton elaborates, saying that :
QUOTE: The world is divided into the PEOPLE and the REACTIONARIES, or LACKEYS OF IMPERIALISM.
Now, of course, we are talking Chinese Communism here, so the terminology, of course is different from what we might be familiar with, But the point is that the world is divided into opposed camps. Those who work for freedom and niceness, and those who work for nastiness. The nice ones have the right to exist. The nasty ones have the right to cease to exist. That is all. It is very simple really. Lifton points out that, of course, real people are involved in all this, and real people dont necessarily fit the simplified stereotypical characters that the Totalism allots to them, so:
QUOTE: Much of prison thought reform was devoted to making the Westerner conform to the pure image of EVIL IMPERIALIST so that he could take his proper role in the Communist morality play of Chinese history.
So whether a captured American was an imperialist in his nature or not, didnt matter, he was assigned a simplified role as working for the forces of nastiness, and he had to fit the role. Lifton states:
QUOTE: Under conditions of Ideological totalism, in China and elsewhere, NONPEOPLE have often been put to death.but the thought reform process is one means by which non people are permitted, through a change in attitude and personal character, to make themselves over into PEOPLE.
Lifton points out that in China under thought reform, death sentences were frequently handed out and then put on hold for 2 years while the condemned worked to make his character over into that of a PERSON. He had plenty of incentive at least. Thus in the Dispensing of Existence :
QUOTE: There is just one path to true existence, just one valid mode of being, and all others are invalid and false.
And as false existances, they must cease to exist literally, when the world victory of Communism is attained.
Do the Jehovahs Witnesses dispense the right to existence?
What do you think??
Edited by - refiners fire on 11 January 2003 3:1:15