No Jobs For The Boys

by Englishman 6 Replies latest jw friends

  • Englishman
    Englishman

    I recall a witness brother from Yeovil, Somerset, who was never given any "privileges" of service within his local congregation.

    His crime? Well, he worked for Westlands in a job that he'd served as an apprentice at since his 16th birthday. Westlands make helicopters, most of them for the military. Most of the skilled jobs in the area were with Westlands, so consequently many of the brothers decided to leave their employ once they became baptised JW's.

    Glenn, however, refused to leave, having observed first-hand how his converted work mates suffered financially when they sacrificed their plane-building skills for shop-work or manual labouring elsewhere. So, Glenn was regarded as being immature because he put the financial welfare of his family before the demands of the WTBTS.

    Later in my dub career, I too was unable to accept lucrative work with an air-ducting company, because they occasionally accepted contracts from the biggest employer around, Westland Helicopters.

    As I continued to seek work, it became apparent to me that many, many jobs were not open to witnesses simply because they were reckoned as being "not fitting for a Christian" to undertake.

    Bar work is unfitting. The police force is unfitting. Evening work in general is only for the very immature because it interferes with meeting attendance.

    I wonder just how many occupations are actually disapproved of by the JW's?

    I wonder if this difficulty in obtaining well paid work is one of the reasons that most JW's seem to live on the poorer side of the fence?

    Englishman.

  • anglise
    anglise

    Hi Eman

    Yes lots of unwritten rules. Nursing was frowned on esp if you did nights that meant you missed some or part of the meetings.

    If you came into the org qualified and with a useful skill - plumbing/electrical etc you where made use of but woe betide anyone else in the fold who tried to get a similar qualification.

    It is also a big no no for married sisters to work unless at a manual job. This also contributes greatly to the relative poverty of most dub households.

    We are still catching up from some of these various controls.

    How about the fact that you can spend weekend after weekend working on quick builds and KH refurbs and miss meetings and FS with impunity but try doing that to carry out some essential maintenance or work in your own home.

    We once took a easter bank holiday off to build a much needed shed in our garden and had to really be bolshie with some of the snide comments ( mind you we where beginning to at least mentally exit the borg so we did it (doesnt it sound pathetic).

    You can only understand these sorts of issues if you where in a high control group.

    Maybe it was harder as otherhalf was an elder and supposed to be "taking the lead" LOL

    Anglise

  • Fe2O3Girl
    Fe2O3Girl

    I know a man who is an engineer. Some years ago, the company he worked for took on a contract to design a weapons system. A number of people were given different modules to design, they all talked to each other, and worked out how the thing worked. It is the sort of thing that civilians are better off not knowing about, quite stomach turning in its function.

    Anyhow, the man went to his employers and asked to be removed from this project. They gave him alternative work of a less lethal nature, but explained that if no alternative work was available he would be expected to do it, or resign. It never came to that.

    To my mind, a helicopter is a less clear cut issue. Helicopters don't kill people (unless they crash!), they are not designed to kill people. Helicopters are used in non military work. And air ducting! How far do you take it?? It sounds like the jolly game of "lets impose our views on other people", and if most of us could never hope to have the skills to work for an aerospace company, so much the better!

    I don't know about nursing being frowned on - someone has to work in the first aid posts at assemblies.

    Which reminded me - I remember an attitude that anyone who had a useful skill in the congregation would be expected to help all and sundry for free. I felt really sorry for mechanics, electricians and plumbers. Noone ever came pestering me - "Can you do a bit of analysis for me this weekend?"

  • teejay
    teejay

    >> I wonder just how many occupations are actually disapproved of by the JW's? -- Englishman

    E-man,

    This is something I've thought about a lot when looking back on my life. For those of use raised in the truth -- especially if we had hard-core JW parent(s) like most did -- by the time we reached second grade we already knew that the entire medical profession was out; so was being a lawyer or air plane pilot. As we got older, it became clear that every one of the better paying jobs required a college degree so...

    An ex-JW buddy and I had a long lunch yesterday and we agreed that one of the greatest atrocities that the Watchtower Society commits against children is that it doesn't allow them to dream, let alone FOLLOW their dreams.

    >> I wonder if this difficulty in obtaining well paid work is one of the reasons that most JW's seem to live on the poorer side of the fence?

    Duh!

  • Nathan Natas
    Nathan Natas
    An ex-JW buddy and I had a long lunch yesterday and we agreed that one of the greatest atrocities that the Watchtower Society commits against children is that it doesn't allow them to dream, let alone FOLLOW their dreams.

    So very very corect.

    When I was in grade school, my dream was to be a scientist. It was the 1950s, the Soviets had just put Sputnik into space, and there was lots of emphasis on science education. I was good at it.

    By the time I got through Junior High School in the 1960s, I knew that I could be NOTHING.

    I numbed myself down and wished I was dead.

  • OUTLAW
    OUTLAW

    Join the dubs an educated person,fine.Raised in the dubs and aspire to a better education,your frowned upon..Is there anything in the WBTS rule book that makes sense?..It`s all designed to keep everyone off balance,and questioning the integrity of the other fellow..Rule by confusion,fear,and immidiate opportunity..What a loving organization,were can I join up?..LOL!...OUTLAW

  • Englishman
    Englishman
    It was the 1950s, the Soviets had just put Sputnik into space,

    Yes, 1957, I recall, Nathan.

    I also recall that the witnesses then believed that man would never walk in space, as Jehovah had set the boundaries of man's habitation.

    Ha!

    Englishman.

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