Looking back it seems hysterical that during the watchtower and bookstudy one had to be careful not to answer the b part until after the conductor asked the question. Just another example of how structured everything is in that cult. "Let everything take place by arrangement" to the nth degree.
the B part
by ChrisVance 31 Replies latest jw friends
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shera
Hello Chris,I don't know where I was during the 5 yrs I was in with the jw's.What is the b part? (is it the second part to one question?) LOL
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ChrisVance
Yes, sometimes a paragraph had an A question and a B question. It was very important not to go into the B part until it was asked.
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Ed
They always managed to make a two-part question last about three times as long. I still remember that depressing feeling of getting to the halfway point in the study, then looking at the rest of the questions and realizing they ALL have a, b and c parts to them. Damn, we're still only about a quarter of the way through!
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xjw_b12
HAHAHAHAHA Chris. I had forgotten that one. Yes, it would happen from time to time, usually by those who hadn't " prepared " and used their highlighters, to differentiate between a or b, and sometimes c.
The reactions were great, and now that you look back at it laughable. The conductor would stiffen, people would nudge each other, and the wait for the conductors reply, which was ALWAYS the same....Thank you Bro./ Sis. so and so..... your comment did cover the b question though.
And what was really funny was the ticked off reaction of the people, who were going to answer the b question. LOL
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Matty
Never mind all those a's and b's, what gets on my nerves are those questions within questions - the ones that are split into loads of sub questions!
Now, what part are you supposed to answer, most of it, or just a bit of it, two parts, three, or just summarise it all, leave the easy part to the kids and just answer the more difficult part, or cover it all, should you leave some of it open for further answers and if so what significance would it have to the way you are thought of in the congregation, would you be thought of as greedy if you answered too much, or would you be thought of as spiritual and knowledgeable?
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Matty
Double post - sorry!
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Guest 77
Chris, here's what I did one time. This WT conductor was one who had 'constipation of thoughts and diarrhea of words', this brother had a bad habit of going overtime,so, I charted his conducting of the WT for a couple of months. I would 'time' each paragraph and the amount of comments made per paragraph.
After a couple of months, I kindly approached him and asked if he had a few minutes to spend with me because I had a problem. With this approach he gladly was willing to listen and help, until, he realized that HE was the problem. I informed him that I find it very irksome for meetings to be going overtime and there was no need for it.
I displayed my chart with the dates, the time and amount of comments per paragraph when he conducts the WT study. I showed him why he had a habit of going overtime. naturally, he was caught because I had the chart in front of him. I showed him one pargraph that had only a few sentences and eight comments made, while another paragrpah which took half the page with only three comments! The paragraph with the few sentences had no substance, yet, had more comments than the one with substance and half the page, what gives? Anyways, he would always rush as we neared the WT study and more often than not we would end up going overtime.
I told him that if donate $1.00 per minute for going overtime for the past couple of months, he would have paid for some electric and heating bills! Basically he was stealing our time. People have schedules and unbelieving mates to attend to. This overtime was a no-no with me and YOU would hear about it! Just a shared story.
Guest 77
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undercover
Let's look at the B part a little differently. Let's say as a child your parents expect you to answer at the WT study. Being shy and not liking to answer you plan just a few paragraphs to raise your hand on, mostly B parts. Then comes the study. You haven't been called on for the first couple of tries. Your last opportunity is coming. The A part question is asked. Sister Big Mouth answers. Your heart sinks. She answers both the A part, the B part, and gives her experiences from service the day before. You didn't even get a chance to raise your hand. Now you must face the wrath of your parents on the drive home as they berate you because you did not show your love for the organization by commenting at the meeting.
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TheOldHippie
And the - frequently a bit elderly - ones who don't listen to what the others are saying in their replies, but who just HAVE to come with their reply, which consists of exactly the same words that are used in the paragraphs, because although the others have given that reply 10 times over with their own words, this elderly one just HAS to give it once more, because the EXACT words of the paragraph haven't been re-told. Or, he/she is so eager to reply that they don't care what the others have said, they just HAVE to give the same reply once more, because they didn't bother to hear what the others said.
We had sort of a mental list of persons to whom we did not pose the A question when there was a B as well, because we knew that person would always give both the A and the B replies - to the dispair of many a child or youngster.
But the conductor or others' reactions, as someone wrote, are interesting to watch - that stiffening and mumbling and reddish color and feeling that a possible apostacy is on its way .........