a pet peeve of mine (page 3)

LongHairGal

TONUS OH:

You pretty much touched on the mentality that Witnesses had: ‘..we would enjoy salvation while those smarter people (i.e. those with college/white collar jobs) died at Armageddon’.

This arrogance (with nothing to back it up except hot air) is why Witnesses with trades made themselves out to be superior to somebody with college/white collar job.

Again, nobody is knocking these perfectly okay trades jobs. The problem is (1) that JWs (with no credentials) acted as if they could counsel people on serious matters that should be left to professionals.. Also, (2) the mistaken stand of ‘superiority’ led these JWs to knock people like me who didn’t follow their example.. I’m sure all those pioneers who cleaned years ago felt morally superior to me.. Well, I hope they can pay their bills now.

Getting back to the OP: I hope this makes it clear about the origin of this issue.

road to nowhere

Education, learning. Ignorance are not exclusive.

I know a Mexican immigrants who went to Mexican schools. He is among other things a linguist and etymologist

I know an engi eer who is an educated fool

Rattigan350

Those occupations listed often pay more than the ones that college degree with pay, and many are self employed which makes them the big boss.

A self-employed window washer is far more well off than regular jobs.

The accusation is that such ones are not 'trained' to be counselors. But the accusation that they are not trained implies that there are trainers, and I don't believe that such people exist. Counseling exists because of experience, not training.

Simon

There seems to be a view that window washers, plumbers, cleaners, construction workers are somehow less intelligent than those who may be college educated. I don't think this labeling is in anyway kind or accurate.

You're correct.

I think it's a way people like to point out how the WTS holds people back when it comes to academic attainment. But as you point out, this does not equate with intelligence (or even knowledge). You could even argue that people who don't rack up huge debt for a worthless degree and the wisest ones of all.

They may even have the last laugh as AI takes over everything ... except for jobs like plumbing!

peacefulpete

I readily admit and confess I had no qualifications or insight into the complex family and mental health issues I was thrown into. And I'm sad to say I'm sure I did very little good, armed only with trite quotations and platitudes. And yes I was a window washer for a time.

Beth Sarim

A.I. may even be used for diagnostics for things like health, dental diagnostics. Things which dentists or doctors may overlook, by just a mere 2 weeks before something actually develops. Things may develop like a dental problem or an underlying health problem before a dentist or doctor actually picks-up. Saving the patients teeth,,,or diagnosis of a health problem weeks or months before something develops.

Which could enable health care professionals or dentists to perform a procedure as a proactive measure rather than a reactive measure. Sparing the patient much anguish and preventing something happening even before something develops.

I just read this today somewhere,,,can"t remember where.

no-zombie

I wasn't going to comment on this thread, but instead of my prepared a longer rebuttal, I'll say this ...

Everyone who rips into people with university Degrees, clearly don't have one themselves.

OR

They live in the US, where your profit driven education model make a mockery of every university outside America and their Degree holders, by selling Degree units in Klingon, Harry Potter, Zombies and Vampires. (see University of Ohio State, Wisconsin Madison, Austin Texas and Columbia College)

TD

I would guess that context is probably important. (As with all things)

There's a helluva difference between an educated person being a snot about it versus a JW pontificating to a degreed professional in their own field.

I've seen both.

Lee Marsh

I have the degree. I had a lot of very well educated teachers/professors. Some knew only their subject and little of anything else. Some knew their subject but they had no idea how to pass the information on to the students. I spent a whole year in one prof's class. No one understood her. They would pass me notes or tap me to explain. I would have to be as tactful as possible to ask the question that would get her (or me) to explain what she was talking about. "So, if I understand you correctly, then when "a and b" happens then we can expect this kind of response? Then I would see heads nod in the call that they now understood. It was tedious. The prof caught on to what I was doing and started to ignore me in class so people would come to me after class.

No doubt that the prof had gotten an education and passed enough classes to graduate but.... NOT a teacher.

On the other hand I have met some brilliant people with little to no education that are smarter than some of those professors.

My father had a grade 2 education. But he worked at the same company his whole life building combines. He could take a car apart and rebuild it. Fix almost anything. He was a wicked sick man but I have to give it to him, he could put almost anything together and make it work.

Being uneducated is NOT the same as being stupid. Being educated is not the same as being intelligent.

But uneducated people should not be handing out medical or mental health advice or punishing people who are ill. That is ALL JW elders are trained to do. - punish perceived "sin".

Sadly, too often that results in worsening condition for the person and sometimes suicide - too often.

Yup I am a trained mental health practitioner.

New day

This is a superb thread. I too have always been annoyed at the “window washer” references. I was at one time in that line of work. I did it partly to spend time ministering as an elder in my JW congregation. Way out of my depth on many occasions as I did not have mental health training. But glad to see that many posters are stressing that that form of work (window cleaning) is honorable in itself. Now I am a teacher, in a super stressful job, and sometimes I wish I was back in the much less stressful job of cleaning windows! But on the plus side, I am no longer an elder!

a pet peeve of mine

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