The term "pre-emptive strike" came to mind! (I watch too much Court/TV)
Annie
Is there a name for this kind of JW tactic?
by ithinkisee 21 Replies latest watchtower beliefs
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MerryMagdalene
I knew somebody would deliver the goods. Well done, everyone!
Very helpful.
~Merry
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cyber-sista
Those who desire to live with Godly devotion will be persecuted. That is what I was told by one friend when I was on my way out of the Org because of the mistreatment I and others had received by others in the Organization that is claiming to be God's organization. Somehow this was supposed to make me feel that because I was being abused I was extra special in the eyes of God. So my friend was trying to manipulate me into staying by telling me that the badness I saw and experienced was because I was so good Satan was really digging into me and Jehovah was allowing it so I could be tested and of course he would never let us experience "more than we could bear" .
Circular twisted mystical manipulation?
cybs
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VM44
If they bring up in advance specific objections that might be raised, then the word "innoculation" would be appropriate. (btw, is "innoculation" also spelled "inoculation"? I have seen it spelled both ways.) --VM44
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rockhound
Some time back, I did alot of research on the many Propaganda techniques that Witnesses use in door to door ministry and bible studies. The technique that you mentioned is called "Poisoning the Well", and is very effective in closing the householders mind to any of their friends or loved ones comments about studying with the Witnesses. Note the following:
Main Menu
Poisoning the Well
Etymology:
The phrase "poisoning the well" ultimately alludes to the medieval European myth that the black plague was caused by Jews poisoning town wells?a myth which was used as an excuse to persecute Jews.
The phrase was first used in its relevant sense by Cardinal John Henry Newman during a controversy with Charles Kingsley:
"?[W]hat I insist upon here?is this unmanly attempt of his, in his concluding pages, to cut the ground from under my feet;?to poison by anticipation the public mind against me, John Henry Newman, and to infuse into the imaginations of my readers, suspicion and mistrust of every thing that I may say in reply to him. This I call poisoning the wells.
Type: Argumentum ad Hominem"'I am henceforth in doubt and fear,' he says, 'as much as any honest man can be, concerning every word Dr. Newman may write. How can I tell that I shall not be the dupe of some cunning equivocation?' ?
"Well, I can only say, that, if his taunt is to take effect, I am but wasting my time in saying a word in answer to his foul calumnies? We all know how our imagination runs away with us, how suddenly and at what a pace;?the saying, 'Caesar's wife should not be suspected,' is an instance of what I mean. The habitual prejudice, the humour of the moment, is the turning-point which leads us to read a defence in a good sense or a bad. We interpret it by our antecedent impressions. The very same sentiments, according as our jealousy is or is not awake, or our aversion stimulated, are tokens of truth or of dissimulation and pretence. There is a story of a sane person being by mistake shut up in the wards of a Lunatic Asylum, and that, when he pleaded his cause to some strangers visiting the establishment, the only remark he elicited in answer was, 'How naturally he talks! you would think he was in his senses.' Controversies should be decided by the reason; is it legitimate warfare to appeal to the misgivings of the public mind and to its dislikings? Any how, if Mr. Kingsley is able thus to practise upon my readers, the more I succeed, the less will be my success. ? The more triumphant are my statements, the more certain will be my defeat."
(John Henry Newman, Apologia Pro Vita Sua)Example:
"I wish it were possible for men to get really emotionally involved in this question [abortion]. It is really impossible for the man, for whom it is impossible to be in this situation, to really see it from the woman's point of view. That is why I am concerned that there are not more women in this House available to speak about this from the woman's point of view."
( House of Commons Debates of Canada , Volume 2, November 30, 1979, p. 1920)Exposition:
To poison the well is to commit a pre-emptive ad hominem strike against an argumentative opponent. As with regular ad hominems, the well may be poisoned in either an abusive or circumstantial way. For instance:
- "Only an ignoramus would disagree with fluoridating water." (Abusive)
- "My opponent is a dentist, so of course he will oppose the fluoridating of water, since he will lose business." (Circumstantial)
Anyone bold enough to enter a debate which begins with a well-poisoning either steps into an insult, or an attack upon one's personal integrity. As with standard ad hominems, the debate is likely to cease to be about its nominal topic and become a debate about the arguer. However, what sets Poisoning the Well apart from the standard Ad Hominem is the fact that the poisoning is done before the opponent has a chance to make a case.
Exposure:
Poisoning the Well is not, strictly speaking, a logical fallacy since it is not a type of argument. Rather, it is a logical boobytrap set by the poisoner to tempt the unwary audience into committing an ad hominem fallacy. As with all forms of the ad hominem, one should keep in mind that an argument can and must stand or fall on its own, regardless of who makes it.
Analysis of the Example:
This is a common type of circumstantial poisoning of the well, which claims that men should either not make a judgment about abortion, or should keep it to themselves if they do. This illustrates the effect that poisoning the well tends to have, which is to forestall opposition in debate. It also shows the mistake underlying all poisoning of the well, since the sex of the arguer is irrelevant to the merits of the argument. No doubt one could always find a woman to advance the argument, whatever it is.
Sources:
- S. Morris Engel, With Good Reason: An Introduction to Informal Fallacies (Fifth Edition) (St. Martin's, 1994), pp. 206-209.
- Douglas N. Walton, Informal Fallacies: Towards a Theory of Argument Criticisms (John Benjamins, 1987), pp. 217-222.
I hope this helps, and please type in Propaganda Techniques in your search engine and then you will be able the recognize the many diffenent kinds used in all the literature of the Society. Have fun!!! Rockhound
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link
To be told that the opposition by relatives to studying with the J.W's is an attack by satan is simply known as a "self-fulfilling prophecy".
link
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LittleToe
I used to have the Mormon missionaries coming around quite a bit, after I left the JW's (I thought it only reasonable to hear what they had to say for themselves, even though I had no desire to join up). They use a similar device. Just as they were about to leave, fairly early on in their visits, they asked me to read a short story which detailed a small girls reaction to being oppressed for her faith.
It seems it's an effective device, especially when there's going to be a reaction from friends to your studying with a whacko cult.
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Odrade
I've also heard "proofing" and "inoculating." Both seem to be pretty descriptive of the tactic.
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undercover
I remember the WT counseling against the philosophies of the world. They actually held Aristotle and Socrates in low esteem. Everything we needed to know would come from God, The Bible and the Faithful and Discreet Slave (not necessarily in that order).
I guess they didn't want us to use our own powers of reason or research worldy thoughts and ideas that might trip a switch in us to realizing what was actually happening.
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garybuss
The basic strategy is called "poisoning the well". It's simply used to discredit the source. The Witness people identify those likely to provide recruits and members with information, then they discredit that source and if the education stuck, the person will not accept any information from the poisoned (not credible) source.
