Last year I thought I would share my diligent notes and show what it was like at the core of the organization.
Not this year. For a learning experience, I decided to stray from the active ones and see what everyone else was doing during this convention. Perhaps this would be special since the whole theme of the DC was "Godly Obedience". Yeah right...
First thing, depositing my protest check was no problem. First time I'd been at the contribution box in long while. I highly recommend lodging your protest this way at all assemblies and conventions. Print, fold and drop it in the box.
Friday starts everyone fresh, but an occasional stroll noted some already prowling the parking lots/corridors and many arriving to the site at their leisure. A regular contingent left the site during lunch, violating the "pack your lunch law". This crowd increased on following days.
Saturday the heat was on and many were visibly asleep in their seats. The aisles where packed with some standing and watching, others just making continual loops while the program dragged on. A casual tour of parking lot was surreal. The convention site radio broadcast (for hearing impaired) was echoing through the lot from parked cars. I estimate about 100 people (not including the handicapped parking) were lounging through the program this way.
During lunch, the savvy moved theirs cars from near the convention building to parking spaces close to the exit. Not a bad strategy, but harding self-sacrificing.
Picked an afternoon seat in the nose-bleed section. This is a section that was roped off early that morning, but overrun in mass revolt. Once the yellow DO NOT CROSS line was broken, it quickly became a refuge for the anti-social and fringe-JWs. I was pleased to see two young men either text-messaging or playing games on their cell-phones. Another bored wife tapping away at Tetris on her husband's PDA. Only about 75% clapping in this section. Priceless look on the attendant's face when he came up to do the count.
The mad rush for the new release is still very much a tradition. I posted myself at the lobby before the concluding song where I could see two distribution points. The release talk explains there are enough for each person to get two books (What Does the Bible Really Teach). No shortage here. Just before the song some attendants begin setting up to hand out the books. During the song a few vultures trickled in. I bow my head for the prayer. When I look up there are two lines formed out of my sight. This happened during the prayer! So much for reverence.
By this time I got the impression that the program was not resonating with the delegates. Even the active-JWs were numbing to the constant repetition. "How do you like the program?", I'd ask the do-gooders. "Oh, it very good", "This is just what we need right now", etc, but never any specifics. The only talk I got comments on was the "inactive" talk, "Return to the Shepherd of Your Souls". From inside the bubble, this might seem like a caring talk that explains why people are leaving in droves. Working overtime and materialism was the main reasons given. This talk only goes to show how out of touch the WTS is.
Had a great time at dinner Saturday night. I made sure to dress casual without a badge myself. I was amazed at how many JWs (still in formal dress) had removed their badges for dinner. Can't blame them. I was also highly amused to see other JW hotties in casual dress (low-risers and bellies showing) WITH their badges on. Now there's a witness.
Had the idea to prank-call other rooms in the hotel at 9:00PM to ask "This is Brooklyn. Do you still have your badge on?!"