I just got thru reading "The Tipping Point" and enjoyed its observations about social change,
advertising and communication. The book ends with these words:
"In a world dominated by isolation and immunity, understanding these principles of word of
mouth is more important than ever."
The book makes the paradoxical arguement that the flood of modern advertising, faxes and
e-mail are making word of mouth, personal testimony more important than ever. People
tune out the ceaseless messages of marketing and seek instead the personal experience
of others. I have heard of some people preferring to buy a car on e-bay because they can
read about the personal experience of others in dealing with the seller.
I often find myself preferring to look at books on Amazon.com because they usually offer
customer reviews that are more insightful - than whatever the critics say.
But what does this change portend for the Watchtower, Inc. ? It's not hard to guess!
They pump out endless streams of magazines - that even Governing Body members don't
bother to read. They drive depressed Witnesses to go door to door thru guilt.
.....but they are (trying to) IGNORE the Internet AND the importance of genuine
personal recommendation of the "truth" by Witnesses. Being depressed and having
your family torn apart by disfellowshipping and shunning of the inactive is hardly fertile
soil for cultivating the conversion of outsiders. Neither does a subculture based on guilt
and duty attract people as a 'shining city on a mountain'. Accept our offer of a Bible Study
and maybe you can live on Paxil/Xanax/Prozac/Welbutrin, too. Ain't it wonderful?
"Tipping point", indeed. Somebody once said that the definition of being crazy is doing
the same thing over and over again - and expecting a different result ( - and while we're at
it, I also heard someone wisely observe that "utopias are for only for tyrants and weaklings")
metatron