Contolling the answers at the meetings

by Lady Lee 26 Replies latest watchtower beliefs

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  AuldSoul

  Do they simply paraphrase the answer and think that is putting it into their own words?

  You win, carla! It is an exercise in propaganda. If the brain is called on to support the propaganda just stated by saying it back in rote form the neural connection will draw only from the memory areas of the brain.

  Mental states that can remain consonnant despite propaganda that is disonnant with reality can more easily be acheived by encouraging the creative centers of the brain to formulate concepts in support of the propagandistic notions. It isn't actualy brain washing, it is conditioning. Literally, the brain is conditioned to rehash arguments in the owner's own words that support the conditioner's thoughts and ideas.

  It works BEST in group settings, because Group Think effects always create pressure to conform on those who are not alert to the way it works.

  AuldSoul
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  bull01lay

  auldsoul:

  Mental states that can remain consonnant despite propaganda that is disonnant

  I'm sure that's a perfectly worded, logical and coherent argument....

  ....... but I've had entirely too much whisky tonight to comprehend it !

  Bull!
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  AuldSoul

  [breaking it down for Bull!]

  Take 2 (and call me ... ah, that's a tired one):

  The propaganda itself is at odds with reality (dissonant).

  For the propaganda to be mentally held between periods of conditioning, the conditioning periods must create a sense of a state of harmonious reality (consonnance).

  To create such a state, the propaganda itself must become part of the conditioning process, that is, in the midst of an invented harmonious environment (the meetings/assemblies/etc.) things are stated that are not ACTUALLY real.

  These are coupled with enough things that are ACTUALLY real that the subject is encouraged to start creating a reality in their mind that makes the bits that are at odds with reality go away.

  By inviting responses from the audience in harmony with the false reality they created, the minds in the audience are encouraged to go even farther in proving the false reality to themselves. They are required to confirm it by stating its truth.

  By asking for it in their own words, they are specifically encouraged to apply their imagination and creativity in the process which is the part of conditioning that allows the person to maintain the conditioned state during brief periods of absence from the conditioning.

  But, if one starts routinely missing conditioning sessions they WILL begin to doubt "The Truth™" every time, without exception. Not because of pursuing selfish desires, but because apart from the conditioning there is no substance or basis to prevent reality ripping holes through the constructed reality the bOrg spoonfeeds its victims.

  AuldSoul
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  jgnat

  What if you divert from the scripted questions and ask your own question?
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  AuldSoul

  The WT conductor is encouraged to say, "That is a good question. Why don't you and I discuss that after the meeting?"

  {edit: usually with a "We still have a lot to cover in the assigned material." for good measure}

  AuldSoul
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  bull01lay

  Thanks for the breakdown Auldsoul - I really appreciate it.... but I think it's gonna make much more sense to me in the morning !

  NNGB all,

  Bull! <= gonna try and navigate the stairs now..... !!! Help !
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  AuldSoul

  G'night chya drunken b*stard! If you can't make it all the way up the stairs, I recommend laying your head ON one of the steps instead of slumping. You ain't never had a hangover 'til you've had one WITH a crick in the neck!
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  Honesty

  I quit commenting at the meetings after a householder told me he had attended a KH in the past and the WT Study sounded like a bunch of squawking parrots vying for attention. I left for good about a year later.
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  dedpoet

  I wasn't allowed to comment at the meetings during my last 5 or 6 months. I wasn't under restrictions, the elders just ignored me when I put my hand up. It was their way of showing they still had some control over me, because I was, deliberately, being a real pain in the ass to them by then. They knew that I disagreed with a few things, and didn't want to hear anything controversial, so they just pretended not to see my hand.
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  Confession

  Blondie's recounting is pretty much in sync with the printed WTS formula for commenting. They defnitely recommend "putting it in your own words," but as others have noted, that only means mixing the words up a bit, saying the same thing in just a slightly different way.

  The only suggestion I can offer is that, when you're the Watchtower study conductor (I used to be,) you're under pressure to get that puppy done on time. I used to try to finish by about 50 minutes past the hour, leaving room for a decent review, song and prayer. The thing you can run into a lot is chronically long-winded commenters. We had a sister in our hall who used to give two minute answers, which basically involved a slow reading of most of the paragraph with little folksy insights thrown in here and there. Once one of her comments approached the four minute mark. Later one elder commented, "That was not a comment. That was A TALK!"