Sisters of the Stars & Stripes

by Uncanny 6 Replies latest jw friends

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  Uncanny

  I have just TV-watched two very famous and very rich fleshly sisters, Venus and Serena Williams, play out the final of the 2001 US Open Tennis Championship for Women.

  Venus, the older girl, won the match as expected after two regulation, rather ho hum sets of 'Grand Slam' tennis. (Maybe their Dad had already done a deal with them on who was going to be the winner today.) Anyway, the big New York crowd seemed to get their money's worth, more maybe from the novelty value of sibling rivalry rather than high standard court play. And between them, the two girls - apparently both dedicated and baptised Jehovah's Witnesses - won around $US 1.5 million dollars in prizemoney as their JW mom looked on with much pride and pleasure from the grandstand.

  As JW 'sisters', the double standards shown by both Williams girls - and indeed, their religion, the Watchtower Society - for even participating in such professional sports events has been well documented on JW Internet sites over the past couple of years. Such eye winking hypocrisy makes a sham of the Society's long held policy of shunning such feircely competitive pursuits of the flesh; having their henchmen elders virtually ban young rank and file JWs from even competing in inter school sports carnivals, let alone professional tournaments.

  But if Venus and Serena want to fight out the US Tennis final in between behaving like Beverly Hills pop stars, then that's all right. Why is tbat so? Could it be that maye a nice percentage of today's gigantic cash pay out will end up in the coffers at Brooklyn? Perhaps.

  I know one thing is for sure though; my sympathy goes out to all sports minded Jehovah's Witnesses who once again must be shaking their heads with confusion how there seems to be one law for the Society's rich and famous and another law for them.

  It was interesting to watch the post match presentation, framed as it was from behind the net by a multitude of American flags flying brightly in the breeze. So much for anti-nationalism and not giving recognition - doing obeisance? - to the modern day kings of the world. (At least Venus didn't wrap herself in Old Glory at the end.)

  The only thing missing for me today to complete this shameless display of fakery and token worship was having Diana Ross sing the National Anthem prior to the match being played out. What a kicker it would have been to have the artist formerly known as Prince - now a budding JW himself - doing the honours all around. Maybe next year.

  Uncanny
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  RationalWitness

  You are wrong Uncanny. Diana Ross did NOT sing the national anthem; she sang "God Bless America." There WAS NO national anthem (at least not on the broadcast). Whether this was because the Williams girls did not want to be seen not singing it, or whether the tennis association/network bigwigs did not want negative publicity, I cannot say. However, there was no national anthem broadcast on national TV.

  Cheers,
  Rational
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  COMF

  You're right about this being diametrically opposed to what we have heard and seen throughout JW history over, at least, the past 40 years (not sure about before that). And those who passed up opportunities to play sports for fun or profit because of the society's overbearing position on them, must be shaking their heads with regret.

  However, I see no hypocrisy here on the part of the girls. They are quite public about what they are doing. And, after all, isn't this what we want... a loosening of the rigid standards, a moving away from the old to a more tolerant, accepting new?

  I don't see this as a bad thing.

  COMF
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  Uncanny

  Rational Witness

  Apologies from me. Not being a US citizen myself, and living Down Under, I got the Star Spangled Banner mixed up with God Bless America.
  (Should have given it more thought. Irving Berlin wrote this morning's "anthem" from the tennis, I believe.) So you are right again no national "anthem" was broadcast. But have you ever heard the legal term 'to lead by intent'?

  Your comment made me think that maybe the Williams girls cut a deal with the US Open to not have the authentic "änthem" played and all US flags kept on the far side of the net. They've got the power, baby.

  COMF

  Quite, right, too. It's great to see "a loosening of the rigid standards" and the girls being "quite public about what they are doing." But surely you are over defending Sr Venus and Sr Serena a little too much by not seeing "hypocrisy on the part of the girls."

  Being an out of touch apostate worldling again, maybe I have missed out on the new light instruction that would condone brothers and sisters pursuit of fame and fortune as a sports professional. If that's the case, Serena and Venus will always have a busy teaching career ahead of them, working on the serve and volley games of so many JW kids on the same trail.

  Show Me The Money! Indeed.

  Uncanny
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  HoChiMin

  Uncanny'

  I have doubts they are JW's it seems to far fetched. Can it be confirmed? Have I missed something? Or is the trend of leaving high profile witnesses alone widening?

  HCM
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  alirobbi

  The only thing I have read on them said that their Mother was a JW and their father was not. Someone else has said they had read somewhere that the girls said they have done door to door work but no one knows if they are even baptised Witnesses. I myself didn't see this in any article so I don't know if it is true or not.

  Maybe they are considered members in good standing or maybe they do not believe in"the truth" and they are keeping it to themselves in order to have a relationship with their Mom. Or maybe they believe it's "the truth" but play tennis anyway. Whatever it is why be angry at them? Should you be angry, yeah I think so but I think it's the WTS you should be mad at not the girls. Like Comf said with as public as they are this might help loosen the ridgid stand they have imposed on the R&F.

  They are very talented ladies on the tennis court and I admire them getting out there and doing what they do best. Instead of letting the talent go in order to appease a few old men in Brooklyn.

  Robbi
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  Richie

  "God bless America" may not be the official national anthem for the USA, but it surely has a direct corrolation to nationalistic symbols and anyone being caught standing AND singing it would in principle violate their "neutral" standing without question!
  I only hope that she will not give a portion of the winnings to the Society but rather to battered children, abused spouses, animal right-groups or toward paying the legal costs to convict child molesters or what about paying toward helping the enormous damage heaped upon families and individuals who are shunned by a medieval practice of disfellowshipping in the modern era.... just a (valid) thought...

  :*) Richie

  You are the music as long as the music last...............