Spy vs Spy—The Watchtower Society's 007 Mentality

by The wanderer 16 Replies latest jw friends

• 

  The wanderer

  Spy vs Spy—The Watchtower Society's 007 Mentality

  The organization was naturally a gossiping paradise. Everyone seemed
  to know everything about your business and personal life. It was one of
  the most intrusive methods employed in the organization.

  Laying Down your Life for your Brother

  It was amazing to me that more often than not a talk
  would be presented about laying your life down for
  your brother.
  
  This in my opinion was disturbing because it seemed
  that individuals who were your brothers would not think
  twice about turning you in for some perceived wrong-
  doing.

  Some of us were Sucked into this Vortex

  Sadly, I was guilty of this mind set as well but there
  are some questions regarding it that I would like
  to ask.

  • Did you know of anyone in particular who
    was notorious for turning people in?

  • Were you the one who presented
    yourself as the accuser?

  ---

  Please post your comments for an
  interesting and lively discussion.

  Respectfully,

  The Wanderer
• 

  Frannie Banannie

  • Did you know of anyone in particular who
    was notorious for turning people in?

  • Were you the one who presented
    yourself as the accuser?

  I don't know of anyone in particular. That particular tactic was just widespread throughout the WTS.

  I NEVER accused anyone to the elders. I figured people have enough to deal with in their lives without the gestapo interfering.
• 

  yxl1

  Did you know of anyone in particular who
  was notorious for turning people in?

  Oh yeah. Everywhere I turned there seemed to be someone watching. I cant remember the amount of times I'd get home only to be confronted by 2 elders wanting to know why I did this or that or whatever. Looking back, it's a pretty impressive thing - the fact that grown men can rally around a teenagers house at the drop of a hat, rain or shine, day or night, to ask who was I walking with at the local fair/cinema/pub. I mean, surely these people had better things to do...

  Unfortunately for me, I had a Witness family living directly opposite, one to the right of and an Elders family to the left. Strategically, it was a nightmare when sneeking out at night to go clubbing (or coming back) and only got caught a few times (which resulted in the usual bad association, end of the system, Jehovah watching my every move speach)

  Were you the one who presented
  yourself as the accuser?

  I remember being asked to the back room by two or three elders and quizzed about another brother who they susspected of smoking. I knew he smoked. I;d seen him at school many times sucking on smoke. They knew I knew , but I wouldnt choke...Not that I particularly liked the kid - he was an elders son and was one of those who was always used as an example of how every teenager should dress/behave/walk/etc. I'd have probably got some satisfaction out ot it, but it just seemed so wrong.

  Anyhoo, enough rambling. Its been a while since I've checked this site out - nice to see some familiar faces.

  Later

  yxl1
• 

  Butters

  It was amazing to me that more often than not a talk
  would be presented about laying your life down for
  your brother.
  
  This in my opinion was disturbing because it seemed
  that individuals who were your brothers would not think
  twice about turning you in for some perceived wrong-
  doing.

  Yes I always found the borg to be a bit tenacious on this point when it came to things like going out in service and attending meetings and such, but when it came to a brother confiding in another about a particular sin, let's say you boofed the overseer's daughter or something, the news would spread. However, I prefer that the news spreads about things in light of all the sex abuse and other scandalous things. But what is even more ironic is how they then don't apply thier own tact to the outside world about themselves.

  An organization with nothing confide to because of something to hide...

  Sickening.
• 

  hambeak

  I was the subject of a lot of gossip until I left and said to hell with them all. In my cong the worst ones for gossip and trying to catch someone of wrongdoing were the elders wives especially the po's wife and they were a bunch of sniping twits.
• 

  Qcmbr

  We have a similar situation in my faith but I like to think it stems from being very close and being encouraged to think in a big family way. I'd be more upset if people didn't find me interesting enough to include in their discussions - then again I don't do any public naughties...
• 

  restrangled

  Oh yes! This subject is near and dear to my heart in the complaint department.

  We were raised to tattle, spy, and betray anything confided.

  Good god, it was a literal double agent spy fest in our KH. Even bible studies were encouraged to report what they witnessed by an active member either in their neighborhood, schools, grocery stores etc. Even neighbors were encouraged to "report" things.

  The 70's were a very sickening time period in the witnesses history. The paranoia, guilt induced, and non-trustworthyness of any one you knew was rampant.

  Our KH covered many neighborhoods in Chicago. So if you went to a theater, were shopping, at a restaurant, and back then rollerskating was a big deal, all areas were covered by at least someone, and usually someone you didn't recognize, or maybe you did but they told someone you didn't know. Now, we are not talking wicked behaivor here.

  I am talking about maybe a too short skirt, seeing a questionable movie, being seen hobnobbing with someone other than a witness etc. it was reported and into the back room you were dragged after a Thursday night meeting. There was an endless stream of bodies in an out of that back room. Of course that added to the gossip, inuendo, and put any one emerging from that room under extreme scrutiny.

  I'm not going into detail because it would be impossible to describe every little infraction, but this was reality in the WBTS during the 70'[s. A perfect Orwellian life.

  r.
  
• 

  Gary1914

  The most heartbreaking ones are when children turn in their parents.

  Just recently an 11 year old boy informed the elders that his father told his mother to go f---k herself. It was not a nice thing to say, of course, but some things should just remain in the family for goodness sake.

  Some publishers feel that it is their obligation to inform the elders of everything they see that they feel is wrong. They are so irritating and annoying you can't imagine.
• 

  jaguarbass

  This in my opinion was disturbing because it seemed
  that individuals who were your brothers would not think
  twice about turning you in for some perceived wrong-
  doing.

  To me, this is the thing about religion everybody who tries to practice a religion from the bible is a hypocryte, for one the bible is a book of contradictions which will only lead to hypocracy and 2 because of the ying and yang of life.

  People arent dying for thier brothers they are dying for the underlying principal, or the organization.

  In Jw times I doubt any are dying for their brothers. Its just a thing to cause comaraderie in an organization like the military or a religious cult.
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  heathen

  I think the bible says that after a public reproof and a lack of change in the individual that then they are to be removed . They do it all in back rooms and made up a six month reinstatement period that has nothing to do with the bible .