Does A School Yard Bully Attitude Take Over This Discussion Board?

by The wanderer 77 Replies latest jw friends

• 

  The wanderer

  Does A School Yard Bully Attitude Take Over This Discussion Board?

  Growing up, I can recall such times when a rival would want to pick a fight
  with me and when we met, he would bring along two of his friends and I
  would be alone.
  
  Sometimes, I would knock their block off and sometimes, it was the other
  way around. This discussion board at times makes me think whether that
  schoolyard bully attitude exists here.

  The Us Verses Them Attitude

  During a discussion such as whether a person is an agnostic, atheist or
  believer sides are taken and a line is “drawn in the sand.” Often I wonder
  why this is the case?
  
  Why does it seem that individuals cannot simply respect a person’s view-
  point or more importantly the person themselves whether they agree
  with them or not?

  When an individual offers their perspective, viewpoint or opinion on a
  matter why does a “we got to get him attitude” take hold?

  Can you offer your perspective on the matter?

  Respectfully,

  The Wanderer
• 

  5go

  The Us Verses Them Attitude

  During a discussion such as whether a person is an agnostic, atheist or
  believer sides are taken and a line is “drawn in the sand.” Often I wonder
  why this is the case?
  
  Why does it seem that individuals cannot simply respect a person’s view-
  point or more importantly the person themselves whether they agree
  with them or not?

  When an individual offers their perspective, viewpoint or opinion on a
  matter why does a “we got to get him attitude” take hold?

  Can you offer your perspective on the matter?

  Respectfully,

  The Wanderer

  Ok you have got on one the religious mind that is by nature black and white. Easy to understand why they act that way.

  Then you have atheists.

  Now to get into the athiest POV think like this.

  What if you found out you were being scammed would you be content to just let things be. Or would you want to try let others know about it. Then what if someone maybe not knowing they are being scammed, comes and defends the scam maybe using legal ways to shut you up and hurt you. What would you do ?
• 

  esw1966

  the athiest POV think like this.

  What if you found out you were being scammed would you be content to just let things be. Or would you want to try let others know about it.

  I DO NOT want to get into a school yard brawl, but....

  That is MY postition. I feel that God DOES exist and that the Bible is TRUE. I feel that I was fed a false gospel. I feel that I have been told the correct version now and I know that it has changed my entire life.

  So, I feel the org was the scammer and I want to let others know NOT to give up on God because they fell for Satan's lie. There IS Good News and it is found in the Gospel. It is Jesus. And when you come to him your life changes. You have to search it out and look.

  So, I try to understand where others are coming from and realize that we are each on our own path either to or away from God. I try to bring people TO God.

  I feel some have really been hurt and get real negative about those still believing in God, MOST are very respectful and willing to give each of us room on our journey. We have all been hurt. Each of us finds a way to cope. In the end, we should all show LOVE to one another as there is no other better way to be.
• 

  Gregor

  Wanderer, your extremely formal, dispassionate, opening thread posts, complete with tabloid graphics and salutation, ("respectfully") shout out that you are a person who can't take the heat but doesn't want to get out of the kitchen. When you submit a thread asking the tired, worn out, obnoxious, question, "Why must you try to 'get even' with the WTS?" you must realize that you will generate some heated response. So when that happens you then whine about a "school yard bully" attitude taking over the discussion board. Grow up.
• 

  Scully

  During a discussion such as whether a person is an agnostic, atheist or
  believer sides are taken and a line is “drawn in the sand.” Often I wonder
  why this is the case?
  
  Why does it seem that individuals cannot simply respect a person’s view-
  point or more importantly the person themselves whether they agree
  with them or not?

  When an individual offers their perspective, viewpoint or opinion on a
  matter why does a “we got to get him attitude” take hold?

  I'm quite content, personally, to let people live and believe as they wish, provided they are willing to allow me to live and believe as I wish. As an atheist, I realize that it took me a great deal of time, personal reflection, and examination of the evidence that I had at my disposal to arrive at the beliefs that I now hold. It was certainly a very interesting journey, and at times a bittersweet and somewhat painful one. Having gone through that difficult inner conflict and finally accepting what the evidence was telling me, I am willing to allow others to travel their own paths. I may disagree with their beliefs, but certainly acknowledge that those beliefs can be a source of comfort and strength for them (just as my lack of belief is a source of comfort and empowerment for me).

  There was a point in time when I was still a JW (albeit a faltering JW who had just begun reading the bible without the WT fog-filter attached) when I had an epiphany. One day it suddenly occurred to me that I had absolutely NO right to preach to anyone or to try to compel anyone to feel disillusioned about their beliefs. I thought to myself how utterly arrogant it was to go door-to-door and basically put people on notice that their beliefs - beliefs that brought them comfort, a sense of community, a sense of tradition, a sense of belonging - was all wrong and that JWs were the only ones who had it "right", when I could see from the bible that JWs were seriously lacking in so many ways. How DARE you??? I said to myself, how DARE you tell these good, decent people that they are wrong and JWs are right. Just who do you think you are?

  That's usually the same voice that I hear in my head whenever I see a believer vs atheist debate here.
• 

  MsMcDucket

  What you're describing falls under one of these categories:

  Herd Behavior

  Cult of Personality

  The Good Samaritan Effect

  yadda yadda yadda. . .
• 

  J-ex-W

  Wanderer, your extremely formal, dispassionate, opening thread posts, complete with tabloid graphics and salutation, ("respectfully") shout out that you are a person who can't take the heat but doesn't want to get out of the kitchen. When you submit a thread asking the tired, worn out, obnoxious, question, "Why must you try to 'get even' with the WTS?" you must realize that you will generate some heated response. So when that happens you then whine about a "school yard bully" attitude taking over the discussion board. Grow up.

  Ummm...Gregor...I think he does this TO generate response...and not with negative motive. I've always considered his topics though-provoking, like a classroom teacher who knows how to get students' brains clicking on a subject--to search within themselves for the answers that make sense to them and bring all possible angles to the fore. Just my take on it....
• 

  RichieRich

  Sometimes people start off with bad ideas, but they express them really well, and so their opinion seems to win.

  Most people here have friends who back them, so that's where the 2 or 3 on 1 comes in.

  Bully's will always exist in society. But nobody said you have to back down.
• 

  RollerDave

  To my way of thinking, civility should be the very LEAST we can expect, and often we can be moved by honor to offer much more.

  Yes, there are a variety of differing viewpoints here on JWD, but aren't we here to discuss? What would we have to discuss if we had no differences?

  'discussion' would then devolve into:

  'the wts is mean'

  'Yes, isn't it?'

  I know that as a witness, I was called upon by the group-conscience to not only never miss a chance to express an opinion, but to be sure it was always the 'right' opinion. If I didn't speak up, I ran the risk of someone making an incorrect assumption regarding whether I was fully on board with the expected view of whatever it was we were discussing.

  A luxury I have found since gaining my freedom is the ability to simply refrain from expressing any opinion if I so choose.

  So, some threads I see here on JWD don't appeal to me, and that's fine; I don't post in them demeaning them or demanding to know why they fail to interest me, I pick one that inspires me to add something that I hope others will value to the conversation.

  Just my take,

  Roller (of the 'undigested corn class')
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  Confession

  "Everyone is in favor of free speech. Hardly a day passes without its being extolled, but some people's idea of it is that they are free to say what they like, but if anyone says anything back, that is an outrage." --Winston Churchill

  Anytime we separate ourselves into a group of like-minded persons, spending most all of our time with them, we frequently end up expressing our opinions as rational fact--and may (either intentionally or accidentally) mock those with whom we disagree. For some people this just comes naturally.

  Scully, I so identify with your epiphany. I had one too, while an elder--but years before my exit, when something just struck me between the eyes: how incredibly arrogant and immature it was to shun (or even dislike) a JW for deciding they didn't believe it was The Truth anymore. Don't misunderstand... I very much still believed it to be The Truth. But I just had this incredible moment of awareness that all of us are simply human beings, and that we are not in the position to judge another human's honest opinion as evil. Again, even as a fully active and believing JW, I still thought, "Can't a person change his mind?" It was like a firm and sudden tug to the cerebral cortex.