A couple of comparisons: the WT of today vs the early 1970s

Skimmer

The other day I happened to make my monthly stop at the local fast food joint when I usually borrow one of the community newspapers for an afternoon read. This time around I see a couple of WT magazines. As always, my concerns for my fellow man caused me to grab these toxic items for a later meal -- a meal fed to my cross cut shredder at home.

Once home and while I was ripping the magazines apart, I couldn't help but notice a few things; specifically, comparing the latest cultist sewage with their predecessors of some thirty plus years ago. Yes, way back when I turned in a grand total of three months of Field Disservice reports.

1) The forward obviously has no more mention of 1914. But it does have (paraphrased from memory) "the hope that this wicked system will soon be DESTROYED" (emphasis is mine). I don't remember any DESTROYED from back in the early 1970s. The WTBTS is a religion of hate and at least it's honest enough to have that in every magazine. Alas, it's not honest enough to admit it's been saying "soon" for a dozen decades and counting.

2) The text is a pale shadow of that seen in the earlier screeds. Using metrics like total distinct vocabulary, average word length, average word count per sentence, etc., the current target educational reading level must be at least three years less than that expected in the early 1970s.

3) Comparing the physical characteristics: the new has more color than the old along with much more photographic and drawn artwork. But the magazine is smaller and much flimsier -- I don't see how they could make it any more cheaply and still have it hold together. Are they really asking for a (suggested) US$0.50 per issue? I've seen better production values in the free advertising supplements in local papers and also in junk mail.

Gopher

Just to clarify: The word "destroy" is not specifically used in the front of the magazine.

Before November 1995 the Awake Magazine's " Mission Statement" in part read, "the Creator’s promise of a peaceful and secure new world before the generation that saw the events of 1914 passes away."

In November of 1995 it was changed to read in part, "the Creator’s promise of a peaceful and secure new world that is about to replace the present wicked, lawless system of things."

As to your point #2 -- you could say in general that the general public's attention span also has decreased in the last few decades. The WT is merely keeping up (or down) with the times.

As to your point #3 -- They switched over to four-color printing presses to increase the magazine's marketing appeal. The JW's do not suggest a specific, identical amount -- I think the price you mentioned may be what some householders give (if they give anything at all).

Skimmer

I distinctly recall that the word "destroyed" appeared in what looked like a boiler plate forward in the upper half of the inside front cover. The WT issue date was mid 2006.

The sixth grade reading level of today is not much different than that of the mid 1970s. I don't think that, in general, the average reading skill level has changed that much. But the WT target level has certainly dropped a few notches.

I'm pretty sure that the US$0.50 number came from some WTBTS suggested contribution list. Also, I think it was the price before the WTBTS-assisted Jimmy Swaggart tax avoidance case was lost.

And if the money isn't important, why doesn't the WTBTS make all their literature available for free via download or email distribution lists?

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Hey, the WT magazine is supposed to be from God's Only True Channel(tm) and its "scholarly" contents (supposedly) provide the equivalent of a college education. (Uh, maybe the Awake rag is needed for this as well.) These periodicals are reported (by themselves) to come from the only people who have Divine Spirit Directed(tm) knowledge of the Deep Things(tm) of God. Can't we expect something that's at least as good as the local (and free) television listings newspaper supplement?

yaddayadda

AWAKE! magazine says in the foreword "..Most important, this magazine builds confidence in the Creator's promise of a peaceful and secure new world that is about to replace the present wicked, lawless system of things."

THE WATCHTOWER says "...It comforts all peoples with the good news that God's Kingdom will soon destroy those who oppress their fellow men and that it will turn the earth into a paradise."

"comforts all peoples"...HA!...yes, how comforting indeed for all peoples to learn that Jehovah is going to wipe out 99% of all peoples at Armageddon. Such wonderful, comforting, good news for all peoples.

fokyc

The WTBTS is a religion of hate

I never realised just how true that statement is until a recent meeting with my wife's PO

He is so full of hatred and yet, 'The Elder's Book' calls for a PO to be 'a kindly man',

worst of all to maintain their position they will tell the most outrageous lies.

It didn't appear to me to be like this back in the 60's and 70's,

I think 'Stay alive to 75'' had an effect on many from which they have never recovered.

fokyc

wozadummy

Skimmer I recall the Watchtower study articles were longer and more in depth ,whereas now they just seem to drone on about immorality and loyalty to the FDS

monophonic

it would be interesting to put a topic study of the study articles and what subjects keep hitting and how they're increased. no i don't volunteer myself, i can't stand looking at the things.

in another idiotic convo w/ mom tonite, i was telling her about the quotes from the trinity brochure and how most of them were not from scholars, professionals who were against the trinity, but they were against christianity all together..i told her it was like the wtbts quoting a philosopher saying 'god has influence on mankind', but the real quote is 'god has influence on mankind which is absurd because there is no god'.

then i went off on the 'stop educating yurselfs with all thems other subjects we have all the educamating you need' bullshit and she said, 'the wtbts doesn't proclaim themselves as scholars'.

squeaky clean brainwash.

so i replied that they do control a mass amount of people and claim it's their way or the highway and will have no problem getting people shunned who don't follow along 100%. that one stumped her a bit.

she was also a little 'hunh?' about where the wtbts gets their quotes from. i explained to her, b/c i'm a journalist, that if i misrepresented someone as blantantly as they do in my interviews for the articles i write, i would be instantly fired, the publication would be called into question re: its ethics and the ethics of 'worldly' publications are a lot more moral than the standards of the society.

here's a sip of vodka for the blind leading the naked.

bluebell

Slightly off topic because I talking "Awake!" here but do they still say that if you were to read the mag for a year and able to retain all the information then it would be equivalent to a degree? I remember that from my father and from the platform in the UK as one of the resons we didn't need higher education - the borg gave us all the higher education we needed...

steve2

While it's interesting to note the specific changes in the Watchtower publications you itemize, this needs to be placed in context: Dumbing down of printed matter is evident across the board, including in newsmagazines, newspapers, TV news programmes, TV documentaries.

Time magazine, for example, has significantly more graphs, pictures and diagrams that, say ten years ago, and more eye-catching use of colour and text. Although, admittedly, it is pitched at a higher reading level than the Awake!

Dumbing down is not unique to the Watchtower publications. Have you seen the Seventh-Day Adventist magazine The Signs of the Times? Bland in the extreme - kind of like a Reader's Digest for conservatives. You'd hardly realise this is the latest style of communication from religious groups that once hailed an urgent, end-times message to everyone in their path!

greendawn

It would be a religion of hate since it wants most of mankind exterminated just for not obeying their silly cultic drivel that keeps changing all the time or accepting their so called divinely bestowed status as the sole chosen religion on earth which is of course a barefaced lying myth.

There are unfortunately still many dumb people that believe in these myths and try to propagate them to their fellow humans through selling the JW publications.

A couple of comparisons: the WT of today vs the early 1970s

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