Did you Hate Being Called Brother ( last name ) Or use People's First Name? (page 3)

free2think

To be honest i didn't really mind, although it didnt really happen to me that often, people just called me by my first name. I hated being called brother (insert my dad's surname)'s daughter, or the PO's daughter. Another winner was brother (insert my brother's name) sister. Then i felt like i had no identity, which wasn't nice. I also didnt like when people would ask me my name, as i would say my first name and they would be like no your last name? Like that has anything to do with who I am.

sooner7nc

I called everybody by their first name for as far back as I can remember. That probably should have been crapola's first hint of the rebel inside.

undercover

I didn't mind the "brother so-and-so" or sister whats-her-name" from the platform but that was about it. Outside of that it seemed cultish tp always be referring to each other as "brother" or "sister".

But I remember as a kid being told to respect the older ones at the hall (when you're 5, who isn't older?) and always call them "Brother Smith" or "Sister Jones", never by their first name. It became so ingrained that by the time I was in my 20s, I never called some of the old timers anything other than "Brother Lastname" even though they used my first name. I think part if it was the old Southern custom of showing respect to your elders and never being too familiar with them by using their first name.

Speaking of using "brother" or "sister" from the platform, I remember we had one WT study conductor that used more first names than "Brother/Sister Lastname". If he knew them personally...and he knew most everyone...then he called on them by their first name. Then came the COs visit one year and he took offense at that practice. He counseled all the elders and MSs at the elder/MS meeting to never use first names from the platform...always use "brother" and "sister". Then we got another CO. He took offense at calling unbaptized people "brother" and "sister". He said to call them either "Mister" or "Ms" or by their first name...but all baptized publishers were to be called "brother" or "sister". It became very confusing for awhile...

minimus

I was embarrassed when someone publicly would yell, "HEY BROTHER MINIMUS!!!"

flipper

Thanks for all the replies. Been sick the last couple days so I couldn't reply. ( Maybe being called Br. Flipper got to me more than I thought ? ) LOL! It seems like quite a few of us felt some weird uncomfortable feeling with it. Especially outside the kingdom hall

WTWizard

It is all a formality. The whole religion is based on living your whole life as if you were in sacred service all the time. You are always supposed to dress up. Your speech is always supposed to reflect the dignity of the misery.

When one is at the Kingdumb Hell, it's one thing. But I do not like being called "brother" while in a recreational situation or at work--and I wonder what problems that created if you have several people with the same last name.

flipper

WT WIZARD- Good point - it is all a formality . I truly believe that the WT society wanted witnesses to actually be formal in their own homes ! It just seemed too impersonal for me before or after meetings to call people brother or sister - so I used to just call everybody by their first names. I did what felt " comfortable " to me

White Dove

iAAAAAAAAAAYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY!!!!!!! iHERMANO STILLAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!! iHOLAAAAAAAAAAAiiiiiiiii

Yeah, that's worse than what they have the kids do in the south by having them call everyone Mr. First Name and Miss First Name, like Miss Scahlet.

It sounded to an outsider like me like they were trying to be archaic and hark back to the "good ol' days." (which weren't so good for a lot.) Reminded me of Missah this and Miss that and Massah. Yuck!

I always like Mr. Last Name and Miss or Mrs. Last name, never first name after such a title!

Brother this and Sister that sounded pretentious to me, like an elite club.

flipper

WHITE DOVE- Pretentious is a good descriptive word to describe witnesses insisting on calling people by brother or sister instead of first names. Good point ! Peace out< Mr. Flipper

JimmyPage

This is a very interesting topic to me.

I have felt pretty close to the elders in my congregation, and because of this I often call them by their first name. Not as a sign of disrespect, but a reflection of the closeness I have felt.

But recently one of the elder's wives made a comment in the WT study that I took personally. She basically said it was a sign of disrespect to call the elders by their first name and that these brothers have earned more respect than that.

I turned to my wife and said, "What does she want me to call her husband- 'Father Smith'?" My wife was not amused. But I was heh heh.

Did you Hate Being Called Brother ( last name ) Or use People's First Name?

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