Why are they so anal about assembly badges?

by highdose 45 Replies latest jw experiences

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  JediMaster

  Blondie's right. I've also had to wear name badges to most non-jw conventions I've been to. In other places, when I attended jw-conventions in Mexico and Central America, it served to ID who was really a witness. A lot of thugs take advantage of such large gatherings to pick-pocket and steal. We would be advised time and again at every oportunity to not to leave anything valuable on our seats. I for one never really mided it, it helped me to keep tabs on the sisters I liked and made a mental note to go visit that cong later.

  JediMaster
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  Mad Sweeney

  The problem isn't having the badges available. The problem is wasting hours and hours of your life at meetings harping on THE IMPORTANCE OF WEARING YOUR BADGE AT ALL TIMES for the three days of the convention.
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  dreamweaver09

  I object to being ask where my badge is!

  I also don’t want to be dictated that it has to be worn to and from the conventions and in lunch breaks.
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  Jim_TX

  When I was still married to the ex-wifey who was a JW and attended those conventions, the daughter would come back with stories of her and her friends (all teenagers at that time) swapping badges during the convention. I think some even collected them.

  It was kinda funny, one time she came back with some guys' name. I thought that would be pretty funny.. someone walks up to you and sez, "Oh. Hello Bill." to a young lady.

  As for me - I used to wear the badges when I was a JW. I took it off after the convention, though. To me, it was sorta like an 'admission' ticket. If you had one on, you usually weren't stopped or asked questions. Usually just 'waved' on through. Which always made me think that if I was an outsider, and found a badge on the ground, I could get into the convention - no questions asked.

  (If you're wearing a badge, you're almost invisible. Or at least... I was.)

  Of course... I also used to wear a 'nerd' pouch.

  Regards,

  Jim TX
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  man in black

  what is a nerd pouch,,, is it a fanny pak ??
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  dreamweaver09

  ..........................bum bag............
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  cult classic

  A sister in our congregation would write everyone's name in calligraphy on the badges. It was really pretty and if your name was written in a style other than calligraphy everyone knew you had picked up your badge late.......lol.

  When you're a kid everyone is always labelling you and your stuff in case you get lost. So when I was a kid I thought that's what we needed it for....lol. Most of us ditched the badges in our preteen years because it was no longer cool. As an adult I just refused to wear them.

  Cult Classic
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  WTWizard

  It might be acceptable to have one's embarrassment badge on while at the Grand Boasting Session (though with the number of pedophiles that come from within, that is no assurance of security). However, the insistence that one wear the embarrassment badge while off the premises is a bit too much. And I have heard many a note given from the May Kingdumb Misery inserts of years past of how important it is "to give a witless to those in the city".
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  LostnFound

  As a kid I always had to wear one, but my parents generally didn't put one on. When I got to be a teen I filled them out and maybe stuck them on my book bag- but wouldn't wear one. At one convention, an older sister told my friend and I that if we didn't have them on, we wouldn't be able to meet new friends, or a potential marriage mate. I would rather someone come up and ask me my name and introduce themselves, then just read it off a label. It still didn't convince me to put it on. (Even now at work I refuse to wear a name tag.)

  After I left, I was working at a retail store- and during the summer there were many weekends of conventions. There were so many JW's (even kids and teens!) that came in wearing their modest jeans and T-shirts, with their badge cards attached. It made me feel sad to see that. Some even talked to me about the convention, showed me their name tag and talked about where they were from, and one person invited me to the drama the next day. I wonder if I was ever used as an 'experience', heehee.
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  jookbeard

  the stupid feeling of self importance comes to the fore with these stupid badges as attendants and volunteers have an extra piece of paper attached to the underside of the badge, as field security we even had a special red line under the attendant part, and yes I have to admit to wearing my stupid badge with an amount of pride, crazy.