by dontplaceliterature 131 Replies latest jw experiences
Question:
Why do I see so frequently the Witnesses referred to as "Window Washers" on here?
I have been a witness (though only recently "conscious") for my whole life. I do not know a single JW who is a Window Washer by trade. Most of the ones I know are in sales of some form or another...
I think they meant weanie washers...
I do not know a single JW who is a Window Washer by trade. Most of the ones I know are in sales of some form or another...
The ones you know in sales are likely selling window washing and janitorial supplies to others.
Rub a Dub
Everyone's being a little flip. People here call them window washers as kind of a catchall term for the kinds of businesses than many JW men and families have. In my own congregation, which is pretty small, we have at least three families who employ other witnesses as well in their cleaning businesses. They are able to work at night and have the daytime free for service, and it doesn't take education. Some brothers wash windows, some have commercial accounts, some sisters clean houses for a living. I am very surprised that you don't have similar statistics in your area. I have been in 6 halls in my life as a witness, and this was true in all of them.
A few minutes ago, a DF'd guy cleaned the windows of my business. Really.
I have known "window washers" who made more money than I did in my traditional office job. They have control over their hours and time of work. I have known some with degrees that preferred doing this. I have no problem with someone doing honest work that supports themselves and their families. I have known people with degrees who lived off unemployment and made their wives make the money.
In the last 3 congregations I was in, not a single person did cleaning work. Sales, yes, and not cleaning supplies, and they were quite successful going to the Caribbean every year as a bonus...I never had a job like that. Construction jobs were popular too.
Anyone who has never cleaned a window, has no idea the skill it takes to do it well and quickly.
Oh, and also, there is a certain awareness that as a result of this lack of education and training, that when you go to elders for help and guidence with serious issues, they have neither the training or education to enable them to be effective counselors. Now, this might not be so bad if elders were really appointed by holy spirit and Jehovah was personally directing the advice and assistance, but as I am sure you are aware, this is sadly not the case. As a result, they frequently give some really messed up advice. Rape counseling, addictions, domestic abuse, child molesting...these are not really subjects that the average JW elder has a handle on.
GrandmaJones hit on it...
A lot of JWs, in trying to maintain a simple lifestyle while spending as much time in Kingdom work slavery to the WTS, would work in part-time jobs, sometimes in what some people might call "unskilled" labor such as janitorial. Some brothers instead of working for someone else, would start their own services so they could set their own work schedule thus leaving service schedules easy to make.
It is a flip way of referring to them, but it's not always fair. Some "brothers" have made very good livings in the cleaning business. Some brothers have invented gadgets for the cleaning industry that has made them rich.
In the end though, many elders are still uneducated, manual laborers who are sitting in judicial meetings counseling people who have been abused by predators in the congregation. These men, no matter how succesful they are in cleaning windows or organizing construction crews have no credentials for doing the work of the police, courts or therapists.
Most of the ones I know are in sales of some form or another...
Well, if they're good at selling Watchtowers and Awakes, I guess they'd be good at selling about anything...
I was a bona fide jw window washer for a while and knew many. Good job if you want to pioneer but has left me with arthritus.
