Black Friday Stampedes VS. District Convention Morning Gate Openings (page 2)

blondie

I can only imagine jws trying to get on the ark............

man in black

HA, yes I remember being an attendant and guarding the stairway leading up to the coveted Gold Cup Room at Hawthorne Race Track in Chicago .

One morning being an attendant and that was it for me. The people seemed to completely forget "christian behavior" during that stampede.

I also noticed that the younger kids seemed to make the most effort at getting the precious seats, they would zoom and dart around the older, less mobile adults.

It sure did resemble black Friday now that you mention it

Listener

I'm surprised that priority is not given to the elderly and disabled.

donuthole

Sadly, I witnessed an older woman fall in line. The way the others funneled in right past her was disgusting.

Thank you all for your comments. The experience and comments you have all brought out really show (to a logical mind, at least) that such ugly incidents occur, no matter of what faith the people involved profess to be. Human "mob-mentality" can affect even the most devout of Christians, especially when facing a situation where poor seating can make an 8-hour seminar even that much more excruciating. Therefore it is absolutely inappropriate for any JW to make snide remarks towards Black Friday shopping.

Great point about the new releases, Medina. I forgot all about that. The tear into those new release boxes like army ants swarming over helpless prey. Throw in the fact that they release new publications at the end of the day, which really adds a nice layer of madness to the already hellish exodus towards the parking lot.

New Jeremiah book? I'm gonna read the whole thing tonight!

Smoky & man in black, most of the conventions I've attended did also have "luxury boxes" but they were ALWAYS reserved for administration. I had access to these boxes while working and you would get to see people lounging around on the couches and loveseats, feet up on tables, shoes off, definetly enjoying their elevated status. Furthermore, these VIP areas were stocked with their own donuts, coffee, soda, even lunchmeat! I found it very spiritually upbuilding to see how the other half lives.

Let them eat cake.

OnTheWayOut

HA, yes I remember being an attendant and guarding the stairway leading up to the coveted Gold Cup Room at Hawthorne Race Track in Chicago .

Wow, that really takes me back there. The Gold Cup Room was where the high rollers would sit for the horse races, so it was the most comfortable with the best view. I don't understand why people wanted a good view of people speaking but the comfort was understandable. Parents/grandparents would have the kids run because they could get through the crowd of people faster. When they got to the coveted seats, the attendants had typically marked more than half of them at one second past 8 am because they were already standing at the seats before the doors opened. Then they would casually walk away from the clearly marked seats so that the first people to run up there would wonder how someone possibly beat them to the seats.

I was a "totally-in" dub back then. I figured too much comfort would make me fall asleep so I never bothered. Besides, JW's judge each other so heavily. I didn't want people thinking I abused my attendant position. What a nerd.

DagothUr

We had this problem even in Romania, but not quite so. The entrance was tough, but not to the point of stampeding others. The biggest problem were the seats. Over and over again, the Society sent requirements to be read to the congregations before the district meetings: "Do not occupy seats for other persons beside those who travel in your car!". Over and over, before each convention. And in the morning, 10 minutes after the entrance into the stadium or hall, all seats were taken. They just threw an "Awake!" or a "Watchtower" magazine on the seat. One person was occupying more than 10 seats for his relatives and friends. I used to complain a lot about this and in a loud voice. I threatened the elders in my congregation with my absence for the next convention, if the situation was to repeat itself. And I always got the elderly advice to be calm and tolerant towards the brothers' and sisters' imperfections. I do not understand how mentally sane (or at least that's what I thought I was) people spent an entire weekend, after driving to exhaustion 5 hours each day, to a convention where they got bored to death in the searing heat until their clothes became one with their skin. The only good moments were when some young sister sat somewhere nearby and I got the priviledge to glimpse: a) at her legs; b) at her breasts; c) at her butt; d) all of the above.

WTWizard

I saw my share of pushing and shoving at the a$$emblies. When they used to serve food (later, they served phude instead), there was plenty of pushing and shoving to get in line. There was pushing and shoving to leave the area once the day ended. There was pushing and shoving to get "prime" seating, which I stayed out of because my idea of prime seating and everyone else's idea of prime seating were two different things. And there was pushing and shoving to get the new littera-trash.

I will compare this to the "pushing" and "shoving" I experienced for Christmas. In July and August, I start going to various sites to begin ordering Christmas decorations where mine were falling short. These come in good time. Then, come October I get a deal on batteries where I have to buy something like 600 of them for 25 cents each (for candles and other decorations that take AA batteries and must take 1.5 volts to properly operate). During December, I start getting rechargeable batteries, lanterns and flashlights, battery chargers, and a professional headlamp in case the fake energy crisis the EPA is getting ready to impose on us results in rolling blackouts. And, invariably, things arrive in good time and in one piece. No pushing, no shoving.

iceguy

Yeah I remember the Cold Cup Room at Hawthorne Park. It was a waste of time trying to get those seats because even if you were the first to get to them they were already saved by those privledge brothers that were already inside before the doors opened. I remember saving some seats one time and some other family just threw our books on the floor. Now mind you these were not special seats just seats in the back row and the family that took them were very over weight and I guess it would have killed them to walk down a few steps to seats that were not taken. I even asked them why did you throw our books on the floor and they just stared forward and would not answer me...I called them assholes and had to go get some other seats. That was the last time I ever went to an assembly there.

Ex-Dub MS

And all of that for the grand privilege of wrinkling your nice clothes in hard plastic seats for hours at a time, struggling to stay awake, scribbling down scripture references as if they were manna from heaven and--oh yes--applauding on cue. Really? Really really?

It's like living an Aesop's fable entitled The Emperor's New Public Talk...

-XD MS

Black Friday Stampedes VS. District Convention Morning Gate Openings