by cedars 45 Replies latest jw friends
Hmmmm. . . Never thought of that! Pretty funny.
In reality, no one in the US speaks like the people in the dramas except Bethelites, who have their own weird, cult-y accent. How an organization can spend over a century in Brooklyn an not a single member of the bethel family has even a hint of a NY accent attests to their cult status. Amazing.
The drama never failed to disappoint. The number of times one plastic rock and a table and chairs was supposed to represent a house in some wilderness. Lots of prancing around a field waving arms that was all indistinct. When they had the modern day dramas they were just extended demos with a 45 minute talk wrapped around it. The accents were apalling making the drama even less relevant if that was possible.
The number of times one plastic rock and a table and chairs was supposed to represent a house in some wilderness.
[Dramatic music; brothers stack a wooden bench upside down on top of another and carry it out. Two more brothers carry the plastic rock away. Enter Israelite soldiers carrying spears...]
Ha ha! You just brought it all back for me...ah, memories...
--sd-7
Yes Cedars - I couldn't agree more. It was especially funny when someone you knew was in the drama & was lipsynching with an American accent. I recall seeing an elder I knew with a very strong Liverpudlian accent acting as Job / Abraham or someone with a big stuck on beard & strong American accent & me & my friends just burst into laughter. It was impossible to take it seriously & he was ribbed for years afterward about it.
I suppose it just shows the USA-centric domination of the WTBTS - now being centralised further by the closing of many of the regional Bethels. Ron Drage ( UK branch committee member famous for pinching Don Adams' girlfriend & being black balled by the WTBTS US leadership ) decided to try to compensate by developing the worst faux American accent I have ever heard ( though hearing Kate Winslet's accent in Titanic comes a close second ).
The british accent is by far the most beautiful aswell. In Norway we say; If I had a british accent I would never stop talking :)
The british accent is by far the most beautiful aswell. In Norway we say; If I had a british accent I would never stop talking :)
Norwegians are awesome when it comes to learning and speaking English. You make us Brits ashamed of ourselves for mostly only knowing one language.
Cedars
the Governing Body insists on having us read what they read, and listen to what they listen to. It is the height of ignorance IMO.
Yes, Cedars. Or arrogance.
"In reality, no one in the US speaks like the people in the dramas except Bethelites, who have their own weird, cult-y accent."
The dramas are written by old, geeky farts in Teaching. So they don't represent how any real people talk. They fabricate how they think "worldly" people talk. They fabricate how they think "rebellious JW youths" talk. They fabricate how a family ought to study so that they'll all be obedient JW drones. Generally, even the "Bible part" of the drama is fabricated.
It's probably just a case of money...recording one rather than two...........
If I remember the old dramas had an anointed brother record the voice of God, and he did not have an American accent
Actually, what bothered me most about the recent dramas was how the WTS added to the Bible story
Blondie - I agree with you that most dramas are not "bible dramas", but dramatizations of fictitious bible-based stories - i.e. the exploits of Timothy in resisting the temptation to pursue a worldly career, as portrayed in the "Pursue Goals" DVD.
However, I really don't think it's a money issue. After all, the cost of recording media (CDs, DVDs, tapes) has plummeted, and the labor used to make the recordings is free. Also, in parts of Europe where two languages are identical with only subtle differences, the Society will go to the trouble of authorizing separate recordings.
I think in the case of English speaking lands, however, it is purely a case of arrogance on the part of the Society. Their thought process seems to be along the lines of "we all speak the same language, it's understandable to all, the brothers should feel proud and privileged to be hearing the drama in exactly the same way as it is heard by their brothers in America, including the Governing Body." Since the overwhelming number of brothers on the GB are American, it doesn't occur to them that the drama loses its already negligible emotional impact when listened to in a different accent. Not that I'm complaining that they've made such a costly error! I just can't believe they're so stupid, year after year.
Cedars
