JWN Letter Writing Campaign

by okage 60 Replies latest members meetups

• 

  okage

  so do nothing is what you are saying steve2.

  enjoy your life of doing nothing outside of this idea. if the wts still scares you and you think it to be invincible that is your shortcoming.

  dont push it on those willing to do something.

  i am hard pressed to find threads you started proposing action. i am hard pressed to find threads others started where you support action.

  again. do not push your fear of what you view to be the mighty watchtower on those who see the organization as a bunch of cowards.

  as for deceptive tactics

  you dont want to do anything. you dont want others to do anything. you say the wts will trash anything immediately apparent as apostate. you call it deceptive to immitate the societys writing style so they dont immediately trash it.

  so offer a better idea. better than the idea of do nothing.

  i have no problem with naysaying if you are just expressing personal feelings like oz. naysaying if you are working on other plans like robert. naysaying if you can offer something constructive.

  but naysaying as a means to discourage or destroy isnt acceptable. its counterproductive. its mean spirited and its a hope for failure before the idea begins.

  this thread and this movement are for those who hate seeing injustice. its for those who dont quake in their boots because they know the watchtowers only strength lies in the fear of those whose lives they touch. its for those who support doing something because they know doing nothing is dangerous.

  and if you dont fancy yourself as a person with something constructive to offer the conversation then please piss off.

  the rest of us have work to do.
• 

  mamochan13

  some thoughts. I think it's an idea worth pursuing. Can't hurt, even if it doesn't accomplish great things.

  1. I don't understand the mimic WT letterhead. Deception isn't a good way to get a valid message across.

  2. Simplicity. The letter Oodad posted has great points, but they need to be far shorter and much more concise.

  3. individual stories. Yes, as BOTR says, you can't just send a form letter. You could open with a unique paragraph (a breif individual story), followed by the same key points. Four or five key points that are the same message.

  4. Timing. I was thinking June is almost too soon. You need time to work out any bugs and make sure it's done well.

  5. use the power of social media. Link a Facebook page, a Twitter feed. All linked to the same message.

  6. Give some thought to how you can make sure anyone participating can do so anonymously without fear of exposure.
• 

  okage

  belbab

  so penton is a recognizable name among the general population apparently. among jws and exjws and a fringe part of the populace perhaps. but he is still a relative unknown in the mainstream.

  show me a stats. show me that 100 percent of the exjw population banded together with a letter writing campaign. show me 90. show me 50. show me 10 percent of those people with a grudge against the society banded together on a single letter writing campaign.

  i bet you cant. james woods said it honest that organizing formers and doubters would be like wrangling cats.

  what i am proposing has apparently never been done. suggested. but never done.

  you think writing the media is a waste. steve2 thinks writing the media is a waste. then you have absolutely nothing to lose and everything to gain by participating.

  pascals wager adjusted.
• 

  okage

  mamochan

  i believe a foot in the door is an opportunity for greatness. using a letterhead as a hope to get eyes to drift a few inches down. if that is unacceptable deception then i guess im a monster.

  which means cult deprogrammers and the familys that hire them are satanic because their methods are far greater in the line of deception.

  i dont know if people are reading the other posts i made on here. at least you are reading the posts others made so thank you for that. but the original plan is evolving. and if i can manage to post a call to action without the steve2s of jwn trashing it and can feel comfortable that there is a potentially large network of supporters i will adhust the date to something we are all comfortable with.

  my request is this. i asked yay or nay. if its nay say nay. if one says nay but feels they need to say more they can offer what they feel are better ideas. i have proven i am open and accepting of ideas that work or assimilating ideas the might work with ideas that will work to better both aspects.

  but this isnt the place for inaction. this thread is a call to action. if people feel this idea is a waste of time they can make their own thread and band together to talk about okage wasting peoples time. but on this thread we have a call to action and people with ideas to make it grow and flourish.

  i enjoy the idea of social media as a tool. i enjoy the idea of unique stories. i especially appreciate security.

  entirely possible demanded specifics. i gave the brunt of ideas but not the specifics. i want this to be a collaborative effort. i also want to have the discussion of details in a place where the watchtower doesnt have eyes.

  but i dont know if i can be that guy. im sure i havent posted anything to make people believe i am a witness in disguise. but i am relatively new to the site and will gladly pass the torch to someone with a more established presense on here if people doubt me. if i was kicked out of this discussion i would welcome it as long as the discussion was indeed happening.

  this isnt something that has been done before. suggested a thousand times over but never successfully accomplished. i believe it can be accomplished easily. i believe the success of this effort will get the pessimistic naysayers to feel like their voices do count.

  but until then this movement and all the potential good it can cause needs those particular naysayers to stay out of the way.
• 

  whathappened

  Mamochan13: I agree with all your points.

  I disagree with those who say the cause of exposing the Watchtower is futile. All an evil entity needs is to remain unoppossed to prevail. Let's do what we can. The bigger they are, the harder they fall, remember?
• 

  steve2

  so do nothing is what you are saying steve2

  .

  Okage, your comment is perfectly understandable given my criticism of your idea, but you make an unfounded assumption.

  If I thought "doing nothing" was the answer, I wouldn't even have responded to your thread in the first place let alone been on this website for more than 8 years. You make the mistake of concluding that because I have criticized your campaign idea, that I am saying there is nothing else that can be done.

  What I do know for certain is that "campaigns" have been tried for years. Two simple facts that you might like to consider before mounting all this effort:

  1. T he organization expects them because it feeds into the "persecution complex";

  2. The media are less and less interested in them.

  I applaud specific responses to specific issues by individuals. E.g., recently the New Zealand media gave front page coverage to a law court overruling JW parental wishes that their very sick child not have a blood transfusion. A JW wrote into the paper, not only making scare-mongering comments about blood transfusions but also raising the issue of bloodless surgery.

  His letter resulted in 3 subsequent letters - all from individuals critical of the JW view on blood, exposing the scare-mongering and the limitations of bloodless surgery.

  In addition, websites such as this forum provide an excellent venue for growing numbers of ex-JWs to begin the journey away from the organization. Reasoned discussion devoid of orchestrated deception.

  Campaigns such as the one suggested by you confirm every single negative stereotype held by JWs about "apostates" - e.g. that apostates are deceitful etc. The use of mock letterheads feeds right into the very worst of those stereotypes.
• 

  Hermano

  I'm in. I think a coordinated letter writing campaign to media outlets could be effective in raising awareness. If it doesn't work at least we gave it a shot. Maybe we'll learn lessons that will make the next campaign more effective.

  I wish the naysayers would put all their brain power on coming up with an idea that would work instead of telling us all the reasons why this idea won't work. Nothing personal intended against anyone who posted on this thread. It's just we all seem to be experts on what WON'T work.
• 

  steve2

  I wish the naysayers would put all their brain power on coming up with an idea that would work instead of telling us all the reasons why this idea won't work.

  If something is ineffective, it's ineffective, no matter how much you sugar-coat it. If you just want supporters and do not wish to hear from people who offer other views, fair enough. Follow the example of the Watchtower and roundly criticize anyone who does not agree with your idea.

  I have suggested above - and in other threads - that there are many helpful and effective ways of communicating with others about the organization. I just happen to think that orchestrated campaigns - especially those that utilize overt deception - are largely ineffective and highly likely to be counterproductive. Block you ears if it's hard to hear a differing view.
• 

  ÁrbolesdeArabia

  00Dad's the letter is good, did you read ISOCF? Brother Franz had the gift of the pen and keyboard, I wish we still had him to point out the obvious contradictions loaded with the Organization.
• 

  Aussie Oz

  and i am pretty good at forging images but i know people who are great at it...

  using a letterhead as a hope to get eyes to drift a few inches down. if that is unacceptable deception then i guess im a monster.

  BAD IDEA

  The JWs already beleive we 'apostates' are liars. To promote your cause with a lie is going to do nothing but confirm what the Watchtower tells them.

  BAD IDEA

  If you can't do your job honestly and with full transparency then don't do it at all. You will destroy all credibility in one hit. If i was a news corespondant receiving fake letterhead information it would not get any further than my trash can. It would also taint me against other ex members trying to get my attention. Talk about a non trustworthy source! No newsman worth a dime would be dumb enough to stand behind it. And even if the deception letterhead only went to JWs, don't think for a minute these letters wont be presented to the media and anyone else as evidence of lies and deception. Once that is established nothing written, even if true will be believed.

  Assuming you do still do it, imagine the JWs response to the media...just crazy disgruntled ex members who cant let go. Look, they even resort to faking our own letterhead...and they can prove it. You have already shot your mission in the foot with your above quotes. The Watchtower will have already seen you talk about using forgery and deception! What goes on the internet is forever. Cut and paste, copy save... facebook JWs will post your comments all over the place. war lost before it starts. Credibilty zero with JWs and some ex JWs now i am afraid...and I don't know how you will reverse that.

  BAD IDEA

  IMO, if you do this, and i think you will, I wish you well. BUT, dont use deception. You can't fight a lie with a lie.

  Oz