Watchtower® and their education (page 3)

sarahsmile

LOL, and I thought I had it tough! Writing school papers from the WT!

cha ching

My sister (an American) is mad because she could never find the word "cournal" (colonel) in the paragraph...

though she does spell the word 'color' as colour... a result of reading English fiction

Don't get me wrong, I really have NO problem with cultural differences. It actually gives our world different flavours/flavors. ;) I don't care who thinks they're right about colour/color or which side of the road to drive on....those things are too pathetic to argue about. My point is that the Watchtower(R) do not appear think further than their own back door. They have proven to be totally out of touch with reality. They have no concept that there is an alternative English that should be respected. ................but then it's all about the money with the WBT$. They're building their new Beth Sarim in Warwick. All hail the Governing Body they are higher than god!!

Phizzy

I have heard several JW's over the years say "Can't we have a Bible and a Watchtower in English, not American ?" , I would thoroughly agree with the sentiment, but could understand the Brooklyn view that it wasn't worth the cost.

But what you point out Punky, that the GB's view is extremely parochial is, and has been for many years, a problem for them as to recruiting here. Many times in F.S we were told by the public,"Oh, yours is just an American religion", meaning an upstart compared to the CofE or Catholic faith of the Householder.

How did the H.H know that ? because the Magrags were so "American" in tone, language and content.

It is obvious too, when you look at the suggested "presentations" in the K.M that the GB are simply not aware of how secular Britain and Europe have become.

The old mutter a few words and then flip to a scripture idea has been out of date for at least two decades.

All of this is to the good of course, the more the Ivory Tower bound GB keep bumbling along in their out-dated way the less likely are new recruits.

Less sufffering in the world is always a good thing !

punkofnice

Many times in F.S we were told by the public,"Oh, yours is just an American religion", meaning an upstart compared to the CofE or Catholic faith of the Householder.

Yes Phizzy, I've had that said to me too.

Well done WBT$.......shoot yourself in the foot please!

konceptual99

@AndDontCallMeShirley

The "Randy" character in the drama is 100% correct 'cos I was there. It was many years ago now but it was hilarious. The very first time it was used the character just said "Hi, I'm Randy!" and it was absolutely brilliant. All of us youngsters at the time cracked up.

Almost as good as the sister in an interview at the Southampton DA saying "shit" accidentially as a malapropism.

Oh, and the streaker...

Apognophos

I think most Americans have heard that meaning of "randy", but it's true that we mostly think of it as a name first and foremost.

Many times in F.S we were told by the public,"Oh, yours is just an American religion"

Now there's a conversation stopper I've never imagined having to deal with!

Almost as good as the sister in an interview at the Southampton DA saying "shit" accidentially as a malapropism.

How did that happen?

ambersun

I can remember having school essays returned to me with red marks through my Americanised spellings and also Watchtoweresque phrases that just don't feature in the outside world. One history lesson I remember being corrected for using the term BCE (before common era) as we are taught to do by the WTS instead of BC (before Christ). Very frustrating!

Band on the Run

I am not certain how to explain this. The Witnesses are American despite claims of neutrality. Perhaps b/c I visited Bethel Central many times I even found them to be a NY area cult. The prophecies are written from an American dissenter perspective. I grew up in the post WWII period. The Allieds were on the side of the righteous. My mom was forced to prepare a Witness statement for when the Gestapo invaded the NY area. Recently, I was reading an excellent biography of Winston Churchill and the WWII years. I never realized how close Britain was to actual invasion or how the French wanted to negotiate most favored colony treatment with Hitler. I know the FBI overreached with the Witnesses.

The Witnesses may be deplorable Americans. If they did not litigate the First Amendment cases, someone else would have. They are American in cultural terms. I wondered how foreign Witnesses felt about being part of an American religion whose HQ was in Brooklyn of all places. My family would not have been active in a foreign religion.

I had British West Indies caregivers who cried about the spelling differences. The American teachers do not seem to know that there are differences. Students who once had straight As in spelling were called idiots by their American teachers. I read a lot of English literature as a student. There are some words I must constantly look up b/c I tend to spell the British way. Gray, grey, Judgement, Judgment, others.

punkofnice

I can't help but feel that we are at a stage where culturally we at in 'cross pollenization'. This is mainly I feel, because of the media, T.V. and films/movies in particular.

As a teen I was an avid reader of Spider-man and wanted to visit NY.

However, from the point of view of what was required of me by the UK educational system, the constant indoctrination from the watchtower® was not helpful.

Watchtower® and their education

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