"You can't sit there" (bad language) (page 3)

Simon

nah ... I don't regret it at all - looking back I wish I'd said a few more things in the hall (to the elders)

BTW: I have been the attendant as well and tasked with moving on mothers with prams (like they are 'unwanted vagrants'?!) and been on the receiving end of the verbal abuse (it is a shock when everyone is supposed to be 'loving brothers and sisters at a happy assembly').

You'd think that as nearly all their growth comes from breeding now that they would treat people better wouldn't you?

I hate the heat too - I always have the air con on in the car so that you can see your breath

Angharad

(((BoozeRunner))) I'm shocked by reading your story, it just makes me so mad that they think they can treat people like that

Inquiry

Hey Orange... I remember that convention... it was sooo hot the elderly were dropping like flies... if I remember correctly, someone died because of the heat.... It was awful...

See ya
Inq

Room 215

Ah, the memories...

Providence, Rhode Island (1959): Held indise in a hokcey rink with no air conditioning, the sweat was pouring in torrents and the friends were passing out like flies. The stretchers to First Aid were running like a shuttle.

Philadelphia (also 1959): The assemblies had live orchestras in those days, and ours was on the third-base side, uncovered. I got a nosebleed from teh heat and my whte dress shirt turned as I soldiered on.

Giants Sadium (1981): My daughter passed out from the three-digit heat. There were lots of ``urban legends'' circulating amongst the rank and file about babies dying of dehydration as well as older people faintng and dying.
In so many instances, the adminstration was set up in whatever room had air conditioning while the drones baked in the unremitting heat. If a sudden rainstorm broke, the diehards would sit soaking in teh downpour... surreal.

Also, in the case of Philadelphia, it would seem the organizers always set them for early June, when kids were still in school.

In this day and age, with JWs owning most of their own circuit assembly halls, District Asemblies are a pointless anachronism, and it seems callous of JW leadership to subject their people to this tortune for no good reason.

It's hard to avoid the impression that all they are is a means for cheap publicity and fund-raising, with the welfare of the JWs so far down the list of priorities as to be invisible.

Englishman

I heard an interesting account regarding my Dad's old assistant at an assembly at nearby Burnham-on-Sea. Apparently, George D, who was a pretty formidable fella, was reprimanded for saving seats at the front of the assembly hall. he ignored the admonition, so the next time the attendants removed his goods from the seat and put them elsewhere. George was incensed, so, during the next session, he placed his magazine case and books on the seat, and wound yards and yards of sticky parcel tape around case and seat so as the attendants could not easily remove them.

Englishman.

BoozeRunner

Mazza, Ang:
Isnt it amazing how one is not trusted in a so called "spirtual paradise?"

Boozy

joenobody

I remember several summer district assemblies in the dreadful Olympic stadium in Montreal. A few times when they had those "international talks", the sound system and echo was so bad that it was all mud... what a painful drone to listen to - you might pull a word or two out every few minutes.

I remember one year in the mid 80s when the stupid roof wouldn't open. The Big Owe always had roof problems, and it getting stuck closed was a terrible one on this occasion. There was a digital temperature display on which I clearly remember seeing it get up to 47 degrees Celcius which would be about 115 freaking degrees! It was absolutely ridiculous. I was a a preteen at the time and was fading in and out. I finally said forget this and left for the hotel... and I was lucky at the time wearing my "assembly clothes" (shorts and a nice shirt). I can only imagine what those poor guys in suits were feeling.

I too had the same fantasies as others at assemblies looking longingly at the baptismal pool, thinking to myself, "Would anyone mind if I just took a dip?"

The best part about assemblies though when you were young was the frozen puddings and of course, all the girls!

Sunspot

I have two "nightmare experiences" that come to mind after almost 30 years of loyalty to dumb rules according to the WTS assemby behavior.

The first deals with a convention in 1973 at the Three Rivers Stadium in Pittsburgh.....SO HOT that it defied ALL common sense to be sitting in that sun all day, especially with five kids who were bored and sunburned. I used to kid about the fact that my nose looked like a potato chip as it peeled and peeled (I STILL have scars). They ran out of food the second day, and we lived on Cheese Danish and warm lime Shasta soda (gag) cuz that was all that was left.

People who lived nearby (WE had come in from MA) were bringing in and setting up all sorts of umbrellas in the stands....and if someone in front of you had one....YOU couldn't see anything but their umbrella!!!! If you left your seat to go inside the stadium to find a moment's relief in the shade......you were told to please go back to your seat. It was just awful.

The second one was after the Henrietta (near Rochester, NY) Assembly Hall was built, and there was a baby-care room just a few steps away from one of the side-door exits from the main auditorium. Having an extremely difficult Autistic youngster (grandson) I was now caring for, I always sat near the "fast-exit" to make my get-away when he began screeching and tantrumming........until one day I was met with an attendant (complete with an attitude) at the doorway, to direct my weary body toting this squirming child----to the MAIN exit at the BACK of the auditorium!

I'm PLEADING with him to just let me pass....but NO way...I MUST comply...and off to the back exit I trudged. And THEN it was quite a ways to get to the baby-care room across a very slippery marble floor, holding a very irate and squirming child and trying to remain composed. Having to get up at 4:30 AM to dress and feed my grandson, shower and get dressed myself and pack all the day's needs (people I traveled with leaving at 6:00 AM---NO kids) I was exhausted when I GOT there.....and then struggling to stay awake AND care for the little one......I got SO disgusted at the stupid RULES as to what DOORS I was "allowed" to use......

SO glad to be DONE with it ALL!!!

Boozerunner--I got angry all over again reading your post on this....

Hugs,

Annie

UADNA-NY
(Unseen Apostate Directorate of North America-Upstate NY Division)

plmkrzy

I think so many rude attendants are due to the lack of control they probably feel in thier lives, decission making wise. So when they get a attendent badge on thier lapel they go over board.

Simon why not post the year, month and discription of the jerk so if he is reading he will know its about him.
There are so many rude ones that don't oay attention.

Life sucks...get a helmet

SYN

And Dubs wonder why we're so bitter! There is very little love in the hearts of those Attendants just RULES! And more RULES!

"Vaccination has never saved a human life. It does not prevent smallpox." The Golden Age, Feb 4 1931 p. 293-4 - The Sacredness of Human Blood (Reasons why vaccination is unscriptural)

"You can't sit there" (bad language)

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