Disfellowshipping Image (page 8)

Drawings like this that contain subliminal messages are designed to achieve perception without awareness. It would have been too "on the nose" if they'd have shown the DF'd person in black and white and the JW's in color.

In this case they wanted to draw the viewers eye to the sad and questionably dressed woman who appears to be the process of turning her back on the loving congregation and having second thoughts about sadly heading out into the world alone. Her form fitting bright colored sleeveless dress and high heel shoes compared to the loose fitting clothes of the others give the indication that she has been influenced by the wicked world. Her grey book bag and sad expression shows that kingdom interests have become secondary, she knows she is in the wrong and is about to make a mistake she will regret.

Subliminal messages are most effective when the are negative and induce a fear response on a subconscious level. Advertisers and JW's must resort to these tactics when what they have to offer isn't able to stand alone on it's own merit and their target audience has to be swayed into a mindset that causes them to do or think what they normally wouldn't have on their own.

Too bad Gods "spirit directed organization" has such little confidence in the message of the Bible and in Jehovah's spirit to be able to draw people to him without resorting to trickery.

fulano

And what about the eye on the girls sleeve?

done4good

Pete-

An entire case study could be written about this picture.

d4g

OrphanCrow

Ruby: this pic is doing a lot of work cos the woman in colour is dressed the way sisters who work fulltimes dress dress at our meetings during the summer. Some elders' wives dress like that too. Is there an implicit warning to successful sisters to beware lest they fall?

I absolutely agree with you, Ruby.

it is another reason why this image is so powerful - it operates on several levels and the message adapts itself to whoever it is that is reading it. Of course the young, semi-zealous JW woman, who views this image could identify with the blue lady who is carrying the field service bag. The message to her is an emotional one, she is being told - don't forget being a happy little girl in the KH. Don't look outside that door - look back to being happy. Where? In the KH, of course.

Pete-
An entire case study could be written about this picture.
d4g

The image would make for a great source image to base a lecture, to a senior level university art history class, on "The Representation of Power Politics and How to Deconstruct the Propaganda Image".

Clambake

How much of the meetings now are actual bible study or just batshit crazy JW religious doctrine.

I don’t attend anymore but it seems to be an endless loop of disfellowing, 1914, book of revelations, parables that are actually prophecies, bashing Christians, more time more effort in the meetings and field service, GB idol worship.

Ask a JW to explain the theme of the Book of Romans or the Gospels ………..no clue.

OrphanCrow

Millie: Why didnt they make the girl leaving in the colored dress "more"?
As in tighter dress, shorter, cleavage implied.
Actually cleavage is implied even though it is a side shot.

I think that by not altering her too much...it leaves room for the blue lady to be either or - a bad woman or a good JW woman - the image hits both levels. If she was altered much at all - she was given color but maybe not much else was done to her figure.

Besides, I think that your following observation lends more credibility to the theory that the source image was a candid photo taken at a KH somewhere. The people in them are in real, KH poses.

That poor woman on the left in the picture that is part of a couple is a sad sight.
Flat chested with an underbite and an eager look on her face because she is being "recognized" (that would seem to indicate the man addressing the couple is a somebody ie; elder ((gag))
And look! Her husband is noticibly better looking than she - so there you go aging single pioneering girls in your late 20s and 30s. You too can get "tall, dark and handsome" becaise they are looking for women who are "spiritual".

You have just described exactly what you could see in a KH anywhere - I notice how she is standing slightly behind him, her shoulders bent submissively. To tell you the truth, I didn't peg her for being the polished guy in the center's wife - I just dismissed her as a late teen wandering around behind the two guys. But, now, with your description, of course she is the dude's wife.

An image like this deserves to get a lot of attention. It is a powerful image and one that is designed -even if a bit clumsy in execution - to elicit an emotional response, rather than a rational one from the viewer. It is why propaganda images are powerful - they evoke emotion.

Consider if this was presented in what i believe to be its original form - a candid photo. It wasn't presented that way. And remember that if this was a candid photo, this image was chosen - someone said - that's it! that one will say what we want it to.

And then, the image was altered.

And then, the photo was totally placed out of context to associate it with disfellowshipping, an act that distorted why the image was taken in the first place. Not only was the photo manipulated, its placement was manipulated.

By deconstructing this image, the viewer gains power over it. The powerful image becomes an understandable object. It loses its ability to appeal to the irrational - our emotions - and instead we can objectively and rationally place it in submission to formal qualities alone. We gain control of the image by understanding it as much as we are able to.

By the way, I am enjoying everybody's responses to this image. I like image deconstruction. It's fun.

:)

.

done4good

I normally do not stay with a thread quite this long after offering my brief comments, however this one really concerns me for some personal reasons that have nothing to do with being DF or even shunned. Let's just say it has a lot to do with the manipulation I now envision being exerted on some of those still in who actually have a brain cell or two functioning.

The WT is officially "all in" on emotional manipulation. As many have pointed out, the messages sent from this picture are very far reaching, and cover the gamut of everything from not only how to treat the DF, but right down to what is considered "normal" or appropriate dress, and even indirectly career choice, (for those who mentioned the woman is clearly professionally dressed). WT knows a picture is worth 1000 words, and damn if this one isn't worth a volume or two. They cover more WT talk points here than an entire fucking convention...

Fuck you, GB!

d4g

millie210

OrphanCrow.
And then, the photo was totally placed out of context to associate it with disfellowshipping, an act that distorted why the image was taken in the first place. Not only was the photo manipulated, its placement was manipulated.
By deconstructing this image, the viewer gains power over it. The powerful image becomes an understandable object. It loses its ability to appeal to the irrational - our emotions - and instead we can objectively and rationally place it in submission to formal qualities alone. We gain control of the image by understanding it as much as we are able to.

Thank you OrphanCrow for all your insights. I especially appreciate being helped to see why this picture is a current obsession for me.

I feel I have turned a corner in my view of the Org. I already did think they were slightly manipulative and I thought some of it was bumblefous behavior and like a stopped clock -that still happens to be right twice a day, I thought they were just happening to get it right (the manipulation).

Now I see clearly that they are as devious and sly as can be.

The fact that they have no problem doing this carries far reaching moral implications.

millie210

Well put done4good.

Disfellowshipping Image

millie210

Pete Zahut

fulano

done4good

OrphanCrow

Clambake

OrphanCrow

done4good

millie210

millie210

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