United Brotherhood?? You MUST be joking!

Lin

I was born and raised a Dub, and I've never been able to understand how jw's can claim to be a worldwide united "brotherhood" when there is so much racism within the org. When I was 14, my father noticed that I liked a black teenage brother in our hall. There wasn't anything to it, we weren't dating secrectly or otherwise, I simply liked him and thought he was a cutie. My father made a point of talking to me about it telling me I shouldn't develop interest in black brothers because of how society in general views "mixed" relationships, as well as mentioning the differences in cultures. Well, I got into a lot of trouble for my response to my father that day because our views are very different. I've always believed that people are people, regardless of what color they happened to be born with. I feel there are different "cultures" even within the same race/creed/ethnicity, etc. Are all whites of the same "culture", not in my opinion. People are people, some good and some bad within ALL races. Bigotry and racism is a hot topic for me, and I become irate when I hear racial stereotypical remarks, and the "N" word makes my blood boil!
I find it strange that it was perfectly fine and acceptable for my Bethel brother to marry a Puerto Rican sister, why isn't that considered "Mixed"? I just happened to marry a Mexican brother (who I later divorced), why wasn't that considered "Mixed" and unacceptable? Why is it not acceptable within the org and my parents to show interest, date and maybe even marry someone who'se skin happens to be black or brown, but it's perfectly fine to do so with someone who'se skin is say...olive complexion? What difference does it really make? Isn't mexican and puerto rican culture different than white culture? So, what's the big deal?
With the parents I have and the org I was raised in, I have no idea how I managed to grow up feeling the way the I do, but I'm glad I haven't developed the racist views they have. It's like....it's fine and dandy to meet, greet, make friends etc with black people, but "don't even think about marrying my son or daughter"? What's up with that???!!! Two years ago, my Dub niece married a black brother, and the only thing I heard about the whole thing was from my mother saying she didn't understand why Alicia "couldn't find herself a nice white brother"? I happened to be dating a black man at that time, and I told my mother "Careful mom, my boyfriend is black and there is nothing odd, strange or weird about Alicia or me being with someone of a different color". She then asked me "What do you see in a black man"? I said "I don't look at someone and think, Oh they're this color or that color so I shouldn't like them or want to talk to them or date them etc. I see a person who I would like to get to know, color of skin is not even a consideration." She doesn't get it, and neither does my father.
I realize that racism has gone on for a very long time, but it makes me mad that Dubs claim to be totally accepting of everyone regardless of color etc, but just don't marry one of mine. I've raised my kids to know that people are people, no race is better than any other race, every race has it's good and bad people. I told my kids if they met, dated and married someone with "polka-dot" skin, and this person was good to them, loving and respecting them, then that's all I cared about. Period.
What is it with racism in this world? I just don't get it, thank God.
SYN

Hehe, Jehovah's Witnesses and Racism, a most interesting and revealing topic!
It's much as you put it - there is a large amount of hypocrisy going on in this supposedly "UNITED" Organization. The whole Unity thing is a load of bollocks if you ask me!
Have you seen the Golden Age where the Tower states that black people are "fine servants"? THAT was a doozy! Check out the Racism section on Quotes' site...
larc

I think the degee of racism must vary from region to region. My JW sister's daughter married a black man, and they are well accepted in their congregation.
Vitameatavegamin

Sure, they're united! Because if you dare to disagree, you are told find the door.
Iwasyoungonce

Lin,
I wrote this (It seems like forever ago) in college. It's just a draft but I hope that it is useful to you.
Why are people prejudice?
Prejudge attitude is the prelude to discrimination. Prejudice beliefs usually cause an individual or society to preconceived ideas about a person, race, or ethnic culture. It is most likely to be a negative position.
From a Sociological point of view there is a emanate need to remove all issues of individual discrimination and focus on institutional discrimination. Sociologists believe the psychologists perspectives to be lame. Psychologists focus on a belief that Authoritarian Personalities cause prejudices. Beliefs held are that these are nothing more than insecure conformists that wish to submit to authority and love superiors. They are unable to deal with ambiguity, are anxious, and need scapegoats to assure themselves that others not like them are inferior and they are just. They are usually of less education, lower intelligent, and of low social class.
Another psychological perspective is frustration and scapegoat. These people are frustrated and are unable to deal with the roots of their anger and their own shortcomings. They transgress the frustration to a scapegoat. Usually it is a different racial, ethnic, or religious minority. This kick the dog mentality allows them to vent frustration in a safe environment.
Both perspectives ignore society and institutional prejudices by focusing on the individual while ignoring the factors outside the individual.
There are three sociological perspectives on prejudice.
Functionalism
- this is the belief that prejudice is neither good nor bad. Instead the social environment shapes prejudice attitudes. This environment can be shaped to create either positive or negative feelings about people. It can create an "I win You loose" mentality. It creates strong group identities. It is dysfunctional in the sense that it destroys social relationships.
Conflict Theorists of course claim that the secret elite society of capitalists intentionally and systematically pits groups against one another. This causes workers to not unite, never form a union or increase worker safety. Weakened by fighting amongst one another the capitalists sits back and makes profits. Unemployment is a strong weapon in the capitalist campaign to exploit the worker class. With a split labor force capitalists can keep labor costs low and create profits for themselves. Minority workers create a terrific reserve labor force. White workers feeling threatened by them help capitalists with this manipulative practice. African Americans, Latinos, and Whites are then only able to move up the social class ladder by doing so at the others expense. This keeps the workers frustrated with each other. Capitalists then create a scapegoat for them to vent on. Disillusioned they never unite to a common goal.
Symbolic Interactionism is the last sociological perspective. This is the belief that labels cause selective perception. This causes people to see somethings and blinds us to others. Racial and Ethnic labels are strongest. This would include terms such as "nigger," "spic, or "gringo". These words are used to belittle ethnic groups. Such words are meant to blind us with emotion, this blocks out rational thought about people. Symbolic interactionists believe that we are not born with prejudges. Instead they are learned.
Jaysons perspective on prejudice attitude
Society is ignorant to its prejudices. To it the prejudice attitude is a norm.
I also believe in functionalism. Discrimination has its functions for those who know how to use it. You first must install prejudice attitudes. The younger you start training a person to hate the more deeply rooted it will be ingrained. My warning to Society is that if you succeed then you will create a person with an "Authoritarian personality."
I think that some prejudices are O.K. The author talked about Barcelona. My experience like that was in Hawaii. I could relate to him.

Iwasyoungonce

P.S. The text was "Principles of Sociology" 3rd Ed.

nilfun

Lin, your post reminded me that, yep, there definitely exists
racism in the hall. I remember an elder once used what I consider to be
a very nasty racial slur to describe Black people. From the podium.
He was totally unapologetic about it too.

At different hall another elder told a joke, again from the platform,
to illustrate how mentally 'slow' Black folks are.

Yet another elder loved to tell Italian jokes (he was not Italian)...and still
another elder's targets of choice were Asians. One of the annointed in the
hall ranted about how evil the Jews were.

I moved around a lot, and it wasn't just in one area.
Whether you heard it or not depended on how comfortable the racist was with you...

Or how arrogant they were, I mean to spout that stuff from the platform...

Well, I had no illusions that the KH was some place that was more special,
more loving, more clean than the rest of the world. And any JW that believes that is
just fooling themselves.

And it hurt to hear this stuff from those that were supposed to be shepherding the
flock with kindness, but you know what? At least I was able to see them for what
they really were, just people like you and me, not some glorious ones I have to
be in submission to.
Lin

This topic has been something that's always bothered me, and I'll be one of the first to stop someone dead in their tracks when they use a racial slur in my ear shot. Regardless of what race or nationality they're making fun of. I found it quite interesting that the "experts" in the sniper/shooter case were all saying the person responsible would be a white guy. Duh...stereotyping is not an accurate science. I heard several people on the radio that made it clear that they were black saying that they'd gotten several comments from strangers about Did you hear they caught the sniper? The people on the radio were really upset that these white strangers were "targeting" (their word) them to talk about it since they were black. Stereotyping people is so unfair and it just fuels flames of racism. So what if the shooter turned out to be black, what does that prove, other than that he's a nut case? We have nut cases in every color! Some were saying that the shooter was middle eastern and people were worrying about if it was linked to terrorism from Al Qaeda, etc. Good grief! I can't stand hypocrites, and for Dubs to claim they are this one big united brotherhood loving everybody etc, always made me so mad.
Iwasyoungonce

Lin,
I'm going to pick this up again. I have a question. "If" the Watchtower put the Kybosh on racism, would that end the Jehovah Witness prejudice attitudes?
We all have our prejudice side. That is to be human. But, with the Jehovah Witnesses I have seen how they program young and old that if you leave the Tower of protection you will distroy yourself. Many of those that leave have great lives. But for some their narrisitic wounds are too deep to just move on. The labels are hurtful.
Are some forms of "labeling" OK? Or is it all just plain wrong.
My opinion is that some types of prejudices are good. Like knowing that if you join a group like the Jehovah Witnesses, or befriend them, or marry into them. You are not free to have an opposing opinion unless you keep it to yourself. They consider the WTS god by proxy. That is a prejudice attitude. But, one formed by over 10 years of personal experince and reading more material than I want to admit. Not a knee jerk reaction that my Dad, or an institution taught me.
"If you have tasted one grape on a cluster no matter how many more you taste, chances are not one is ever going to taste like beef steak."-Jerry Spence
My point of prejudice is a warning and the WTS admits it freely. But words like "apostate" they are meant to cause anger and thought stopping in the "Witnesses." Sometimes words used amongst friends can be said in good humor. But if an outsider uses them then they are swear words used to cut a person down. That is what I don't accept.
troucul

Lin, just so you know, it's not just a black-white thing. My parents counseled my brother years ago when he developed a relationship with a girl who was quite a bit larger than him. 'What will the brothers think?', 'Will you be able to handle the talk that goes on about you?'--those were their questions to him. Whether or not he really did care for her is up for discussion, but we'll never know because they pressured him out of the relationship.
Realizing that was one of many examples that Jehovah's Witnesses do not worship Jehovah.

United Brotherhood?? You MUST be joking!

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