posting a link to the Animal Farm movie on youtube. in the comment section, you will see comment on similarities between the animals and JW. I watched the movie and I thought, this so reminds me of the JW. See for yourself if you have the time to watch it ( or read the book ) In addition to the comment about the similarities, I was also thinking about the horse...The pigs pretended to care but sold him off to the slaugher after him working day and night for them. It reminded me of the Bethelites who worked for years, giving up their most productive years only to be sent away. If you watch it, do you see similarities? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a5JgD8AhRjs
George Orwell's characters in Animal Farm describe Jehovah's Witnesses
by enoughisenough 8 Replies latest watchtower beliefs
-
-
Phizzy
I read the Book many decades ago, when I was an active J.W, of course then I never drew any parallels with the org. I still have a Copy on my Bookshelves...... somewhere, the house is full of Books !
I read it then for what it was, a satire against the rise of Stalin, and how he changed and ruined the Revolution and established a Totalitarian State.
I can see an immediate parallel with the Rise of Rutherford, who became the Napoleon of Bethel, and changed the Doctrines and Language etc. exactly as was done in the Book. By doing so he changed the thinking of his followers.
He established an "All Pigs are equal, but some are more equal than others" idea with his two "Classes" of J.W's, only the "more equal" would go to Heaven.
I guess there are possibly parallels with the recent goings on at J.W H.Q ?
I wonder if Tony Morris was a "Snowball" and wanted a more pleasant Org. and some "Napoleon" in the G.B has got rid of him, smeared his name, and taken all the credit for the idea himself ?
Maybe that is bit fanciful, but it is not a preposterous idea at all, it kinda fits the recent events.
I expect others will maybe draw more parallels, but well spotted enoughisenough ! "Animal Farm" really does exactly match the Totalitarian Regime that is J.W org !
-
enoughisenough
phizzy...I was going to thumbs up ( like ) your comment, but couldn't see the screen well...So I tried to correct my mistakes ( still not seeing the screen well...so ignore the -1 and you can keep the +3 likes I gave you. ) I didn't catch the point you made about all pigs being equal but some more equal than others, but spot on; Which reminded me of a talk at a circuit assembly about pioneers. The speaker said pioneers were executives-all of us were executives but the pioneers were a special kind of executive. I ask him if that was in the outline and he said no. ( but my understanding is they have to give the talks as written. I found those pioneer talks discouraging, because while it pumped up pioneers, those who weren't in position to ( or want to ) pioneer were shown to be less important. As to the Tony parallel, I thought of the booze. ( Napolean was drinking up the profits.)
-
Phizzy
Yes, the Booze could be used against Tony, hypocritically probably.
But whether he did come up with the idea for the "New Windmill" of changes we have seen we will never know I expect.
I think if we keep looking more parallels will occur to us, Comrade Enuffsky !
-
BluesBrother
The rank and file JWs fit exactly the sheep of Animal Farm . On command or in response to any questioning of a order from the pigs , the bleated mindlessly “4 legs good 2 legs bad” .... just like the other sheep in the JW world.
-
enoughisenough
I thought of another parallel: They start off with Man being the enemy and yet Nepolean ends up doing "business" with and thereby helping man. In jw land, the UN was/is the enemy and yet the JW joined forces with them as an NGO, working to promote it. Another parallel: the animals weren't allowed to benefit from their labor-their productivity had to go to the Pigs at the top, and the animals couldn't work hard enough for the Pigs, and that is how the Org. treats the r and f. It's almost like Orwell wrote a prophecy about the org.
-
Phizzy
" It's almost like Orwell wrote a prophecy about the org."
As I said the Org. is a Totalitarian Regime, and Orwell was writing about how quickly that comes about. And the methods used to establish that Regime.
Another parallel perhaps, if a little subtle maybe, is at the end of "Animal Farm" the Pigs could not be Distinguished from the former enemy , the Men.
As tho org. goes mainstream , surely that will become true ? what they formerly called the enemy, "False religion", will be indistinguishable from them.
-
BluesBrother
As a fan of Orwell I rather like this thread . If we were Animal Farm characters, which one would we be?
I might be old Benjamin the donkey. He is a cynic who does not believe in the culture of the revolution but keeps quiet because he does not want to get cast out . NB I have been Inactive for many years but stay in touch to keep my marriage intact .
Over the years I have known a few “ Mollie the ponies “ , young women who skip the Org for a life outside.
There are also plenty of elders like Squealer the pig who defend the hierarchy’s every statement and make justifications for it all.
-
markweatherill
Well, at least Orwell knew how to write a nice happy ending:
In 'Animal Farm', Napoleon navigates a difficult but rewarding journey to better himself and his companions, rising to the top of a successful business and building an ideal society along the way.
In '1984', we see the painful descent of Winston Smith into apostasy, and his subsequent rescue by loving brothers, culminating in the adjustment of his attitude and return to full citizenship and happiness.