Assemblies are like Infomercials ???

RubaDub

Does anyone else feel that those of us at an assembly are like the audience in an informercial ??? At the last circuit assembly, I noted the following:

1. When a person gives an experience, we all ooohhh and ahhhhh, smile, nod our heads, turn and look at the person next to us, and then start to clap.

2. When the speaker asks a question and modulates his voice at the end of the sentence, we clap.

3. At the end of the public talk, we clap.

4. When it is announced in the final talk on Sunday that there will be a 3-day assembly scheduled for next year, we oooohhhh aaahhhh and clap.

5. When asked later, we all say how much we enjoyed it and how interesting it was.

6. There is nothing spontaneous: everything has been rehearsed and rehearsed.

Having grown up in the borg, I never really noticed it before but it really is funny. We have been programmed to respond to the cues.

***** Rub a Dub

All the clapping drove me nuts. I was particularly irritated whenever people clapped after the final prayer. I never did it. And you notice it always sounds like 'canned' applause. No one ever whistles or yells out "WHOOO HOOO!!!".

And we were also programmed to go on, and on, and on... about what a great talk it was, what a great watchtower it was, or what a great assembly it was..... even if we were bored to tears. Did you ever hear someone say "What a shitty talk!" or "What a boring assembly"?

The assemblies seemed like infomercials for pioneering. Interviews with pioneers, experiences of pioneers remaining steadfast in the face of just about anything, how we all could make room to pioneer, simplifying our lives so we could pioneer, feed your local pioneers....

I better stop before I go on a rant.

Walter

shamus

Good observation. And, you're right! Totally right!

'tis sick, isn't it? To an outsider, it must seem like a cult, having all this going on. Not just the one time, but all the time... assembly after assembly... same old crap.

Barf.

shamus

ROFLAMO watler! You are too funny!

Yes, my roomie said after "The Drama"... very loudly, "THAT SUCKED"... I was in tears!

RunningMan

Did you ever hear someone say "What a shitty talk!" or "What a boring assembly"?

Have you ever watched a regular TV show where every episode, every day, year in and year out, was uniformly "good"? Of course not!

Yet, we are expected to exclaim after every talk, every assembly, every day, year in and year out, that every one of them was "good".

franklin J

As a child growing up I hated assemblies. They were too long and as a young child I remember my parents giving me coloring books to keep me busy. As I got older, I was expected to "sit there" through the long hours of hearing some fanatic (or worse yet, groups of fanatics) speak. As a late teenager and a pioneer, I had been given some small talks at circuit assemblies, and once, a small assignment at an International assembly. In hindsight, I think my attitude due to participating in these assemblies ( bolstered by the JW teachings) made me a shade arrogant. To this day, when I am in an auditorium with poor acoustics, I shudder at the memories.

I think it cruel to expect the children to sit through the long hours. I suppose the up side of it for me was that my entire family was together....still no fun ( twisted form of family unity?)LOL

frank

JamesThomas

Good observation RubaDub. As Witnesses-at-an-assembly, we had a persona, a fitting personality for that particular occasion. We smiled and applauded on cue. As ex-JW's we have a persona particular to that. We have a persona we wear with our friends on Friday night. Another one for work; and yet another for family (and another, and another). Who are we really? other than a reflection of an occasion or circumstance in which we find ourselves? Is there anything in us that does not change? Something, not dependent on outside? Who am I -- Really? This is the most serious and important question we can ever ask. JamesT

RubaDub

JamesT Very thought provoking

iiz2cool ---> what a great talk it was, what a great watchtower it was, or what a great assembly it was..... even if we were bored to tears.

That is funny ! I still have fun asking people a week or so after the assembly if they liked it and what they learned. The answers are hilarious at times. It's always like you said,, great, great, great, and they learned that we are in the last days, have to care for our families, attend meetings, go out in field service more, etc. etc. etc.

Somehow, I always have used learning in the context of having added to ones knowledge. If a parent asked a teenager what he or she learned in school today and the teen responded 10+10 = 20, I don't think the parent would be impressed.

***** Rub a Dub

Maverick

Man! I never put that one together! You are soooo right! When the speaker was someone I knew, I would sit there and think, "What a phony f--k!" But when I would get up and do my part, I am sure that guy was thinking "Man, what a phony f--k!" Maverick

Assemblies are like Infomercials ???

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