The Packaged Product
It's always exciting to buy something new. It could anything, but let's pretend that it is a phone, a tablet, or any other electronic. You go to the store or order your device online. It arrives in a box that is pristine and without any blemishes. It's clean. It's new. It makes you feel good. Slowly, you open the manufacturer's packaging to reveal your shiny new device. You push the power button and screen lights up. You are excited. Now you start using your device. It works perfectly. It's fast. It has such great color and sound. The experience itself is enjoyable.
Though you have such a great experience with the product, what you do not see is all the work and processes that go on to deliver it to your doorstep. Trees were felled and processed to make the box your product came in. The plastic casing is made of oil from the bottom of the ocean. The device itself was assembled in a factory in China that is known for its harsh working conditions and underpayment of its employees. Some electronic components in the device have even more sinister origins, with rumors of child labor or even slavery being used to extract these components from the earth.
Yet, your experience with the product itself makes all of these processes and questionable practices the least of concerns. Your enjoyment of the product makes you justify using it despite any negative practices the company uses to produce it. The same can be said of the life of a Jehovah's Witness. What they experience at the Kingdom Hall, view on JW Broadcasting, and read in publications is a packaged product presented to them in a manner that encourages them to forget any sinister origins of the product they have received. Their perception of the Governing Body, the organization as a whole, and their fellow Witnesses is all a result of what the end product is designed to be. This, more importantly, is what makes them complacent to see any flaws in Watchtower as a whole. They enjoy the lifestyle it promotes. They have friends who "use" the product as well. They promote it. They advertise it. They are brand ambassadors. Pointing out any flaws to them only results in them reinforcing their devotion to the brand. They will never switch to another brand unless they have a bad experience with the product or they finally see the problems with the company and processes it uses. Only then are they willing to abandon the brand.
It is important to remember that trying to point out faults in Watchtower is like trying to convince an Apple user that Samsung devices are better or vice versa. One product may be faster or better than the other, but user experience still makes one content with the product they currently have, outweighing any arguments against it. Watchtower has indeed made a brand and a lifestyle around its product and a lot of Witnesses actually enjoy it. However, in the end it is no different than any big company, only it requires the biggest sacrifices, including family and even one's life in order to be one of its devout consumers.