To speak or not to speak !!!

jurs

Here is a question for those who are either DF'd or DA'd. What do you do when you run into a JW at the store ? Do you turn your head and pretend you didn't see them ? Do you look them square in the eye and say hello? What about JW children ?? I've been vactioning and gone from town since I dA'd myself and haven't yet ran into anyone. I think I'll say hello. To turn my head and look away might send the message that I'm ashamed. I'd like to hear of any of your experiences.
JURS

gsark

I am df'd since '89 and I run into JW's all the time. I always smile, but do not speak and do not linger near if I can help it because I don't want to be responsible for someone else getting into trouble.

But upon occasion, I have had JW's 'corner' me in the market or the streetcorner, and offer me magazines and encourage me to go to meetings; last night at the meeting a brother spontaneously offered me a book right in front of everyone. You just never know....

Life is a roller coaster. Get in, sit down, shut up and hang on!

D wiltshire

Jurs,

Just be yourself and say Hi to be freindly let it show.
Don't take it personal if they don't respond that's their unchristian bad manners.
You though lift your head up and don't let the bad people do conquer you.

D wiltshire

Just a correction. They are not bad people they are just behaving badly.

ChuckD

I drifted away about 20 years ago, and have never been officially DA'd or DF'd. About 10 years ago, I moved back to my home town, and sometimes run into folks from my other life. I always make a point of greeting them, being friendly and trying to engage them in conversation. They in turn always seen nonplussed, and don't quite know what to do. They have no official reason to ignore me, yet they know I am hardly living the life of a witness any longer. They think they SHOULD ignore me, but don't know why. If we talk, I am very matter of fact about what is happening in my life, including my social life, and what I have been doing for work (which is in an industry they would never approve of). You can tell that they are uncomfortable, but they can't help but see that I am happy and doing quite well without their beliefs, thank you.

SlayerLayer

If I see a witness that is obviously trying to avoid me and sticking their nose in the air, I usually walk right up to them and try to make them as uncomfortable as possible. On the other hand, there are those that always smlie and nod when they see me. To these, I simply smile back or briefly say hello in passing.

When I was a witness, I always hated the way people would treat d'fd ones. Not just not talking to them, but going out of their way to be rude. So I always made an effort to let d'fd ones know that I wasn't like that. I always smiled, or nodded hello to them.

I was the general manager of a local movie theater. You would be amazed at how friendly some of those fake bastards would be when they knew that I gave some old friends free passes. There was one guy that was obsessed with Star Trek. When Star Trek: Insurrection came out, I charged him full price. Then I went in the projection booth halfway through and shut down the movie. I made the anouncement that the film broke. It was worth giving all the refunds just to piss this asshole off. heh heh heh

Slayer

Billygoat

I've yet to run into any old friends from old congregations. I've moved so I doubt that I will. But should it happen, I really think I will do what they least expect - kill 'em with kindness. I think ignoring them and being rude to them is just stooping to their level. If they go out of their way to ignore me - I'll go out of my way to be nice. They may not see it now, but one of these days, they will remember that I didn't shun them or treat them as evil. They were the ones with un-Christian attitudes. Being bitter and rude does nobody any good.

Billygoat

rollercoaster

O.k., O. K., here's what I do, I wave like crazy if I see them when I'm driving by or when they drive by me. I smile and say a very freindly hello, and ask how they are doing. I am not df'd. I have just stopped going to the KH, and associating. I have to work with them, and it is so funny to watch them try not to talk to me when we are with other people.
Some JWs have just walked away from me when I tried to say hello, and the fellow worker has called them an "asshole" for being so rude. It is very enteresting to see the reactions of those not affiliated with the org., when a JW acts so rudely.
RC

Ustabee

I've been DF'd for about 3 years. I live in a small town, (about 20,000)and occasionally will run into JW's I know. Generally, I just return the blank stare they give me. I couldn't care less if they want to smile or say 'Hi' or anything else. Of course, I generally have a grumpy look on my face, anyway.[;-)]

One thing for sure, my house is evidently marked because my Non JW wife never has seen them in the door to door in our neighborhood. So much for 'preaching the good news' to all sorts of people.

Mulan

I am not df'd or da'd, and rarely see any dubs out and about. I think they see me first, and make themselves scarce!! One woman, who had a been a good friend, walked past me as if I were invisible last year at the grocery store. I had run right into her and greeted her warmly. The people around looked very confused, after that. I shrugged my shoulders and kept walking.

There are some who greet us warmly and even hug, asking how we are. Most are very uncomfortable and just ignore us. So I don't push it.

Marilyn (a.k.a. Mulan)

To speak or not to speak !!!

Share this