Posts by enlightenedcynic

51

Bethel Downsizing - Management Discussions

by core in

jw
friends

.

the spin on downsizing is apparently "go out into the field" yet when the gb initially considered this it must have been presented as a practical problem - too much surplus hr capacity/ too expensive to maintain - or whatever and yet they turned it into a positive matter by stressing the return to the field - all those in such discussions are clearly able to deceive themselves as much as they try and deceive the "flock" - what do you think - did a discussion on a practical problem have to have a positive outcome and how did they twist their minds so as to sell it as such - for years they begged people to stay in bethel service (make it your home for life) and now they cast them out into the world with the thin veneer of "speedin g up the preaching work .. etc".

all those at the top must have been involved in turning this huge embarrasment (jehovah will provide etc) into a positive spin - they should try out for a marketing award "downsizing - the only way to grow!

enlightenedcynic

On a human/personal level I think what the society is doing, by sending ones who have served at Bethel faithfully for years back out into the "field", is disgusting. I know a brother who has been at bethel since his late teens for over 30 years. He and his emotionally unstable wife(she is a sweetheart, God bless her) are being "reassigned" to the southwest. He is nearly 50 years old with no real marketable skill. Will the "slave" continue to provide financial support, health/life insurance benefits, etc..... I think not, because as always, the bottom line with the society is MONEY!!!

ec

51

Bethel Downsizing - Management Discussions

by core in

jw
friends

.

the spin on downsizing is apparently "go out into the field" yet when the gb initially considered this it must have been presented as a practical problem - too much surplus hr capacity/ too expensive to maintain - or whatever and yet they turned it into a positive matter by stressing the return to the field - all those in such discussions are clearly able to deceive themselves as much as they try and deceive the "flock" - what do you think - did a discussion on a practical problem have to have a positive outcome and how did they twist their minds so as to sell it as such - for years they begged people to stay in bethel service (make it your home for life) and now they cast them out into the world with the thin veneer of "speedin g up the preaching work .. etc".

all those at the top must have been involved in turning this huge embarrasment (jehovah will provide etc) into a positive spin - they should try out for a marketing award "downsizing - the only way to grow!

enlightenedcynic

18

Yankee Stadium? Not again!

by truthsetsonefree in

jw
friends

word has it in new york city that the cozy days at nassau colisseum are over.

(for those of you unfamiliar with new york, the district conventions have been held at an indoor colisseum for for several years now.

prior to that new yorkers were forced into sitting for 3+ days in a hot, humid, sometimes rainy outdoor stadium.

enlightenedcynic

I attended conventions at both Aqueduct Racetrack and Yankee Stadium...pretty bad. But to me...by far, the worst convention locations were Giant's Stadium in Jersey and the old Vet Stadium in Pennsylvania. You want to talk about hot and miserable..nothing can top those places. I think it was either '83 or '84 at Giant's Stadium, it poured rain all 4 days of the convention. I was 9 and I remember seeing parents with small children, old ones and wheelchair confined individuals standing in the corridors because the only seats available were in the rain. People from my congregation stayed on the bus that we chartered during huge chunks of the program. Yep..those were the days!!!

97

Does the King Kong movie have racist overtones?

by enlightenedcynic in

hey everybody,.

was having a discussion with a co-worker about the new kk movie.

he asked if i saw it already.

enlightenedcynic

funkyderek,

Actually, I do think that hollywod and the rest of the entertainment industry promote stereotypes and use subliminal imagery. Heck..even the WT has done that.

Go back to the 30's and 40's, the Black person is always the maid or servant and the Asian person is the cook. Today, the Black person is a gangsta/rapper and the Asian is a martial arts expert. Whether we acknowlegde it or not, in both subtle and blantant manners, racism exists in the entertainment industry. Our minds get conditioned to see that person or thing in only one way, we confine them to a box.

EC

97

Does the King Kong movie have racist overtones?

by enlightenedcynic in

hey everybody,.

was having a discussion with a co-worker about the new kk movie.

he asked if i saw it already.

enlightenedcynic

mkr32208 I agree, there is racism everywhere and no, I don't think that we should not have movies. All I'm saying is that we should be aware of the duality that exists in the entertainment we take in. I don't think that we should go overboard and say that everything around us has racial overtones, however I think we should just be open to the possibilty, when and if it exists. True, offense could be taken at a number of subplots from the movie, but that speaks to another problem in society, racial insensitivity. EC

97

Does the King Kong movie have racist overtones?

by enlightenedcynic in

hey everybody,.

was having a discussion with a co-worker about the new kk movie.

he asked if i saw it already.

enlightenedcynic

mkr32208

97

Does the King Kong movie have racist overtones?

by enlightenedcynic in

hey everybody,.

was having a discussion with a co-worker about the new kk movie.

he asked if i saw it already.

enlightenedcynic

funkyderek,

Perhaps this discussion is more suited for a new post. How the races percieve and view matters from different vantage points.

I don't think that it is a matter of a Black person not understanding a New Zealand director's movie. Since the first KK movie(add another K if you will) people have had discussions about the underlying meaning of the movie. If I am correct, the writer of the original story made racially charged comments back when the first movie premiered. I just wanted to open up a dialouge and see what other people thought about this. I think one would be niave to think that some of the tv programs, videos and movies we view, don't have some sort of double meaing to them. Peter Jackson is an excellent director...doesn't change the fact though that the storyline may be potentially racist.

EC

40

Living proof: Elders are not spirit appointed

by IP_SEC in

witnesses say that elders are appointed by holy spirit.

the bible is the product of hs and when the body prays and uses the bibles qualifications for older men in the context of the perspective candidate hs is involved in his approval or disapproval.

then when the co passes the recommendation on the gb (or who ever actually makes the decision) these spirit appointed men are influenced by hs.. all well and good, the only problem is, it does not work.

enlightenedcynic

I once raised this very same objection to a bethel elder who I had known since the age of 9. He gave me one of the smoothest responses I've ever heard. One of those responses that if you let it, would cause you to think something is wrong with you and make you try and repress your doubts. He said, "The appointment of an elder in of itself, is not evidence of Jehovah's blessing...it is the elder's attitude and actions after appointment that give evidence of Jehovah's blessing. Only time will reveal whether an appointment is by holy spirit or not."

I know that is a total load of crap now, but when I was just starting my spiritual awakening 3 years ago, that line of reasoning seemed plausible at the time.

EC

97

Does the King Kong movie have racist overtones?

by enlightenedcynic in

hey everybody,.

was having a discussion with a co-worker about the new kk movie.

he asked if i saw it already.

enlightenedcynic

funkyderek

I am sorry if you interpreted my statement the wrong way. all i meant to say was that a White person can never fully understand the plight or experiences of a Black person. A white person does not have to deal with the same b******* that a person of color does.

Wasn't trying to be offensive...just stating the facts.

EC

97

Does the King Kong movie have racist overtones?

by enlightenedcynic in

hey everybody,.

was having a discussion with a co-worker about the new kk movie.

he asked if i saw it already.

enlightenedcynic

Hey Everybody,

Was having a discussion with a co-worker about the new KK movie. He asked if I saw it already. I told him that I had and that the movie was pretty good(action & special effects) but as a man of color, I found the movie offensive. He says how could I arrive at that conclusion, it is just a movie and that is the problem with society, people always looking to tag something with the race card. I told him that I wouldn't expect him to understand(he being white) but then I asked him to think about this: White men go to an island, capture a poweruful beast and bring it back to their home to exploit and make a profit on. The beast is very angry and only the sight of a size 4, milky- white skinned female can calm him down. And to top it off..when the beast escapes and causes too much trouble..he is killed. My co-worker says I am reading too much into this...I say not.

What do you say?

EC