Some of us active JW's (more than you imagine) do get the 'new understandings' and its implications.
Most just aren't able because they are really dumb, intellectualy impiared, and others just don't wan to see it for reasons you have well explained above.
WTS is taking advantage of that, and they have learned form their previous fisacos, so they start with an obscure QFR (that most won't even read), then they put in ambiguous words in a study article, kind of hidden. (Some of you may remember that in the past when 'new light' was published they even put a special textbox at the beggining of the article saying: "There's new understanding here!"; not anymore).
Then comes a CO/DO at an assembly and presents that same information in a very sensationalistic way, twisting it to make it look like (a) we're closer to the end; and (b) FDS is soooooo wise, that everyone now 'understands' and applauds. If and when the 'new understanding' falls apart, WTS can always hide behind the fact that they never said there was a change.
Remember after '75 they never admitted to being wrong, only that "things were stated in a way that led some to have false expectations". So for them is not a matter of being right or wrong, but just avoiding being proven wrong.