Posts by Jankyn

25

Can You Spot a JW in a Crowd?

by cameo-d in

jw
friends

is there anything that might distinguish a jw in a crowd?.

a certain way of dressing?

mannerisms?

Jankyn

I was just talking about this with my spouse, because she can't figure out how I do it. YEARS of experience.

Women in just-barely-fashionable attire that's a tad too long at the knee, but not so long as to be "granny-style." Generally, great care with their hairstyle, but not much make-up and only a little jewelry. Clothes usually are more JC Penney than Wal-Mart, but not always. I've always wondered at why so many JW women make a bee-line for pastels and floral prints (about the only ones with any real color sense seem to be the sisters of color--Latina and African American sisters always seem to be a little better-dressed, or maybe they don't stand out as so different from "normal" to me because of my own cultural biases). JW women also have longer hair (again, IN GENERAL) than women in their age group do in the "real" world.

Men's suits are usually pretty light-weight and plain (also on the cheap side), gray, brown or navy. (Don't see much black ... I wonder why?) Men's shoes tend to be a little scuffed (not replaced regularly). Only short-sleeved dress shirts you see are on the young boys (once you reach a "position of responsibility," you're wearing a jacket!).

I've started to notice that there's less carrying of briefcases and bookbags, and a move to portfolios. I suspect that's because they're pushing light-weight books and magazines (the new paperbacks are much lighter than the old hardcovers). One effect of this is to make JWs stand out less--clunky bookbags were a dead giveaway.

But the dead giveaway? A whole group of people dressed for business standing on a streetcorner talking to each other while holding up WATCHTOWER and AWAKE! magazines. Happens daily in downtown Sacramento, and I always get steamed. My grandmother and aunt used to take me to do streetwork with them, and we actually worked at it--starting conversations instead of just taking up space! I can't believe they get to count time for just standing around! (And this is the point at which my spouse always laughs at me, getting pissed because they're not "doing it right" even though it's a crock from beginning to end.)

32

Memories of 8 day conventions

by monkeyman in

jw
friends

i dont know if this has been talked about before but i've seen it recently mentioned so i thought i'd ask and get the good and bad dirt.. first, who was the nut who thought this up?

8 days????

are you kidding me?

Jankyn

Yep, 8 days in 1969. We went to the one in Vancouver, BC. Ungodly hot (at least to me). We stayed in a 6-person trailer (no bathroom, had to walk to it) with another family: total people, 13.

I was nine years old. That's when I met Fred Franz, who was at that time the vice-president of the WT.

17

Explaining what DF'd means to a non-witness

by babygirl30 in

jw
friends

i actually had to do this twice in the past 2 weeks - and it's really shaken things up!

the first time was last week.

my aunt (who lives out of state) asked me how my parents were doing (her brother and my mom)?

Jankyn

What has been really helpful for me has been learning, over time, that the outraged reaction of non-JWs to the practice of df'ing is, in fact, a normal, healthy response.

It's such a relief to learn that it's the JWs who are crazy/sick, and not everybody else.

35

Is the "torture stake" dogma a reverse idolatry in itself?

by JWoods in

jw
friends

witnesses have famously (and gleefully) tossed the usual christain "t" cross symbol overboard after having used it themselves for quite some time.

one common arguement is that "if christ had been shot by a rifle, you would not worship the image of the gun" -.

and yet, they do not shy away from insisting on the notion of the upright torture stake.

Jankyn

Sorry, but I just remembered this conversation I had with my JW aunt when I was about 15:

JWAunt: Besides, the cross is really just a pagan thing. You can tell just by looking at it that it's a phallic symbol.

Incredulous, teenage me: And a stake isn't a phallic symbol? Huh.

JWAunt: (Looking flustered) Well, not in the same way!

And they wonder why I'm not a JW...

15

Oriental guy comes to door last night and wants to talk to my oriental lady -

by JWoods in

this seems to be happening about once a month now.

nice looking middle aged oriental man in white shirt & tie.

yup - positive jw id made already.. guy looks shocked when texan comes to door - "we were calling on oriental families" (as if i had no right to be there!).

Jankyn

Is that the modus operandi now? To covertly witness? How can you make Jehovah's sovreign name known when you're afraid to identify yourself as one of his witnesses?

Yep, I think it is. I've had that experience with the last three or four JWs that have come to the door. They won't identify themselves on the first call unless you force them to do so. I think they're trying to adapt to their reputation as religious nuts by hooking people first, then identifying themselves. Also, it might have to do with the move to make JWs going door-to-door "independent" in the eyes of the law, rather than "reprensenting" either the WTBS or the local congregation. It's a sort of insulation against lawsuits/liability. Any legal minds care to elaborate?

12

Toxic Family - Why Are You So Selfish?

by shamus100 in

jw
friends

it never ceases to amaze me how many people are succumbing to low-self esteem by allowing toxic family members dictate their lives, and sit by like sheepish puppy-dogs while they get berated and told that they are basically crowfood shit.

"oh, i'm just trying to keep the peace", some may say.

i say you need to go on the offensive.

Jankyn

Here's my approach (real telephone conversation from this weekend):

Mom: What are you up to?

Jankyn: Oh, working way too hard. We've had some more layoffs and everyone is doing the work of three people, plus we've had a lot of people with the flu, but they're afraid of layoffs so they're coming to work...

Mom: That's one more sign of the end. You know, it's so close. Why, at the meeting last week...

Jankyn: Yes, Mom, I understand and respect your beliefs, but you know I don't agree. So, have you seen Aunt ---?

(And every freakin' time she tries it, I use the same line to re-direct. It's tiring, but it's better than being bullied into listening to WT crap. And it allows me to maintain some semblance of a relationship because, well, she's my mom.)

10

Swine Flu Shot -To get it -or not to get it?

by annalice in

jw
friends

so ,i am hearing different sides of the whole swine flu shot debate.

should we get the shot ?

or not?

Jankyn

Uh, you don't get sick from the vaccination. Some people have a reaction to the vaccination (in my case, I always have a raised red spot at the injection site and a sore muscle for at least a week). Some people get sick incidentally near the time that they had a vaccination. But flu vaccines are made from dead viruses; you can't get the flu from the injected vaccine. The nasal spray vaccine does contain a live but attenuated (extremely weakened) version of the virus. It is possible to get a mild case of the flu from the live vaccine, which is why that vaccination is not used for children, the elderly or other at-risk groups.

If the vaccine doesn't create enough antibodies, you may still get the flu, but because of the vaccination, you will probably not have as severe a case as you would have otherwise.

Thimerosol (the mercury-based preservative that has been accused of involvement in autism) is no longer used in vaccines. And, for those who are still practicing JWs, vaccines have not been made from blood or blood products for a very long time.

I'm not a doctor--I'm a severe asthmatic. Before I began regularly getting flu vaccinations, I had complications from the flu--bronchitis and occasionally pneumonia--on an annual basis. Now that I regularly get vaccinated for seasonal flu and have been vaccinated for pneumonia, I haven't had either bronchitis or pnuemonia in more than 10 years.

I still get the flu sometimes, usually late in the season after the virus has mutated a bit. However, even when I get sick, I've not had either the severity of illness nor the complications which used to often send me to the hospital.

I know there's a lot of fear about vaccines. Some of that comes from history (when vaccines used live viruses routinely, they were much riskier) and some of that comes from not understanding the science behind them (I'm fortunate to be married to a biologist). In any case, I consider vaccination a life-saver in my case. I'd be a far less healthy person without them. I've already had my seasonal flu vaccine and will be getting the H1N1 vaccine as soon as it's available.

BTW, for the best explanation of how the influenza virus works (and why vaccines are a good idea), read The Great Influenza: The Story of the Deadliest Pandemic in History by John M. Barry. It's about the 1918 flu, and he's a very compelling writer.

Edited to add: WTW is dead-on correct about soap and water being the number one way to prevent illness, even if the rest of his advice is definitely not science-based.

22

Selling Sacramento, CA Convention Deal to Skeptical Public

by dannyboy in

jw
friends

i live near sacramento, ca and earlier this week the local convention authority held a big deal press conference announcing a "deal" with jehovah's witnesses (see clip below).

based on comments to local news media on their websites, more than a few people are not too crazy about the idea..... i heard an interview on a local station where the head guy [of the convention authority] was defending (sounded very defensive) the city's deal with the dubs, by saying "well, they'll bring hotel dollars, food dollars, and they'll be visiting all of our local museums, evening life, and entertainment attractions.....so the monetary impact will be huge for us...".

specifically discouraged from doing any of those "extra" things..... hope those attractions aren't hiring more employees to handle the witness "crowds"........ also, during the interview, he said that the convention authority would be able to select the dates for the various conventions.

Jankyn

Might also want to point out that the restaurants in the area aren't really low-end (except for the one deli across the street from the Sheraton). They have to walk several blocks up K Street (past the hipsters and the homeless) to get to a Subway or a taqueria. Most of the local "entertainment district" tends toward the high-end: The Cosmopolitan, the Esquire Grill (where the Governator likes to get his beef), the Broiler, Spataro's...all high-end places. Go east, toward Midtown, and there's a PF Chang's, a Mikuni sushi place, the Capitol Garage (upscale hangout for musical hipsters), the Park complex (combo nightclub and high-end eatery), and an upscale Irish bar (it's new and I haven't been in yet). Then there's the new California Pizza Kitchen, but eh, not cheap. The Denny's is waaaaay down J Street next to the Interstate (and Old Sacramento).

But I'll tell ya, when the JWs are in town, those will be the cheapest suits that area's seen for awhile. It's a high-profile hangout for politicos and lobbyists.

As for hotels, the cheapest in the area are a Comfort Inn (on I Street), runs about $100 a night and has homeless guys sleeping in the corners. Then there's the Clarion and the Holiday Inn Express over by the Governor's mansion, but those are over $150 a night. I know both the Sheraton and the Hyatt Regency, the two hotels in the convention center complex, are not cheap. There's a Best Western over at 10th & I, and I don't know about it's pricing, but the nearest "cheap" hotels/motels are in an area frequented by the homeless, over near the Loaves and Fishes/Salvation Army corridor. I usually put my Mom in the Clarion (mostly because it's got a nice view of the newly-restored Governor's mansion as well as a restaurant on-site and a Starbucks across the street, so she doesn't have to wander around in an iffy neighborhood if she wants something).

I live 4 blocks from the convention center in a converted Victorian (my cat loves the window seats).

22

Selling Sacramento, CA Convention Deal to Skeptical Public

by dannyboy in

jw
friends

i live near sacramento, ca and earlier this week the local convention authority held a big deal press conference announcing a "deal" with jehovah's witnesses (see clip below).

based on comments to local news media on their websites, more than a few people are not too crazy about the idea..... i heard an interview on a local station where the head guy [of the convention authority] was defending (sounded very defensive) the city's deal with the dubs, by saying "well, they'll bring hotel dollars, food dollars, and they'll be visiting all of our local museums, evening life, and entertainment attractions.....so the monetary impact will be huge for us...".

specifically discouraged from doing any of those "extra" things..... hope those attractions aren't hiring more employees to handle the witness "crowds"........ also, during the interview, he said that the convention authority would be able to select the dates for the various conventions.

Jankyn

Here's the pimp---oops, press---release from the Sac Bee today:

http://www.sacbee.com/religion/story/2159809.html

Jehovah's Witnesses conventions to boost Sacramento economy

A wave of Northern California Jehovah's Witnesses is coming to Sacramento in the largest convention booking in the city's history.

For eight weekends a year starting next summer, up to 6,000 delegates will bring a measure of relief to the region's recession-weary hotels and restaurants.

The five-year run is expected to bring a total of 200,000 convention delegates and $75 million in economic impact, said Mike Testa, spokesman for the Sacramento Convention & Visitors Bureau.

"It's really going to trickle down to a lot of different folks in the hospitality industry," he said.

Landing the Jehovah's Witnesses was considered so monumental that Mayor Kevin Johnson joined convention bureau officials at a press conference earlier this week to make the announcement.

Testa said the timing is especially fortunate because most Sacramento hotels earn the majority of their revenue during the workweek, when visitors come for state business. The vacancy rates climb on weekends, he said.

What's more, the Jehovah's Witnesses have agreed to schedule their conventions on those weekends when the Sacramento Convention Center is available.

"They'll come on the weekends we need them to," Testa said. The gatherings will be held between Memorial Day and Labor Day.

He said attendees generally bring their own lunches but will buy breakfast and dinner in town.

Next year's events will include five gatherings for English-speaking members and three for Spanish speakers. The English-speaking meetings will draw up to 6,000 members; the Spanish-speaking ones will draw up to 5,300.

While the deal with Sacramento lasts five years, Testa said the Jehovah's Witnesses typically extend the commitment beyond the initial contract.

Area hotels have taken their share of hits during the recession. Consulting firm PKF Hospitality Research says room occupancy in the region will drop 12 percent this year. PKF said average room rates are dropping about 8.5 percent from last year, to $95.52 a night.

The region's leisure and hospitality industry, which includes hotels and restaurants, has eliminated 5,000 jobs in greater Sacramento in the past year, or nearly 6 percent of the total.

The Jehovah's Witnesses holds regional conventions in 82 cities; Sacramento will become the 83rd. Delegates will come from as far away as the Oregon border.

31

Hey...no more lurking...

by pmgirl in

jw
friends

hey,.

this is my first post on this forum after months of reading and lurking on here.

i'm glad to be able to say that my husband and i finally sent our letter saying we want out and are wait to hear back for a potential jc meeting--that we won't be attending.. we had so many doubts it was impossible for us to continue living the lie.

Jankyn

Welcome to you! (And both out at the same time...a minor miracle!)