I have the utmost respect for those who choose the fade. It's not easy, but with the right motives (helping to lead your family out?) you will do it! The people on this site really do have your back!
outnfree
outnfree
JoinedPosts by outnfree
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16
Thank you all for helping me remain one of Jehovah's Witnesses!
by coaster in[edited].
please re-post this with acceptable language..
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outnfree
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outnfree
Justahuman24 and B_Deserter:
I understand completely what you are saying about Spaniards ostensibly being Causasian and not Hispanic. (I did respond to your other thread, Justahuman24.)
However, I contend that hardly ANY race can consider itself purebred today -- and probably shouldn't have centuries ago, either. I mean Spain was invaded (and ruled) by the Moors, the French, and the Phoenicians, to name the ones I remember off the top of my head. Semitic Jews had a rich and thriving culture in Spain, too. The British controlled the islands of Gibraltar and Menorca. My ex-husband's surname is not an obviously Spanish one, no one has been able to trace the origins -- there may be British or possibly German blood in his supposedly 100% purebred Spanish veins. Hapsburgs ruled Spain, they were Austrian. What is the difference between a Castillian and a Catalunyan?
In France, the Franks overran the Gauls, and the Normans (Norsemen or Vikings) took over the Normandy. How many times did the Anglo-Saxons and the French fight? The Anglos and the Saxons?
Seriously, races and ethnic groups have been intermarrying for millenia. Who is pure? (Maybe the Basques?)
I understand that Hispanic is meant to refer to the descendents of Spaniards in the Spanish Empire who intermarried with the locals and thus spread their language and their culture among many different indigenous peoples.
My Spanish ex-husband intermarried with this Melting-Pot American and our children call themselves "Hispanic." They have, at most, as far as we know, 1/16 "Black" blood. The other 15/16 comes from so-called "Causasian" races. Their dad checks "White" on forms that ask. I, now that I am given a choice, choose "other." For me, the "other" race that I am, is human.
:)
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Race! Why is it important?
by Justahuman24 inwell, this is just going to be about some misunderstandings, i guess..
why is it that most "americans" or people in the u.s. consider "hispanics/latinos" and spaniards to be the same?
spaniards are caucasian.
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outnfree
It's not, in my opinion, but I'm a true Melting-Pot American: African, Danish, English, Irish, French, and German descent, but mostly Danish. Most people would call me white. I consider myself to be "Caucasian" because for the longest time, I had no confirmation that I had any African blood, just a few relatives with nappy hair and dark complexions.
I know my late mother-in-law, who was Spanish, considered herself superior to the Puerto Ricans who lived in her city. Because they were mixed race? Probably. We used to give her hell about it. She had friends of all nationalities, but there was this little piece of her that looked down her nose at Puerto Ricans and Mexicans.
Since my ex-husband is pure Spaniard -- ha! Can THAT even be true? I mean, how many times did Phoenicans, Arabs, Jews, the French, the British, etc, invade and conquer Spain, and especially the Balaeric Islands, which is where his family is from?!! -- my children say they are 50% Hispanic.
Remember that "Mediterranean" European were not always considered "white" here in America years ago. In fact, in "Portugee" was code for having some Black blood -- because often it was Portugese slavers who brought Africans to America. There were more liberal immigration quotas for Northern Europeans.
I appreciate that there are different ethnicities, cultures, and languages in the world and love to learn about differing traditions, rites, and cuisines. But we are all members of the HUMAN race. One thing I do appreciate about my years as a Witness was that my children had exposure to different races and nationalities. They learned early that people are people and that love and common goals can overcome fear of the unknown, and I believe fear of the unknown is what creates barriers between people most of the time.
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Dominican Republic- Does Anyone Live There ?
by gumby inhey folks, i want to know if anybody from here lives there or has lived there.
photo's?.
are the witnesses pretty much the same there as they are here in the u.s.?.
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outnfree
Gumby,
I am going to vehemently disagree with whoever it was that said the Dominican Republic is just like Haiti, too.
I have a fun story about an experience there:
My ex-husband and I went to the Dom. Rep. with another couple and stayed in Punta Cana at one of the many resorts there. I was a Witless at the time, and wanted to visit the "Friends" and so had arranged to go into the nearest city--Higuey--where there were missionaries and a Kingdom Hall. I was to go out in field service with them.
I enquired about getting into town and the cab fare was absolutely outrageous! I was going alone, because nobody else on the trip was a JW. I asked if there was another way for me to get to Higuey and was told that I could get a bus just outside the entrance to the resort. Early the next morning, I walked to the bus stop and immediately became a curiosity. Whatever was this rich gringa doing at the bus stop?!!! It got worse.
I boarded the bus, which was already quite crowded and found a seat almost at the rear of the bus. At the next stop, a very pregnant woman got on. There was room next to me, but she would not sit there. I was experiencing discrimination! I was the only white person on the bus. The pregnant woman preferred to stand, rather than sit next to me! A gentlemen got up and offered her his seat, but he, too, would not sit beside me. He stood up, holding on to one of those strappy handles, instead.
It took about 1/2 hour to get to Higuey and I got to see the tropical countryside, brightly painted homes, and food stands with ropes of sausages hanging out to dry, alongside the road. We entered Higuey and I mostly remember lots of white, Spanish-style buildings. The missionaries had told me where to get off the bus and how to get to the Kingdom Hall from there. I walked to the Hall and...
... nobody was there! They had ALL left without me. Not very nice, I thought. I was crushed. I hung around for about 1/2 hour hoping they'd gone witnessing close by and somebody would swing back by the Hall, but no. In the meantime, I HADN"T been so prudent as to have asked the missionaries where I'd pick up the RETURN bus to the resort. What to do?
I meandered back to the street where the bus had deposited me, saw a few other buses come and go, but really had NO idea what bus to take, and I didn't want to go yet farther afield. I do NOT speak Spanish. At the time, I spoke only English, French, and Mallorcan (a Spanish dialect).
There was a little juice stand across the way, so I went inside, ordered a drink, and asked how I would get a bus back to Punta Cana -- all with expressive pantomine and my poor Spanish. The owner understood what I was getting at, even though she raised her eyebrows. She asked me if I had any money. I said yes. I can't remember how much money she had me take out, but she made it very clear to me that ALL I was going to give the young man she had just haled for me was that particular amount. That he was being handsomely paid with that amount.
And then I hopped onto the back of his moto, and was driving to the Central Bus Station, where I could buy my ticket for a bus back to the resort gate. :)
Yes, the Dominicans are very poor -- there were young kids at the bus station peddling oranges -- but how very kind and helpful they were to silly lost me!
To top my day off, on the return bus ride, someone DID dare to sit next to me. He was young, neatly dressed, and struck up a conversation with me in English. He carried a Bible.
Who was he?
A Mormon missionary!!!! LOL
Well, at least I got to see more of the island than the resort.
I'd go back. It was lovely! Many Canadians vacation there, in fact, our flight left from Toronto. You can make arrangements to swim with dolphins. The climate varies, as our shuttle bus driver joked, between hot and HELL. Go in winter, not summer. Enjoy the delicious food, but DO NOT drink the water, and peel your fruit, because it likely was washed in the perhaps not so pure tap water. Remember to use bottled water even for rinsing your mouth after brushing your teeth.
Buen viaje!
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outnfree
Ethnic? Or racial?
In Michigan,
We had mostly Whites, I'd say of Scottish, German, and English descent for the majority
Some Hispanics -- from Mexico, mostly, but also from other Latin American countries
More Blacks than Hispanics, with ancestors that had moved North to get jobs in the auto industry for the most part, which most likely means an African heritage via ancestral slavery in the South
In Ontario, Canada,
We had lots of English and Italian congregation members. No Blacks. No Hispanics that I can remember (unless you count my half-Spanish children). A smatering of Dutch.
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New grandkid
by animal inwe are expecting the second grandkid next week, on 8-3... planned c-section.
my job is to watch our first one until all is done then take him in to meet his new sister.
he is 1 1/2, and my buddy.. well, i just got a call that my son thinks her water just broke.
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outnfree
Congratulations, animal!
And to the proud grandma and parents and big brother, too!
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I did it! and it's your fault
by Hortensia ini went to the grocery store today - no that's not your fault.. it's 103 degrees today, not bad.
there were three people sitting in the shade in front of the grocery store.
there was a middle aged woman, an older man in a wheelchair, and a thin man whose frozen smile screams "elder.
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outnfree
I LOVE it!
I want to use it!
(I can't honestly say EXACTLY the same thing, but I DID go to a convention in 1973, so I'm going to modify it the next time I run into some dubs. Of course, they probably WILL know me, around here... Mwahhahahahahahhaaaa!)
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Let's make JW-friendly greeting cards...
by exwitless indid you ever think about the fact that when you were a dub, it was pointless to buy a box of all occasion greeting cards?
it annoyed the heck out of me, because you couldn't use the ones for birthdays or most of the sympathy cards (because they often said "lord" or "god" in them).
so what would a box of jw greeting cards contain?.
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outnfree
On Your High School Graduation: Congratulations! Now that your studies are done with, you can have a nice career cleaning the school you just left, so you have time for studies! ;)
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A Catholic Wedding
by TooBad TooSad ini went to a catholic wedding of a real good friend this afternoon and it was a real nice experience.
my wife, who still .
strictly adheres to watchtower doctrine was going to go but she made her self sick worrying about what she was going to.
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outnfree
I recently went to a Catholic Wedding Mass and enjoyed the experience very much.
I do remember feeling a bit like your wife, TBTS, about a decade ago, when I was still a Witness but attended another Catholic wedding ceremony. I sat near the back so that the fact that I was not kneeling-sitting-standing-singing-or-praying would not be so obvious to the other churchgoers. But even then, I found the mass beautiful.
jambon1 -- "I went to one catholic wedding where the priest backed down and was happy to marry a couple who had been living together." -- I don't understand your problem with this. To me it makes sense that the priest was happy to marry the couple who had previously been living in sin and now were asking for God to bless their union???
Anyway -- TBTS, I'm glad yours was a wonderfully spritual experience.
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outnfree
Hi, Vyla! Welcome to JWD.
outnfree