thebrokenkite

Joined

• started 5 topics
• posted 55 times   see topics posted on
• send a message

Posts by thebrokenkite

• 
  110

  Exjw activists protesting inside a Kingdom Hall today!

  by Crazyguy in

  1. watchtower
  2. child-abuse

  spoonfed nomore, has uploaded a video on his youtube site, of exjw activists protesting inside a kingdom hall during this sunday meeting.

  several people speak out.

  if some one can put a link on here that would be awesome, i can’t figure out how to do it with an i phone.

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  thebrokenkite

  @Nacho Sanchez I can see where you’re coming from and will be careful to make more obvious transitions in the future. In the end, I was there. Your ongoing defense of the group or certain ones in it based on my initial impression of them without you having experienced the thing in its entirety or have interacted with the group is confusing and makes me wonder whether you have a dog in this fight. I went exactly as a curious newbie apostate (which has already been established) looking to take pictures and perhaps network. I have also said I don’t regret going and that it provided some clarity as to the type of activism I want to engage in. In any case, this back and forth has grown tired and I hope you’ll agree. Again, I feel I’ve already addressed the points in question and will take greater care to avoid statements that verge on sweeping ones in the future. I think we can call however’s -1-ing all the posts offering valid criticisms of the protest off. 😉
• 
  110

  Exjw activists protesting inside a Kingdom Hall today!

  by Crazyguy in

  1. watchtower
  2. child-abuse

  spoonfed nomore, has uploaded a video on his youtube site, of exjw activists protesting inside a kingdom hall during this sunday meeting.

  several people speak out.

  if some one can put a link on here that would be awesome, i can’t figure out how to do it with an i phone.

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  thebrokenkite

  @nacho Sanchez I’ll indulge what has now become your “elder tangent”, but I think you’re reading a lot more into my comments than I intended to leave open for interpretation. I went back and can’t find an insinuation that Parker and Joel were elders. In fact, I specifically mentioned not knowing what Joel’s responsibilities were in the congregation. I’m also having trouble finding a quote saying the ringleaders acted like elders. I did say the disorganization was surprising considering the amount of alleged elders. Keep in mind you only a few to run a congregation. Perhaps my segue into my interactions with the ringleaders was abrupt and I apologize if it left things murky. Regarding the mannerisms and idiosyncrasies, I mentioned that they were unique to JWs, and included myself among those still displaying them. I did not limit them to elders.

  https://www.dropbox.com/m/browse?path=%2F11-5-17+Warwick+Protest Here’s a link with pictures I took. Again, I cannot find my comments stating we should wear suits. I wore jeans, an untucked button-up, and a sweater. I was comfortable but was careful to dress in a way that wouldn’t distract JWs trained to judge folks on account of such superfluous reasons. Looking like you’re headed for a jog or comic con really can’t bolster your message, I think we’ll agree.

  Lastly, as I mentioned before, I had no idea who any of the apostates were before Sunday, including Parker. That was my first impression, which I’d be happy to correct should I meet him again and fee differently. However, I currently stand by my first impression and it is not one exclusive to me. If we were all pushing our own individual agendas, I should’ve also handed out free prints of my photos to help my business. I, perhaps naïvely, that the group was gathering for different purposes.
• 
  110

  Exjw activists protesting inside a Kingdom Hall today!

  by Crazyguy in

  1. watchtower
  2. child-abuse

  spoonfed nomore, has uploaded a video on his youtube site, of exjw activists protesting inside a kingdom hall during this sunday meeting.

  several people speak out.

  if some one can put a link on here that would be awesome, i can’t figure out how to do it with an i phone.

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  thebrokenkite

  @Ruby456 Others seeking out prominence and control is kind of how we all ended up here, so I’m not sure what I’m missing. I’m a lot less susceptible to self-proclaimed leadership and want to know what’s in it for them. I question the motives of everyone leading any movement before I decided to jump in head first. The last time I didn’t do that, I ended up a Witness for 25 years. I think this is a reasonable approach for someone recently delivered from the chains of a cult he worshipped all his life.
• 
  110

  Exjw activists protesting inside a Kingdom Hall today!

  by Crazyguy in

  1. watchtower
  2. child-abuse

  spoonfed nomore, has uploaded a video on his youtube site, of exjw activists protesting inside a kingdom hall during this sunday meeting.

  several people speak out.

  if some one can put a link on here that would be awesome, i can’t figure out how to do it with an i phone.

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  thebrokenkite

  Also, plugging your own FICTIONAL quasi-sci-fi novel for an event that’s supposed to be about helping former and current cult members doesn’t smack of narcissism at all, to you? Would it help if a mixtape was part of the bundle? That’s not sarcasm. There was literally a book and CD up for grabs. That he couldn’t charge for them goes without saying, I don’t think that’s really an argument.
• 
  110

  Exjw activists protesting inside a Kingdom Hall today!

  by Crazyguy in

  1. watchtower
  2. child-abuse

  spoonfed nomore, has uploaded a video on his youtube site, of exjw activists protesting inside a kingdom hall during this sunday meeting.

  several people speak out.

  if some one can put a link on here that would be awesome, i can’t figure out how to do it with an i phone.

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  thebrokenkite

  @Nacho Sanchez I’m that guy and I don’t see any conflict in my comments. I took great care to be clear. Some of the organizers are former elders, by their own disclosure. Calling them elders is not loaded. Anyone who’s ever been in a foreign language group or congregation knows that the body is often “two [or three] guys supposedly in charge of an amateurish and disorganized” congregation. I think perhaps the term is more loaded to you.

  I guess my subtle attempts at humor by mentioning a pseudo symposium and what felt like a meeting for field service (which included scriptural application) perhaps failed to provide a better mental picture of the event. Also, many of the mannerisms and idiosyncrasies were ones I’ve seen in many an active elder. This is not a criticism. I myself am still uprooting JW traits; it was just amusing to see others in the same boat.

  Regarding the dress for the protest, you can go through all the effort of flying out here (as was the case for many), making signs, putting on a theatrical display, but you refuse to put on anything besides sweatpants or a costume? You’ve instantly closed the door to most JWs before even knocking and it’ll be difficult for media to take someone dressed like a Sith Lord seriously. It’s the reason why we had to dress up in the first place as JWs. Apostates can have a powerful message, but it’s all for naught if they can’t package it well.

  And, as slim boy fat pointed out, other ex-JWs have been able to attract international attention to their organized and dignified protests.
• 
  55

  11-5-17 Warwick Protest Photos

  by thebrokenkite in

  1. jw
  2. experiences

  let the reader use discernment:.

  i was disfellowshipped in june of last year.

  while i've been awake for nearly a year, i still often feel groggy.

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  thebrokenkite

  @jaydee PM me and I’ll email them to you.

  @stuckinarut2 Absolutely. It was almost entirely self-serving.

  @the Fall Guy I think I agree, but I wanted add a dash of hope to my conclusions. For a change.

  @morpheus Concerning points 1, 2, and 3: Amen, amen, and amen. Come, Lord Jebus.
• 
  55

  11-5-17 Warwick Protest Photos

  by thebrokenkite in

  1. jw
  2. experiences

  let the reader use discernment:.

  i was disfellowshipped in june of last year.

  while i've been awake for nearly a year, i still often feel groggy.

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  thebrokenkite

  Thanks for the kind words, everyone. I’m still learning to shed my JW diplomacy and hope I was neither timid nor harsh.

  @listener I can respect that. It was just the need to include that detail that seemed a bit off to me. After brief pleasantries, this gentleman let us know he was an anointed Witness along with his son and his son’s man bun. I guess he still had an unused strike before I called him out...

  @diogenesister I’m afraid I might be. 😅 I’d love to fill that gap, if you can explain.

  @zeb I mostly agree, except with the excuse for the disorder. I was never an elder, but my JW background made some things about the protest glaringly obvious to me. Some of the organizers are men who still humble brag about their responsibilities in the org and they took it upon themselves to organize the event. I’m sure if they held the positions they claim, they would’ve necessarily organized much more complex events.
• 
  18

  What would you do for next November 5?

  by Faded in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i think everything has to start somewhere, and you can see the passion and commitment from those loyal 50 that showed up in warwick yesterday.

  the event was not very well organized but you could see the passion & dedication from most of them.

  and i think they at least touched a couple of people at the kh yesterday.. having an annual day of action actually inspires me.

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  thebrokenkite

  @drearyweather My point exactly. Use JW training and tactics against them. Call it sub-cultural appropriation. ;)
• 
  18

  What would you do for next November 5?

  by Faded in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i think everything has to start somewhere, and you can see the passion and commitment from those loyal 50 that showed up in warwick yesterday.

  the event was not very well organized but you could see the passion & dedication from most of them.

  and i think they at least touched a couple of people at the kh yesterday.. having an annual day of action actually inspires me.

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  thebrokenkite

  I’m not sure that I saw the same nobility on display that you did, but I am a very skeptical (perhaps cynical) person. I think the simplest answer is that we should use Watchtower training or tactics against Watchtower.

  For one, ringleaders should have a solid résumé in the religion. It’s hard for anyone to take seriously an apostate who was not very active or sincere and is now speaking out. It plays better publicly to put at the forefront those who really believed and lived the lie and makes it more difficult for Watchtower to discredit them. It would be easier for apostates like me to believe that folks with a substantial track record are not chasing personal glory. Figures of this caliber also do much more to grab the attention of curious JWs. Think of how carefully vetted anyone used in Watchtower publications is. This would require that too many folks currently “spearheading” the movement stay in the background, which I think will be an impossible sell. No one wants to feel their value is increased on the sidelines, especially those seeking attention for their activism. I’m not saying people shouldn’t tell their stories, as some find it therapeutic, but some could be a bit more tame or altogether absent from events where media is present.

  For me, the biggest issue is the amateurism about the ordeal. I don’t want to hear that “it’s a start” anymore, especially considering this very protest had been in the works for years and that some of the organizers were elders who had previously helped organize much larger events, I’m sure.
  

  A clear theme should be selected, and signs should be designed accordingly and collectively approved. The theme should be something that is easily understood by non-JWs and pulls at their heart strings.

  A dress code should allow for the comfort of the protesters, while not detracting from their message before an ultra-conservative audience hung up on dress and grooming.

  A wide available, exact time, location, and itinerary would perhaps whet the appetite of those on the fence about attending.

  Don’t protest in front of HQ. It’s a waste of time. Print out informative tracts like Watchtowers and blitz Warwick going door to door and inviting other community churches along. That’s a story a newspaper or local news channel can get behind. Encroaching on the JWs’ self-proclaimed trademark might be the only thing that could rile the feathers of the HQ brass.

  I also think Morpheus has a great idea. Why not choose a date significant to all JWs that doesn’t require taking a day off work? The first Saturday of October would see a lot more JW traffic and may sow seeds in the mind of some AM attendees.

  There’s much more that could be done to legitimize the spectacle, but I really don’t see the current ringleaders whose efforts are counterproductive taking one for the team and stepping aside or allowing for a more democratic approach.
• 
  55

  11-5-17 Warwick Protest Photos

  by thebrokenkite in

  1. jw
  2. experiences

  let the reader use discernment:.

  i was disfellowshipped in june of last year.

  while i've been awake for nearly a year, i still often feel groggy.

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  thebrokenkite

  Sorry, guys. I tried but I'm not savvy enough to figure out how to upload all the photos here so here's the link to the dropbox files in full resolution: https://www.dropbox.com/home/11-5-17%20Warwick%20Protest