Navytown, I'm impressed that you picked up on this trait and that it was one of the things that turned you away from going any farther with your study. This say's a lot about you as a person.
Your post reminds me of a tradgedy that happened in our Congregation. There was a family with 4 very cute little girls and each were each a year or so apart in age and were identical to eachother. They were like stair steps when you stood them next to eachother in order of age.
The 4girls along with another little girl from the Hall were splashing about at the edge of a small shallow river with as their Mothers looked on. Suddenly without warnig, a wall of water came rushing from upstream and the ensuing surge of water, washed two of the littlest sisters and the 1 other little JW girl, away. Aparrently they had released some water from the Dam upstream and the wall of water created enough of a current that it swept the girls away. They were found days later in another City near the mouth of the river.
The families and the congregation grieved of course but the Mother of the 4 girls ("M" ) and oldest surviving girl (who had clung onto her little sisters as long as she could) were inconsolable. They grieved for the longest time. One day in a car group out in service, a very sad "M"was at a door and an elders wife (mother of 4 herself ) said to the rest of us in the car " Oh I wish "M"would just get over it....she's needs a good slap....she's showing a complete lack of faith in Jehovah....doesn't she know she'll see the girls again in the New System"
This tragedy happened over 30 years ago and we still see the "M" and the two remaining girls(now grown and beautiful) from time to time. You can't help but think of the missing sisters and what it would have been like to see them all together. But like you Navytown,the words of that elders Wife, stuck with me and they really reflected the callousness some JW's develop regarding loss of life and the distorted view of what kind of greif is appropriate in situations like this. I saw this time and again over the years with individuals and I beleive it's a direct result of the constant steady diet of Armageddon talks at the meetings and assemblies and the harping on about the nearness of the new system and destruction of the worlds population that one reads in the publications.