Who's here Now

[newlife]

Hello Everyone,

Just interested in knowing how far back visitors go on GS that has been in TWI. There seems to be

lots of different experiences by many different people. Depending on when you were involved there are different perspectives given.

Thanks!

Edited October 19, 2009 by newlife

[Twinky]

Newlife, you might find this thread of interest:

[act2]

Was 'witnessed' to in high school but did not take 'the class' until a year after high school graduation, May/June 1975, went wow in August 1975. Before I knew it, 19 years had passed. Got out in 1994 when Loy was ranting and raving and cussing on every SNS tape.

Have had a great life since then. It wasn't too bad before. I was one of the luckier ones, I guess.

Ok, this is more than you asked for!!!!!!!!

[Billy G]

Interesting poll. I studied these in college. Looks like this site is not very effective in reaching people that came to TWI in recent years. Just filled with people who are ....ed and feel their 20s and 30s were stolen in the 70s and 80s.

[waysider]

Interesting poll. I studied these in college. Looks like this site is not very effective in reaching people that came to TWI in recent years. Just filled with people who are ....ed and feel their 20s and 30s were stolen in the 70s and 80s.

Have you read some of the non-forum materials here, such as "Destruction of Self", "Actual Errors in PFAL" or "Docrinal Errors in PFAL"? Have you actually listened to the audios such as "Losing The Way", "Through the Fog" and "The Law of Believing--No God Needed"? I suggest you may gain a more comprehensive understanding of this site and its posters if you do so.

[WordWolf]

Actually, most of the people who left twi in more recent years read their way around this site,

posted (or didn't), and then moved on with their lives with neither twi nor the GSC.

To which I say "Good for them", and to which I say "Well done, GSC!"

[geisha779]

Interesting poll. I studied these in college. Looks like this site is not very effective in reaching people that came to TWI in recent years. Just filled with people who are ....ed and feel their 20s and 30s were stolen in the 70s and 80s.

Not sure you can make that determination from this most scientific of polls. . . . but if it makes you feel better to think so. . . . I lurked here before posting. . . and every once in awhile a lurker will pop up and give a testimony of sorts. . . . It more than likely has a wider effect than this poll reveals. No real way to analyze unavailable data.

We do have a current member who posts.

What IS actually interesting is the anger and disdain for TWI so far out from one's participation. . . . . that in itself is a powerful witness to the insidious nature of TWI, but not really to the inability of its victims. . . . to "move on". . . . . this is a snapshot of peoples lives. IMHO

It speaks volumes.

[Bolshevik]

Actually, most of the people who left twi in more recent years read their way around this site,

posted (or didn't), and then moved on with their lives with neither twi nor the GSC.

. . .

You can't know that? I would think most people retain a twi thoughtlife (or waybrain or whatever).

Interesting poll. I studied these in college. Looks like this site is not very effective in reaching people that came to TWI in recent years. Just filled with people who are ....ed and feel their 20s and 30s were stolen in the 70s and 80s.

twi is a bit quicker nowadays about hurting new people. They don't need a website.

[chockfull]

Interesting poll. I studied these in college. Looks like this site is not very effective in reaching people that came to TWI in recent years. Just filled with people who are ....ed and feel their 20s and 30s were stolen in the 70s and 80s.

Or perhaps it's a reflection on the numbers TWI has reached through the years. Many in the 70's and 80's, fewer in the 90's, next to none in this decade. There's a smaller pool to draw from.

[leafytwiglet]

Also people do not be bop on here every day so you are only getting a small percentage and of that you are only seeing those who comment..I very inexact poll.

In the short time I have been here I have met or read from all kinds of people who got involved at different times and all different ages but I also know that the greatest number of TWI converts was in the 70's and 80's and a large proportion of them left at the end of the 80's and twi has had a slow and steady decline since then.

Edited October 26, 2009 by leafytwiglet

[WordWolf]

Actually, most of the people who left twi in more recent years read their way around this site,

posted (or didn't), and then moved on with their lives with neither twi nor the GSC.

To which I say "Good for them", and to which I say "Well done, GSC!"

You can't know that? I would think most people retain a twi thoughtlife (or waybrain or whatever).

I'm only going by what so many of them have POSTED HERE.

True, for all I know, all of the posters who said it were lying.

I'm taking it as given that they told the truth.

[GrouchoMarxJr]

The 70's and early 80's were the bread and butter years for twi...after 1987 people left in droves...

In terms of numbers, it stands to reason that most of the greasespotters would come from those years.

There's no doubt that the GSC has been very instrumental in exposing this filthy little cult for what it is...

[Bolshevik]

I'm only going by what so many of them have POSTED HERE.

True, for all I know, all of the posters who said it were lying.

I'm taking it as given that they told the truth.

I'd have to see what you're talking about. most of the people I've seen come to twi in the past couple of years don't know of this site. They usually catch wayfers in their lies all by their lonesome.

[Bolshevik]

. .

There's no doubt that the GSC has been very instrumental in exposing this filthy little cult for what it iswas...

There's nothing to expose anymore. They are exactly what they look like.

[T-Bone]

Interesting poll. I studied these in college. Looks like this site is not very effective in reaching people that came to TWI in recent years. Just filled with people who are ....ed and feel their 20s and 30s were stolen in the 70s and 80s.

Could you be more specific. What "these" did you study in college? <_<

Perhaps your judgment is clouded by a TWI bias. Grease Spot has never used any outreach programs. I think a wide variety of folks [ex-TWI, pro-TWI, thinking-about-leaving-TWI, curious-but-yellow-about-leaving-TWI, etc.] came to this website by word of mouth or just surfing the net. Grease Spot is not like a twig, where one is invited but you have to check your personal viewpoint at the door and only talk of positive experiences is allowed. Anybody can join Grease Spot [you don't even have to be invited] and even with a cursory reading of threads one will find a broad spectrum of opinions about anything to do with TWI – and an interesting conglomeration of good & bad experiences to boot.

I can think of a few reasons why a recent convert to TWI would be non-responsive to a Grease Spotters' appeal to reason, experience, observation, decency or compassion. A typical convert is young – so they haven't developed critical thinking skills yet; they don't have many lesson-of-life experiences and it usually takes some time in TWI for the romance to wear off.

But give them a few years of entanglement in the parasitic cult – and they may start seeing some cracks in the mindset. It's the cumulative effect of getting burned a few times that stings the mental faculties into awareness. But then again, they may just practice the "renewed mind" – with glassy-eyed determination, stiff upper lip and a dismissive "There I go again - trusting the five senses. Get thee behind me Satan."

[Bolshevik]

. . . A typical convert is young – so they haven't developed critical thinking skills yet; they don't have many lesson-of-life experiences and it usually takes some time in TWI for the romance to wear off.

. . .

hmm, I typically think of new people coming to fellowship being in their 40s. But that's my experience. I know lots of young people joined in the 70s because they were young. Young people do join nowadays, and they usually "rise through the ranks" faster, I think. I usually think of new people joining nowadays as being middle-aged, lonely, oddballs. I don't know how to measure that statistic.

[T-Bone]

hmm, I typically think of new people coming to fellowship being in their 40s. But that's my experience. I know lots of young people joined in the 70s because they were young. Young people do join nowadays, and they usually "rise through the ranks" faster, I think. I usually think of new people joining nowadays as being middle-aged, lonely, oddballs. I don't know how to measure that statistic.

Granted there's always newcomers from an older age bracket but I agree with you in that being exceptional. Imho, young people will always be the primary hunting grounds of cults because of their naiveté.

There's a lot of valid reasons why people join cults. Cults work to circumvent a person's critical & creative thinking processes – they succeed by convincing folks the cult has exactly what they've been looking for. Some younger folks just don't have enough experiences under their belt to be wary in situations like that - so the cults don't have to work so hard. Predators of any type usually go for the weak - in this case weak in analytical skills.

For what it's worth I Googled median age of cult members and found on page 100 of "Cults and New Religious Movements: A Report of the American Psychiatric Association from the Committee on Psychiatry and Religion" edited by Marc Galanter, the median age to be 22, it's somewhat dated – copyright 1989 – but imho some younger folks of today can still be just as gullible.

http://books.google....page&q=&f=false

[act2]

Was 'witnessed' to in high school but did not take 'the class' until a year after high school graduation, May/June 1975, went wow in August 1975. Before I knew it, 19 years had passed. Got out in 1994 when Loy was ranting and raving and cussing on every SNS tape.

Have had a great life since then. It wasn't too bad before. I was one of the luckier ones, I guess. Ok, this is more than you asked for!!!!!!!! (Copied from my post above, but added bold and underline for effect)

Interesting poll. I studied these in college. Looks like this site is not very effective in reaching people that came to TWI in recent years. Just filled with people who are ....ed and feel their 20s and 30s were stolen in the 70s and 80s.

Billy G, you posted right after my post. Did you not read it??? Do I sound like I am ....ed off? You only SEE what you want to see.

There is hope for you yet, I am sure of it!!!

Edited October 28, 2009 by act2

[Bolshevik]

. . . Imho, young people will always be the primary hunting grounds of cults because of their naiveté.

There's a lot of valid reasons why people join cults. Cults work to circumvent a person's critical & creative thinking processes – they succeed by convincing folks the cult has exactly what they've been looking for. Some younger folks just don't have enough experiences under their belt to be wary in situations like that - so the cults don't have to work so hard. Predators of any type usually go for the weak - in this case weak in analytical skills.

. . .

I'll have to look at the link more. twi is not a young cult. most young people in twi now were bred into it. Then those kids date and marry nonbelievers in. I would think that will be the main avenue for twi to survive in the U.S., unless they bring in immigrants.

[Bolshevik]

Interesting poll. I studied these in college. Looks like this site is not very effective in reaching people that came to TWI in recent years. Just filled with people who are ....ed and feel their 20s and 30s were stolen in the 70s and 80s.

Man, did they run you off? Yes, recent years, you won't get much of that here.

[dmiller]

For what it's worth - - - this site NEVER reached for me. I came looking and found both it and answers I'd been looking for for years.

Have you any other asinine observations to make, or do you want to quit while your ahead?? The ball is in your court.

[WordWolf]

For what it's worth - - - this site NEVER reached for me. I came looking and found both it and answers I'd been looking for for years.

Have you any other asinine observations to make, or do you want to quit while your ahead?? The ball is in your court.

Correct-

the "outreach" is by just EXISTING, and people find their way here.

That's how I got here, and how most people got here, not even by recommendation.

[Raf]

Interesting poll. I studied these in college. Looks like this site is not very effective in reaching people that came to TWI in recent years. Just filled with people who are ....ed and feel their 20s and 30s were stolen in the 70s and 80s.

If you studied this, then you would know it's not a poll. Rather, it is an informal survey. As for the rest, if you had studied anything about polls or surveys, you would know that this "poll" couldn't possibly lead you to the conclusions you state. That makes your statement, informally speaking, pompous drivel.

Edited October 29, 2009 by Raf

[Bolshevik]

I don't know, Billy only may have scratched the surface . . . dude, Billy? Hellllooo?

[penworks]

Interesting poll. I studied these in college. Looks like this site is not very effective in reaching people that came to TWI in recent years. Just filled with people who are ....ed and feel their 20s and 30s were stolen in the 70s and 80s.

I think it's a gross misstatement to conclude that GSC is "Just filled with people who are ....ed and feel their 20s and 30s were stolen in the 70s and 80s."

I do think it's fair to say many people come here to sort through the years they spent in TWI and try to create meaning from their experiences and find understanding from them, not to mention find out facts about certain events in TWI and teachings propounded by TWI.

Please try and refrain from making sweeping generalizations about the people who post here.

Thanks,

Charlene