In Reply to: Re: Turning over our power posted by zither on June 18, 2006 at 23:38:57:
While I share the perspective you express in your post, I'm puzzled by the following two comments:
"I am surprised at what seems to be PC in viewing people that "joined" as youth."
"I won't condemn anyone for having "joined"."
Since you posted that as a response to me, I assume those comments are directed at me. However, you certainly haven't read me condemn anyone for joining a deceptive and manipulative cult, especially if they were teens when they did so, so I'm not sure what you're talking about. However, I do criticize anyone who now remains part of the power hierarchy. I'm still undecided yet as to how I view lowly regular members of TF. I think that probably there is now no credible excuse for regular members remaining ignorant about the crimes, abuses and other immoral or unethical actions that fill TF's corporate history, regardless of whether they were recruited, joined or even born into the group.
I realize including that latter demographic may be controversial, but the way I see it, hundreds of people who were born into the cult were able to see how corrupt it is and left, often without any support from anyone. And that was before the internet. Now, members can use the internet, if not in their home then in libraries or internet cafes, and read for themselves all about the corruption of their founder and leaders.
I don't know about you, but I was a teen when I joined ( which is why I share most of the perspective you expressed) and was indoctrinated for nearly 20 years yet somehow eventually found a way to break free, and that was before some of the worst atrocities came to light. With all the information that has been made public since the early 90s I just don't see that there's any excuse for members remaining ignorant about the true nature of their organization. It seems to me that they choose to either ignore the information or disbelief it, but I don't think they can now credibly say "I didn't know."