From a reader:
This afternoon presented stellar radio as I ran my errands. Being a compulsive dial surfer, I usually switch amongst our ten local FM rock stations, and today I seemed to catch one fave tune after the other, back to back. As I sip a Heineken now back at home, I got to wondering about how this power-mongering amongst the adults in the ACOGs plays out these days with the kids. Setting the tone, my parents were moving up the WCG ladder as I was completing my high school years. One assumption of the higher ups was that aspiring deacons and local elders would definitely have their families under control. This means that their children had to be exemplary, which often led to duplicitousness, that is, hiding certain behaviors from the parental figures. Separate wardrobe for school in the ol' locker, one lingo at school and more formal linguistics at home, classical music overtly at home and falling asleep each night secretly listening to a clear channel AM rock station through the earplug on your transistor radio. And, then, there were nicotine fits over the weekend. Beer and wine hidden in the attic were helpful in getting through the weekend, but it was tough being a teenager in HWA's WCG cult. Honestly, I couldn't shake these same behavioral patterns during my two year tenure at AC, which ultimately led to some decisions being made for me. No worries, as I was already out from under the parents, and able to live my own life and make my own decisions. AC had been an excellent escape.How do teenagers of today cope with their cultically-intoxicated parents? Someone recently stated that most of the church kids of today are home-schooled. That kills the escape valve that we had back in the day, because we realized that for a goodly portion of each weekday, at school, we got to be normal. I had my transistor radio taken away for listening to the Ventures or the Young Rascals. What if a PCG, RCG, or LCG parent catches his daughter listening to Megan Thee Stallion on her cellphone? Or son listening to Ghost Face Killah? Does their cell phone get taken away? If so, how do the parents use the cell phones to spy on and control their kids? Home Schooling cuts off the escape in several ways, one of which is that the church's college will probably recognize that education as being sufficient to attend, let's say, HWA College. City College, State College, Oxford, or Harvard? Not so much.My Mom just about blew a fuse when I told her that my ride home from athletic practice lost his car privileges due to "parental problems". She was shocked and appalled that I could possibly even come up with such a label! Cultie parents are so out of touch with reality! Imagine having to tell peers today that you are into Irish dancing! Or that you will be gone for Christmas Week for a winter retreat with your church that had nothing to do with Christmas! I'd just bet that it still royally sucks being a kid in an Armstrong splinter!
