Jim Jones' followers enthralled by his skills as a speaker

CNN.com ^ | 11/13/2008 | CNN

[autumnraine]

The key to understanding the tragedy that was Jonestown lies in the oratory skills of the Peoples Temple founder, Jim Jones.

"He was very charismatic," Leslie Wagner-Wilson, a Jonestown survivor, says of the Rev. Jim Jones.

With the cadence and fervor of a Baptist preacher, the charm and folksiness of a country storyteller and the zeal and fury of a maniacal dictator, Jones exhorted his followers to a fever pitch, audiotapes recovered from Jonestown reveal.

As he spoke, they applauded, shouted, cheered. One follower who survived the "revolutionary suicide" at Jonestown on November 18, 1978, said that Jones was the most dynamic speaker he had ever heard.

Like all powerful speakers, Jones' greatest asset was his ability to determine what listeners wanted to hear and give it to them in simple language that appealed to them on an almost instinctual level.

[bboop]

Don’t forget another reason — a lot of them hate whitey.

[wolfcreek]

She didn’t drink the Kool-Aide.

[Beloved Levinite]

"Does this sound familiar?"

Quite. (unfortunately)

[Red Badger]

Rock Solid Red Florida Panhandle................excluding Pensacola.......

[autumnraine]

I heard on the last 45 minutes of the lives of those people, the woman was clearly trying to convince him and others that this was not the right thing to do. She was obviously scared for her life, but was trying to calmly explain why suicide was not the only option. She was cursed and yelled at by the others.

I wanted to cry for that woman.

[autumnraine]

“Jim Jones preached exactly the same stuff as Jeremiah Wright. Exactly the same.”

With the exact same inflection and rage. I noticed that too in listening to his sermons. Rev Wright was EXACTLY who I thought of.

[autumnraine]

It’s very common. Notice alot of preachers use that reverb. Sam Kinnison was a preacher and he had the same reverb in his comedy routine that I think was more from habit than anything.

[autumnraine]

They are always portrayed as right wing kooks!

[GulfWar1Vet]

Baraaack! Baraaack!

[madameguinot]

You’re looking for a logical answer to an illogical reponse!

[madameguinot]

You’re looking for a logical answer to an illogical reponse!

[Alia]

Did the History Channel also cover the fact that the San Francisco Democrats endorsed Jimmie Jones? Did they also include that the San Francisco Democrats used Jimmie Jones' cult member to do political "community organizing" in San Francisco.

Both are facts.

[Alia]

I still have in my possession, the original article coverages out of the San Francisco Newspapers. Congressman Leo Ryan. A decent man. And his once normal aide, Jackie Spiers.

Not long after Guyana, a host of other unlovelies began dancing, prancing and dictating around San Francisco. Michael Warner, EST, Synanon. Out-of-the-closet became an Oprah, daily, real-time drama.

Some emotionally abusive cults arose in the SF Bay Area out of the beginning of the end times groupings which were held at Esalen, merging and morphing but always running in tandem with such groups as the Black Panthers.

And they swarmed the area like so many armies in the night.

My high school hired the first wave of UC Berkeley free speech graduates. It was a seige.

[Extremely Extreme Extremist]

Did they ever make a movie about this? I’m thinking Tommy Lee Jones or Mark Wahlberg would be a good actor to play Jim Jones.

[autumnraine]

yeah, they made a couple.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0762111/

http://www.amazon.com/Guyana-Tragedy-Story-Jim-Jones/dp/B00002VW6C

And I always thought Tommy lee Jones would have been PERFECT for the part.

[Fu-fu2]

Scary stuff!

[piasa]

A few weeks ago, Rush was talking about this. Henoted that there was always a reverb from the sound system. I remember reading about Jim Jones and he had a similar reverb when he bloviated. In the article, it said that the reverb had am effect on certain portions of the brain whereas if you listened to his droning long enough, one would become “hypnotized” or “brain-conditioned” and easier to control.

Thank God they can't purr or they will displace the housecat as masters of the civilized world.

[Alia]

Ever been at a full throttle lefty protest in San Francisco?

Lots of paper mache, drummers, dancing girls in riske outfits, and always in front and flanking the sides of these huge protests, laughing, singing, a strange carnival. Where the curious, however, really need to be in somewhere in the middle of that parade. Why? That's where the real heavy arsenal is being toted.

People on the sidewalks, watch the parade in wonder, disgust, amusement, some even applauding this most curious collection and assortment of human entertainment. Not ever wondering what exactly is being moved from within that parade. There's always something -- and if you get too close -- there's always someone in a clown outfit to steer you away, or someone poking you playfully, away - from getting too close to the core inner middle of that parade.. I mean.. protest.

Well, that's how it all arrived in San Francisco so many years ago. "Look at that curious new-agey thing"? Wow, I never thought about that. What a curious and fun way to get your message across"... are the usual comments when something "strange" comes to town.

Meanwhile, while the people are being distracted, entertained, diverted, something wicked takes root.

That's what happened to my once beautiful City. That's how it happened along the coastline of my much beloved even yet, state of California. That's how it happened.

It took root. And grew like poison ivy.