Esher Green – an annexe to the Hampton Wick Friday cult meeting. See our Cult Where to Find (GB)
From a
correspondent:
“Gentlemen
Time for a
progress report. It has been some months since the Dead Parrot's Society AA meeting started, with ever greater numbers,
and even recently its own convention.
This
meeting is very well run. Organised and relentless in it efficiency.
Very subtle use of inculcation. Almost subliminal, and always the
same. A well versed Gang of 4 run it, but you really have to be
perceptive to realise what is going on. This meeting is a seminar,
without the name.
Principle
features are the 4 always share, often one after the other, but not
always. The secretary always shares, with a very liberal sprinkling
of "We" and "You". Next favourite is "The
Big Book tells US" and common to the entire gang "in MY
experience" which is poorly disguised code for "In MY
OPINION". Actual, tangible, practical EXPERIENCE is not shared.
We are simply told "it works". The other relentless
favourite is "My sponsor says( or said)" to the extent that
these sponsors must be so busy philosophising, they cannot have any
room or time to do anything else. So, by analogy we are told "X"
or "Y" works, but never from the personal experience of the
gang. It just does, apparently, and the faster we believe it, the
better. I have yet to hear one actual personal piece of experience
which supports an (always very well parroted) extract from the Big
Book.
The
sharing of personal experience is left to the remaining attendees,
who by and large appear to be in thrall to the Gang. Certainly
nothing spontaneous happens without them.
At the
beginning of the meeting "our Clerical secretary" reads out
a lengthy discourse about "the meeting after the meeting"
with a plethora of clumsily phrased "permissions" such as
"you don't have to order a meal" followed by a list of soft
drinks one may be allowed to order. It reads like Kindergarten
(stumblingly as well, and always read out loud).
So what
exactly is the problem with this then? Given a very cursory glance,
not very much one may think. It is the thinly disguised habitual
lecturing. The sharing of the Gang of 4 is simply not sharing. It is
telling. Always telling and "supported" by "My
experience" or "My sponsor says", which if viewed in
legal terms is entirely self serving and unsupported by evidence, the
mainstay of any court hearing.
Given
alcoholics like me tend toward the cynical, the Doubting Thomas
approach, experience in the form of personal evidence is a must, so I
can learn HOW IT WORKS, not simply that it does and get on with it.
Just one
person's view.
…...”
An
addendum:
Another
correspondent tells us that the recent 'convention' held by the Esher
group featured as its guest speaker no less a personage than Wayne P, ex-guru from the Plymouth Road to Recovery cult group. We say
'ex' because poor Wayne somewhat blotted his copybook not long ago
and has been virtually expunged from the group's history.
Unfortunately Wayne suffers from not one but three chronic
conditions: alcoholism, 'falling down trouser' syndrome and last but
not least, foot and mouth (sorry... that should read 'foot IN
mouth'). Every time he opens his mouth he puts his foot in it. But
we should not mock the afflicted! He can't help being stupid. It's
not his fault. He's powerless over his mouth, feet and trousers.....
Cheers
The Fellas
(Friends of Alcoholics Anonymous)
PS Thanks
to our correspondents
