Jump to content
IGNORED

Maxwell Book Launch 10am cst!!1!!!


johnhugh

Recommended Posts

I wonder if anyone here has spoken with the Maxwells and can give us some more observations of their actual conversation skills. I know there writing sucks, but I can't judge their speaking skills having never talked with any of them. I have gotten the impression that they are skilled conversationalists. However, I wonder if their interest in speaking with others could possibly be fake and just a way to sell products.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Replies 313
  • Created
  • Last Reply
I wonder if anyone here has spoken with the Maxwells and can give us some more observations of their actual conversation skills. I know there writing sucks, but I can't judge their speaking skills having never talked with any of them. I have gotten the impression that they are skilled conversationalists. However, I wonder if their interest in speaking with others could possibly be fake and just a way to sell products.

I made a post on page 3 that seems to have gotten buried, but I did relate my experience in conversing with both Sarah and Steve. Granted, it was nearly 8 years ago when I spoke with them, and Sarah was younger, but she did appear to me to be a little on the socially awkward side.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

It's possible she might be socially awkward anyway; not everyone who is socially awkward has been raised in a bubble.

But I really don't think being raised in a bubble has helped Poor Sarah :(

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I made a post on page 3 that seems to have gotten buried, but I did relate my experience in conversing with both Sarah and Steve. Granted, it was nearly 8 years ago when I spoke with them, and Sarah was younger, but she did appear to me to be a little on the socially awkward side.

I did read your post! Thanks! Sorry I was being unclear I was just trying to get more opinions. I guess the "unclear" came from me spending the time before writing my post reading things written by the Maxwells.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I hope the conference attendees take note of what Steve says about others not being good conversationalists! The Maxwells rarely "fellowship" with what some people would call friends. They don't talk to families at church. They don't work outside the home. So who are these people with bad conversation skills? Most likely conference attendees.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

It's possible she might be socially awkward anyway; not everyone who is socially awkward has been raised in a bubble.

But I really don't think being raised in a bubble has helped Poor Sarah :(

I get the impression that Sarah might be a little shy. She's the only Maxwell sibling that doesn't sing and play an instrument. I believe she gives a class for "young ladies", but beyond that she always seems to be taking pictures of everyone else.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I hope the conference attendees take note of what Steve says about others not being good conversationalists! The Maxwells rarely "fellowship" with what some people would call friends. They don't talk to families at church. They don't work outside the home. So who are these people with bad conversation skills? Most likely conference attendees.

Exactly. Certainly the longest face-to-face interactions they ever have with people except their own family is at their conferences. Congratulations, Stevie -- you've just alienated your conference audiences. That's a great way to sell that book!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I guess I don't know about the world of fiction, but my dad works as an editor in the computer book industry, and he says that grammar and spelling mistakes are caught by what's called a "copy editor," not a proof reader. My dad, however, is... I'm not sure what you call it, but he edits the technical stuff.

Your dad is exactly right, it is 'copy editor.' I used to proof-read my high school newspaper before it got sent off to the printer (back in the dark ages!), and I've just always used that term instead. I think it boils down to basically the same job, though, more or less. :)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Has anyone read //reasoningwithvampires.tumblr.com/ ? I'd like to see the Moody books get the same treatment.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Coming late to this party, and really, I have nothing to add as a conversationalist here, as the irony has rendered me utterly speechless!

:lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Exactly. Certainly the longest face-to-face interactions they ever have with people except their own family is at their conferences. Congratulations, Stevie -- you've just alienated your conference audiences. That's a great way to sell that book!

I don't think anyone gullible enough to buy into the Maxwells and attend their conference is probably not going to make this connection.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

My first thought when I saw the new book was the irony of it all. How does the Maxwells, who makes an idol of isolation, consider themselves "expert" in "conversations"?

When I read this blurb:

This book was conceived after many discussions our family had in the past ten years about the difficulty of having meaningful conversations with others. We realized this was because of a lack of conversation skills on the part of others.

I actually laughed when I read that. Was this narcissism? Arrogance? A complete lack of self-awareness? I can believe the Maxwell children completely believing they are wonderful "conversationalists", able to engage anyone in lively conversations. However, are Steve and Teri so deluded by their own propaganda that they believe they've raised sociable, "normal" children?

I agree with others that the Maxwell children are trained to easily converse with total strangers about eternal damnation and similarly sun subjects, but probably don't realize how abnormal that is to the rest of society (even to other conservatives). However, doesn't Teri and Steve see how quickly their children would run out of topics? They are ignorant of pop culture and current events, they avoid "trends", they've never had friends so they'll probably avoid personal subjects. What's left? Oh yeah, religion. So the Maxwell children are only well-versed in discussing religion. I'm not sure how that makes the family "experts" in conversations. Perhaps Steve forgot that most people discuss an array of topics. It's not all about death and hellfire. I'm almost interested in getting this book just to see what the family has to say on the topic. My guess is lots of praying and "training" your kids to make every conversation about death and eternal damnation.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I don't think anyone gullible enough to buy into the Maxwells and attend their conference is probably not going to make this connection.

That's probably very true. And they could also be referring to the people they corner in stores and other places and start demanding answers to personal questions. People are probably left stumbling over their words in surprise and trying to think of the quickest answer that allows them to escape. Steve Maxwell is a complete jerk.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Steve-o definitely reads here. I complained endlessly (in vain) regarding Sarah's use of passive voice. Okay, she's using more active voice of late, but her grammar still stinks.

Skimming the "conversationalist" book, :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: I found two typos. One was in a freaking BIBLE VERSE (a plural was rendered singular). The other I caught on the fly was possessive case in a name ending in "s" (in this case, Mr. Simmons). I forget the exact context, but the text itself read "Mr. Simmon's..." If the name is "Simmons," that usage is wrong in ANY instance, let alone possessive case.

Steve would never suffer a real copy editor, even a conservative Christian one; having one ultimately undermines his authoritah!!!!! :evil: :evil: :evil: :evil: :evil: :evil: :evil:

eta: How does one know an older woman in line at the grocery store is a "grandma?" I'll be that older lady one day, but I have no kids. Making assumptions can be a dangerous thing, Steve-o. Something to consider...

Link to comment
Share on other sites

What is the biggest criticism of homeschooled children?

Answer = Lack of social skills.

What is the most obvious sign of a lack of social skills?

Answer = Inability to hold a conversation.

Now let's look at the people Steve mixes with ... are we seeing a correlation here? It is very important that home schooling parents make sure their kids learn the conversational skills that others learn at school but I'm not sure a Maxwell book is the solution. (I realise some home schoolers are fantastic. I am thinking of SOTDRT.)

On other things, we all missed a bit in our guesses that it would be a courtship book.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I don't know why this particular line cracked me up but I'm sitting here with tears rolling down my cheeks trying to get a grip on myself.

Because. Steve Maxwell. With buffalo slobber on his hands. Picture it.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I really can't think of anyone who I think is less qualified to write a book on conversation than Steve Maxwell and his fembots. Steve preaches - he does not have conversations. The women only spout the company line. I doubt the book is anything more than proselytizing and lecturing mixed in with a bunch of Bible quotes.

The thought of spending any money on Steve's books makes my skin crawl but I can't help but hope an FJ member gets the book and does a summary here on FJ.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I really can't think of anyone who I think is less qualified to write a book on conversation than Steve Maxwell and his fembots. Steve preaches - he does not have conversations. The women only spout the company line. I doubt the book is anything more than proselytizing and lecturing mixed in with a bunch of Bible quotes.

Bingo. Steve says families need to spend their hard-earned money on this book in order to "make great conversationalists," when what he really means is program and indoctrinate children to say whatever falls within the very narrow, stultifying range of what Steve deems acceptable.

I work with the public 40 hours/week. I can be a good conversationalist all day long - books, movies, news of the world, how did your husband's operation go, gee, your kids are just reading up a storm this summer...normal, everyday conversations - and not one thing I say on any given day would be OK with Steve. Nor, for that matter, would 99.9% of the conversations held by everyone else on the planet. So, who has the problem??

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I work with the public 40 hours/week. I can be a good conversationalist all day long - books, movies, news of the world, how did your husband's operation go, gee, your kids are just reading up a storm this summer...normal, everyday conversations - and not one thing I say on any given day would be OK with Steve.

Sounds like you have a JOB (the horror!!) peddling BOOKS (no! Not those sources of evil knowledge!) to kids, for FREE (surely violating some sort of copyrights! Somehow!!), so yeah, he'd probably not be too happy!

I only wish the Maxwells had free library privileges though in all honesty - that is the probably the worst thing about that life. No reading. No investigating anything you're interested in, by yourself. The library was always paradise for me.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

My first thought when I saw the new book was the irony of it all. How does the Maxwells, who makes an idol of isolation, consider themselves "expert" in "conversations"?

When I read this blurb:

This book was conceived after many discussions our family had in the past ten years about the difficulty of having meaningful conversations with others. We realized this was because of a lack of conversation skills on the part of others.

I actually laughed when I read that. Was this narcissism? Arrogance? A complete lack of self-awareness? I can believe the Maxwell children completely believing they are wonderful "conversationalists", able to engage anyone in lively conversations. However, are Steve and Teri so deluded by their own propaganda that they believe they've raised sociable, "normal" children?

One of the most difficult lessons for me to learn--but one of the most game-changing once I did--was that I am the common denominator in all of my relationships with other people. And if I keep running into the same problems with other people over and over again, it is far more productive to look at what mistakes I might be making than it is to keep placing blame.

I used to get upset because it seemed I always ended up excluded from, or sidelined in, conversations. The people around me would keep on talking, usually about subjects I had no interest in or knowledge about, while I sat there, silent and ignored. I'd wait for the topic to change so I could join in, and get annoyed when it didn't.

And when I did try to push my way into a conversation, I'd just end up derailing it because I was already feeling resentful--and that attitude comes through. Or I'd bring in some odd topic, and my chronic knowitallitis would flare up, and I'd end up lecturing people instead of having a conversation. Only when I finally addressed my own weaknesses as a conversationalist did my difficulties cease; these days, I rarely have trouble talking with people in a relaxed, mutually enjoyable way.

So I would ask Steve Maxwell this: why do people shut down when you try to have conversations with them? What are you saying and doing that reduces them to monosyllabic answers? What kind of "deeper" conversations do you keep trying to have with other people, without success? Is it possible that you are making others feel guilty, judged, and inadequate, so they shut down? Is it possible that you are pushing so hard to make every conversation "deep" and all about godly topics that you're destroying their natural flow?

However, doesn't Teri and Steve see how quickly their children would run out of topics? They are ignorant of pop culture and current events, they avoid "trends", they've never had friends so they'll probably avoid personal subjects. What's left? Oh yeah, religion. So the Maxwell children are only well-versed in discussing religion.

To Steve, I believe that his religion is the only subject worth talking about. Oh, sure, it's necessary to communicate about the practical matters of daily life. But everything else is worldly trivialities. After all, the Maxwell family cult doesn't do anything simply for fun and enjoyment; everything has to be tied to the Bible, salvation, and where you're going after you die. Even "creative" efforts (such as making cards, writing kids' books, and photography) must have an evangelistic purpose.

I'm not sure how that makes the family "experts" in conversations. Perhaps Steve forgot that most people discuss an array of topics. It's not all about death and hellfire. I'm almost interested in getting this book just to see what the family has to say on the topic. My guess is lots of praying and "training" your kids to make every conversation about death and eternal damnation.

Back when this book was first hinted at on their blog, I seem to recall Steve saying that it was aimed at developing a skill young men (and yes, it was specifically young men) would need in order to carry out successful courtships.

So I suspect there have been several young men interested in the Maxwell girls who ended up tongue-tied around Steve and unable to justify themselves. And that's not because they're stupid, or bad conversationalists; it's because Steve is a narcissist, obsessed with power and control, and lacking in genuine empathy. Maintaining the upper hand in every relationship is crucially important to narcissists (even the ones who play the victim/martyr, such as Lori Alexander is a monster).

So Steve will try to reduce any young man to a stammering idiot with a barrage of tricky doctrinal questions, and probably some highly intrusive personal ones, as well. I would not be surprised that some objectively acceptable suitors got rejected after being put through the wringer by Steve. (And yet, at the same time, a young man who could confidently answer all of Steve's questions--and perhaps stand his ground on points of debate--would be seen as a threat and rejected, too. Narcissists can't handle people who actually meet or exceed their high standards, because the narcissists themselves can't meet them.)

The narcissist's MO is to keep people thrown off-balance and convinced they are at fault. And that they can often be charming as they do so makes their manipulations all the more effective. But to add to the craziness, the narcissist doesn't think they are being manipulative, or setting people up to fail, or even ill-intentioned. They are just the concerned, loving father, or the man of God trying to bring others to salvation, and acting accordingly. And when they encounter any unpleasantness or awkwardness from other people, it is always due to some weakness or failing on the others' part--the narcissist is never at fault, will never accept blame, and will never apologize because as far as they are concerned they have done nothing wrong.

So Steve does see a genuine problem, in that conversations he has with others are unsatisfactory. But what he does not--and cannot--see is how he is the common denominator in all those stilted, awkward, shallow conversations, and a thus a major contributing factor to them.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Coming up on 24 hours since the big book reveal, and still no (Steve-approved) comments on either post.

They are up and Stevie approved Mummy Arndt's message, but Stevie edited the bits about her not wanting the manboys to leave and how the book will get the manboys on the road to the 'white shorts' of life.

Oh Stevie did it hit a nerve about your children leaving home, did the term 'white shorts' make you feel the same way as when you lusted after that husssy's boobies when she stooped down and you sneaked a peak but blamed it on her headship? You can have this one...

But Mummy Arndt got a curt >>>>.>>.>

>>>>>>>>>>

The book is well-suited for all children (three or 4 on up), not just older ones.

Maybe Stevie was dictating the >>>>.>>.> to Poor SarA as it's a SOTDRT fail, though my spelling is poor (graduate but always poor at spelling since a child) even I know one would write 'three or four' or in more modern English '3 or 4'.

Love the second comment:

Joel on July 25, 2013 at 7:06 pm said:

I read the sample pages for the new book, Making Great Conversationalists, and thought, so far, that it is very good. I would like to get the book and read it so I can improve on my communication skills.

Joel C.

(EDITED due to too many glasses of Mr Keller's grape juice)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

His replies on the Moody book post are even better (and by better, I mean worse):

How long will it take, before the book is available at the international distributors???

We can’t wait ;)

>>>>>>>

Depends on when they order them.

Charming.

I just pre order both books cannot wait to get them , do you know when they be released

>>>>>>

We are hopeful for about a week.

Ugh, sentence structure. It sounds like their hopefulness lasts about a week. Which, incidentally, is about 6 days, 23 hours, 59 minutes, and 58 seconds longer than any Maxwell hopefulness has ever lasted.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.




×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

By using this site, you agree to our Terms of Use.