prey upon the destressed people. Jim Jones is rotting in Hell. Couldn't even drink the poison he so told his cult would not hurt them and they would die peacefully, What a chicken shit. I would not doubt for one second he never intended to to drink the poison and someone decided he should die too...so they put a bullet to his head.
Golly Lisa , as much as Jim Jones became pretty damned unhinged and was ultimately responsible for the death of 1000 human beings, I do believe he stood for racial equality. Very early on he stood up for Black Folks. Otherwise he was extremely dangerous and mentally and emotionally messed up .
@davgot47 Take a look at Jones' inner circle....all white people. The black folks never held high ranks in his church. They worked in the fields like slaves at Jonestown. Several of them realized this and left. Many others were trapped there at Jonestown. Jones just wanted a place in history...he didn't give a damn about equality. He raped women and men and tortured children.
I do not agree that there is a "natural need" for Christianity. We do not know at what point Jones was sincerely on the side of Black People--because his support of African Americans goes way back into the darkest days of segregation--and at what point were they just pawns for his egomania. We just do not know... He was a demagogue but not all of them are successful at attracting that many people.
Jim Jones was a demagogue.That's why he appealed to the people so much.With the blacks he played on segregation and equality along with other concerns that we have and had.He did'nt care about them or anyone else really.And he playedn people's natural need for love and christianity.He was your model monster.The devil incarnate.
1. He certainly exploited weaknesses and created a loyal leadership clique around him, especially in Guyana.
2. His U.S. performed autopsy was that the bullet trajectory was static suicide - hardly uncommon amogst messianist leaders.
3. His church became a parasitic attempt to draw from other social movements, in the 1970s parishioners attended protests against evictions of Filipino Americans to try and recruit some of that community because they were missing from the rainbow.
The term "Madman" is pretty broad. Having said that, and also being around Jones and his group,I also believe that description. What is amazingly as though is how many people can be convinced by a Madman to follow this same Madman--to be rocked into satisfied submission, to call him "Father" and to be scared by rhetoric and his interpretations of a threatening world, onto suicide... Ultimately TRAGIC.
@davgot47 Stephan believed that Jim Jones was a mad man. While there's no evidence to suggest that Stephan's assertations are correct, we can be sure that Jim was abusing precription medications and had been so for nearly a decade before Jonestown. He also believed his father's worst fear was being alone and was passionately concerned with people's perception of him. Stephan also believed Jim was shot by an aide and did not commit suicide.
Many of the Christian ideas of Satan/the devil have an image of a red-faced, horned, hoofed, pitchfork carrying being. No. Satan is going to be pleasant and pleasing and will give you pleasure. He will scratch your back so to speak. Nothing could be better. And then he sets the hook.... Im not saying that Jim Jones was the devil incarnate, but he was not a good person
oh, I do know that the woman at 4:58 died in jonestown. I seen that on another documentry. NOtice jim doesn't have his glasses on through this? Either he wasn't bad on drugs yet & didn't have to hide his eyes or he was only doing it 2 look better for this documentary.
THank you SO MUCH for posting this! I saw clips of this, but never the whole thing! I heard of the jonestown tragedy when I was young but it wasn't until now that the WHOLE story interests me! Do we know any of the names of the people in this (besides the obvious) or if most of them died in jonestown?
I have never seen Jim Jones in this way before. I totally see why people were pulled in. He seems like a genuinely loving man - kind, thoughtful, in tune with both humans and animals, and having a special affection for the elderly. I would not have been pulled in by his preaching because the Pentecostal style of preaching always seems very harsh to me, even when they're talking about love. (I don't mean what the pentecostals have to say, but how they say it.)
It's very important not to say "I would not have been pulled in by his preaching." Because none of us can be sure. It kind of delivers an insult to the good people who were "pulled in."Also, maybe at one time he was a genuine loving man who went out of his mind on drugs,and resulting paranoia. There is a degree of tragic mystery here.
No way would I insult or disrespect the people who were duped by Jones. What I was saying is this:
--Too much of what I've seen of his preaching creeps me out.
--However, judging from this clip, I see why people were attracted to him - regardless of his preaching from the pulpit.
I'd like to add that he appealed to very idealistic people who were extremly decent & wanted to contribute to the world. Many stayed BECAUSE there were so many good people at PT - despite Jones.
@davgot47 i always said that he seemed so nice! his craziness and his love for people were two different things i guess! he loved black , made no difference and he was closed to every people, he kissed them and huged them! that's the only thing i love in this man
Were you the person who asked me about the woman who was videotaped in Jonestown screaming "Don't take my son?" Here is the answer : the woman was named Bonnie Simon... Jackie Spier and Ryan talked to her after the scene on video (before leaving) and said they would be back the next day to arrange for what was needed, ie, taking the whole family with them at once... which satisfied Bonnie.
But of course, there was no next day. She and her family died in JT."
@ treblepop- I think that Jim had a lot of problems starting at a young age, but I also think that at the beginning he was genuine & loving. I truely think that the drugs played a big part on his paranoia. I hope his son stephen writes a book on life with his family...his writings tell another side of his dad & especially his mom.
I came to know People's Temple when the political tide was changing against Jones. I won't underestimate the value of his earlier acceptance by Politicos and press in SF. However don't overestimate it either. We don't know if a note from the Carters really meant anything to the dysfunctional government of Guyana, Would they have accepted Jonestown anyway? Jones deceived lots of folks. For a while that included leaders in SF. Then it ended, and with hundreds of good people he ran to Jonestown.
I think Jones's loving relationship with animals is a Christ-like image. I don't know whether he choreographed it to look Christ-like or that it was happenstance. However the actual result also became pretty awkward... This doesn't mean he didn't love people and animals. I am coming to the belief that Jim Jones believed he was a good, caring, person. But he went crazy. I think he was in that transition when we shot our film.
What made him crazy? I think in 1972 his power over those with him was corrupting enough but when left-wing political and media figures in San Francisco began to deal with Jones and his narcotic use deepened, he tossed out his religious faith and replaced it with hardcore Marxism and indulged his huge ego. In the end he had a nervous breakdown, burnt out and took everyone with him.
I think Jones political views was sort of keeping up with what was current. He could harvest certain followers by preaching one political belief, increase his flock by preaching another. I don't think his overt acceptance by SF's left-leaning politicians was that big a deal. Maybe it made him feel important and accepted and fed his ego. But when expose's started to creep in and expose the weird stuff that was happening it fed his paranoia to the point of planning the self-exile to Guyana.
IThe huge political clout and acceptance shown by Jerry Brown, Moscone, Harvey Milk, Willy Brown, Rosylin Carter and Jimmy Carter (the Carters requested the Guyana gov't to allow Jones to establish Jonestown) was a very big deal and an eternal shame to all those listed Journalists like Herb Caen and the SF Without pols and the press like Herb Caen, Jones could never have reached as far as he did without their help and shameful silence. They all contributed to the murder of those people.
davg: Thanks for uploading this. Anyway, his animals seem to run away from him. Look at how the goat runs from him, and in the other clip the monkey didn't want to be bothered. Carolyn Moore's mother stated that when Jones came to visit her dog would growl at him but never anyone else. Just something I noticed. I can see a "darkness" to him even with his trying to be friendly here in this clip.
This clip is the first I've seen Jim Jones when he doesn't seem sinister to me. Even the earliest clips of his preaching creep me out.
I read the comment by Carolyn Moore's mother that their friendly family dog didn't like Jones. Regarding people being sinister,God bless Carolyn's mother. Carolyn was quite a dark figure herself. Her authority was undisputed, per several long time PT members, including Stephan Jones, the only biological child of Jim Jones.
@TreblePop When I look at this clip, I can see a conniving person in Jones here. I can see it. He comes across to me as someone with ulterior motives.
prey upon the destressed people. Jim Jones is rotting in Hell. Couldn't even drink the poison he so told his cult would not hurt them and they would die peacefully, What a chicken shit. I would not doubt for one second he never intended to to drink the poison and someone decided he should die too...so they put a bullet to his head.
kykim6440 2 months ago
Golly Lisa , as much as Jim Jones became pretty damned unhinged and was ultimately responsible for the death of 1000 human beings, I do believe he stood for racial equality. Very early on he stood up for Black Folks. Otherwise he was extremely dangerous and mentally and emotionally messed up .
davgot47 3 months ago
@davgot47 Take a look at Jones' inner circle....all white people. The black folks never held high ranks in his church. They worked in the fields like slaves at Jonestown. Several of them realized this and left. Many others were trapped there at Jonestown. Jones just wanted a place in history...he didn't give a damn about equality. He raped women and men and tortured children.
Mobee211 1 month ago in playlist People's Temple Megalist
Jim Jones didn't stand for racial equality. He used black people as slaves. He was mean to them all.
lisakn27 3 months ago
as soon as the cameras were turned off, Jim Jones #*&%ed that rooster.....and the dog too.
dtjesus101 4 months ago
I do not agree that there is a "natural need" for Christianity. We do not know at what point Jones was sincerely on the side of Black People--because his support of African Americans goes way back into the darkest days of segregation--and at what point were they just pawns for his egomania. We just do not know... He was a demagogue but not all of them are successful at attracting that many people.
davgot47 4 months ago
Jim Jones was a demagogue.That's why he appealed to the people so much.With the blacks he played on segregation and equality along with other concerns that we have and had.He did'nt care about them or anyone else really.And he playedn people's natural need for love and christianity.He was your model monster.The devil incarnate.
charlenemonique1 4 months ago
1. He certainly exploited weaknesses and created a loyal leadership clique around him, especially in Guyana.
2. His U.S. performed autopsy was that the bullet trajectory was static suicide - hardly uncommon amogst messianist leaders.
3. His church became a parasitic attempt to draw from other social movements, in the 1970s parishioners attended protests against evictions of Filipino Americans to try and recruit some of that community because they were missing from the rainbow.
turkeysdemocracy 2 weeks ago
The term "Madman" is pretty broad. Having said that, and also being around Jones and his group,I also believe that description. What is amazingly as though is how many people can be convinced by a Madman to follow this same Madman--to be rocked into satisfied submission, to call him "Father" and to be scared by rhetoric and his interpretations of a threatening world, onto suicide... Ultimately TRAGIC.
davgot47 4 months ago
What are Stephan's insights? Can you share them with me?
davgot47 5 months ago
@davgot47 Stephan believed that Jim Jones was a mad man. While there's no evidence to suggest that Stephan's assertations are correct, we can be sure that Jim was abusing precription medications and had been so for nearly a decade before Jonestown. He also believed his father's worst fear was being alone and was passionately concerned with people's perception of him. Stephan also believed Jim was shot by an aide and did not commit suicide.
MAGirlable 4 months ago
The charming narcissist.
His son Stephan has interesting insights on JJ.
vivaloriflamme 5 months ago
At 2:00 all i could think was, Boss Ze plane! Ze plane!
argo984 7 months ago
Many of the Christian ideas of Satan/the devil have an image of a red-faced, horned, hoofed, pitchfork carrying being. No. Satan is going to be pleasant and pleasing and will give you pleasure. He will scratch your back so to speak. Nothing could be better. And then he sets the hook.... Im not saying that Jim Jones was the devil incarnate, but he was not a good person
MrFlyslayer 8 months ago
I'm surprised that the parrot didn't bite Jones on the nose in clip 6:54.
67nairb 9 months ago
To those who are saying that roosters/goats sensed evil:
Roosters are just pricks and goats main goal in life to kick ANYTHING that comes near them.
Or I'm just as evil as Jim was. Can't count how many times I've ran from a goat.
livepower34325 11 months ago
What was cool about him?
davgot47 1 year ago
He may have killed almost a 1000 people, however he was still a cool Mo-fu.
Eidelmania 1 year ago
Hey--very interesting insight into what's on the screen. Also, dogs can sense earthquakes before we humans can.
davgot47 1 year ago
@davgot47 THANKS 4 POSTING :)
TheDefjams 1 year ago
Wow. That dog and a lot of the animals saw through Jim Jones from the very beginning. I think there's a message here, TRUST YOUR PETS.
martincommrad 1 year ago
@martincommrad that dog ran like hell
TheDefjams 1 year ago
oh, I do know that the woman at 4:58 died in jonestown. I seen that on another documentry. NOtice jim doesn't have his glasses on through this? Either he wasn't bad on drugs yet & didn't have to hide his eyes or he was only doing it 2 look better for this documentary.
sugarrrsmack 2 years ago
THank you SO MUCH for posting this! I saw clips of this, but never the whole thing! I heard of the jonestown tragedy when I was young but it wasn't until now that the WHOLE story interests me! Do we know any of the names of the people in this (besides the obvious) or if most of them died in jonestown?
sugarrrsmack 2 years ago
I have never seen Jim Jones in this way before. I totally see why people were pulled in. He seems like a genuinely loving man - kind, thoughtful, in tune with both humans and animals, and having a special affection for the elderly. I would not have been pulled in by his preaching because the Pentecostal style of preaching always seems very harsh to me, even when they're talking about love. (I don't mean what the pentecostals have to say, but how they say it.)
TreblePop 2 years ago 2
It's very important not to say "I would not have been pulled in by his preaching." Because none of us can be sure. It kind of delivers an insult to the good people who were "pulled in."Also, maybe at one time he was a genuine loving man who went out of his mind on drugs,and resulting paranoia. There is a degree of tragic mystery here.
davgot47 2 years ago
davgot47 -
No way would I insult or disrespect the people who were duped by Jones. What I was saying is this:
--Too much of what I've seen of his preaching creeps me out.
--However, judging from this clip, I see why people were attracted to him - regardless of his preaching from the pulpit.
I'd like to add that he appealed to very idealistic people who were extremly decent & wanted to contribute to the world. Many stayed BECAUSE there were so many good people at PT - despite Jones.
TreblePop 2 years ago 2
@davgot47 What was your impression of Jones when you first met him? Did you feel he was BS'sing you when you met him?
Pllm30 2 years ago
@davgot47 i always said that he seemed so nice! his craziness and his love for people were two different things i guess! he loved black , made no difference and he was closed to every people, he kissed them and huged them! that's the only thing i love in this man
xxChiQuiTitaxx73 1 year ago
Were you the person who asked me about the woman who was videotaped in Jonestown screaming "Don't take my son?" Here is the answer : the woman was named Bonnie Simon... Jackie Spier and Ryan talked to her after the scene on video (before leaving) and said they would be back the next day to arrange for what was needed, ie, taking the whole family with them at once... which satisfied Bonnie.
But of course, there was no next day. She and her family died in JT."
davgot47 2 years ago
@ davgot47 -
Thanks, I appreciate your answering my question. Poor woman. God bless her.
TreblePop 2 years ago
@ treblepop- I think that Jim had a lot of problems starting at a young age, but I also think that at the beginning he was genuine & loving. I truely think that the drugs played a big part on his paranoia. I hope his son stephen writes a book on life with his family...his writings tell another side of his dad & especially his mom.
sugarrrsmack 2 years ago
amazing footage. thanks for posting!!!
josiasarnaldo 2 years ago
I came to know People's Temple when the political tide was changing against Jones. I won't underestimate the value of his earlier acceptance by Politicos and press in SF. However don't overestimate it either. We don't know if a note from the Carters really meant anything to the dysfunctional government of Guyana, Would they have accepted Jonestown anyway? Jones deceived lots of folks. For a while that included leaders in SF. Then it ended, and with hundreds of good people he ran to Jonestown.
davgot47 2 years ago
@davgot47 Jones was invited to Jimmy Carter innauguaration on 1/20/77.
67nairb 9 months ago
Interesting how the images segue from Jones with the exotic animals to the testimonies of the people.
He probably looked on them as one in the same. Pets that he controled.
RobGoth100 2 years ago
I think Jones's loving relationship with animals is a Christ-like image. I don't know whether he choreographed it to look Christ-like or that it was happenstance. However the actual result also became pretty awkward... This doesn't mean he didn't love people and animals. I am coming to the belief that Jim Jones believed he was a good, caring, person. But he went crazy. I think he was in that transition when we shot our film.
davgot47 2 years ago
What made him crazy? I think in 1972 his power over those with him was corrupting enough but when left-wing political and media figures in San Francisco began to deal with Jones and his narcotic use deepened, he tossed out his religious faith and replaced it with hardcore Marxism and indulged his huge ego. In the end he had a nervous breakdown, burnt out and took everyone with him.
RobGoth100 2 years ago
I think Jones political views was sort of keeping up with what was current. He could harvest certain followers by preaching one political belief, increase his flock by preaching another. I don't think his overt acceptance by SF's left-leaning politicians was that big a deal. Maybe it made him feel important and accepted and fed his ego. But when expose's started to creep in and expose the weird stuff that was happening it fed his paranoia to the point of planning the self-exile to Guyana.
davgot47 2 years ago
IThe huge political clout and acceptance shown by Jerry Brown, Moscone, Harvey Milk, Willy Brown, Rosylin Carter and Jimmy Carter (the Carters requested the Guyana gov't to allow Jones to establish Jonestown) was a very big deal and an eternal shame to all those listed Journalists like Herb Caen and the SF Without pols and the press like Herb Caen, Jones could never have reached as far as he did without their help and shameful silence. They all contributed to the murder of those people.
RobGoth100 2 years ago
davg: Thanks for uploading this. Anyway, his animals seem to run away from him. Look at how the goat runs from him, and in the other clip the monkey didn't want to be bothered. Carolyn Moore's mother stated that when Jones came to visit her dog would growl at him but never anyone else. Just something I noticed. I can see a "darkness" to him even with his trying to be friendly here in this clip.
Pllm30 2 years ago
pllm30:
This clip is the first I've seen Jim Jones when he doesn't seem sinister to me. Even the earliest clips of his preaching creep me out.
I read the comment by Carolyn Moore's mother that their friendly family dog didn't like Jones. Regarding people being sinister,God bless Carolyn's mother. Carolyn was quite a dark figure herself. Her authority was undisputed, per several long time PT members, including Stephan Jones, the only biological child of Jim Jones.
TreblePop 2 years ago
@TreblePop When I look at this clip, I can see a conniving person in Jones here. I can see it. He comes across to me as someone with ulterior motives.
Pllm30 2 years ago
@davgot47 - excellent insight!
MrRedFredSaid 1 year ago
He seems so warm and human. Mindblowing. I would have probably joined.
Sunglassesful 2 years ago