To research Jonestown I decided to listen to the tapes The Peoples Temple recorded. I found some of the songs that they would sing intriguing. They sang of oppression and how they where put upon as a group from society. I think that the tapes can give a clear indicator of the admiration of the members of the People's Temple would have had for their leader Jim Jones. Many members where poor Black people, they felt the sting of racism in the US and here was a man ready to fight for issues that would affect them. It seems that that Jim Jones with his political approach, held his people very tightly with the issues that affected them the most. I can truly sympathize with the reasoning behind joining such a group.
The next tape I played was what is commonly called the "death tape "(see link below). The tape details Jim Jones talking to the group about the recent "betrayals "of group members. Some of the group had supposedly betrayed them and left on a plane with a congress man, who had been visiting the Agriculture Project where a 1000 of the group lived (Jonestown).
He begins the talk with "how very much I have loved you, how very much I have tried", he then tells them that they have been betrayed. That the plane would be attacked, that he knew what was going to happen, but he did not instigate it. He said that some of the group that had left had "stole" some of the remaining member's children and the parents where in pursuit.
The talk he gives seems too filled with slogans, "Worth one day worth the while" and comments like "no man takes my life from me – I lay my life down". He tells them that they must not have any children left after the plane goes down, as the authorities will butcher them. They must take poison, but it will not be suicide – it's a revolutionary act.
When he proposes to kill themselves and the children, all the people seem to agree however one lady challenges him and someone shouts from the back "you're afraid to die". Jim Jones argues his points with her and she asks "is it to late for Russia?" regarding relocating the group. Again he poses his arguments. It seems that it was the only alternative that Jim Jones saw. I think however this either shows his acute paranoia or his disregard of his follower's feelings. The lady on the tape tries to reason with Jim Jones but obviously her views where not held by the rest of the group, but this gives a unique opportunity to see someone not wanting to die with the rest of the group, which is something that we could not confirm when looking at other suicide NRM.
Jonestown was undeniably a tragedy and although with some NRM that we have looked at in this module we have had information and footage of them Jonestown Death tape provides us with the groups reasoning and a glimpse at the dynamic between Jim Jones and his follows. I think that he had no intention of doing anything else than what happened, regardless if people had supposedly betrayed him or his problems with the US authorities. To him it may have been inevitable the way the group would end, but the lady on the tape and maybe others didn't think so, yet they died anyway. The tape is eerie; however it gives us a glimpse into the final hours of the people of Jonestown.
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