Author Topic: The Seed-------Did Art Barker succeed?  (Read 41460 times)

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Offline Jimmy Cusick

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The Seed-------Did Art Barker succeed?
« on: February 06, 2005, 03:00:00 PM »
Maybe im schizophrenic because I have mixed feelings about the seed and my experience there. For years I hated  Art and many of the staff members. None of that remains as I have somehow forgiven them and have come to look at my upside down experience as an adventure. A drug free adventure into the universe of Arty Barker attempting to be a successful recovering alcoholic. Did he indeed succeed at saving kids? Not according to some of the folks that write on these pages. It is my humble opinion that he saved my life when it needed saving. For that I'm grateful.
A man that walked in Art's path is likely to be controversial, people from all walks of life have both loved and admired him as well as hated and disdained him. Seeing Art chauffered into the Seed in the maroon limo caused some resentments but look at what the guy accomplished------I was a hopeless, helpless kid from a dysfunctional family (I'm writing a book about that) and he forced me to do a 180 and straighten out my life. As they say drugs were only a symptom of underlying problems and the answer to my emotional troubles were found at the seed.
Did Art Barker take from me? Yes. He took my loneliness, my parental hatred and my anger and replaced them with caring staff, real friends and a newly developed atittude towards life.
So my friends , there you have it, my adventure in a nutshell.
« Last Edit: December 31, 1969, 07:00:00 PM by Guest »

Offline Antigen

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The Seed-------Did Art Barker succeed?
« Reply #1 on: February 06, 2005, 04:18:00 PM »
Here's my gripe w/ Art &Co. about that. In the end it was a scam, just like any other cult or snake oil sales pitch.

The Seed convinced many that what they had learned there, the Seed way of dealing with things, was a very good preparation for life in the real world. It was not. And the only answer to failure in any respect was always more of the same. So, like the misfortunate morphine addicted housewives of the Victorian era, the worse you feel, the worse things go for you, the more of the "medicine" you take.

I just figured out sometime around the fall of `82 that I had had just about all the help I could stand. I quit taking the cure and everything really did get a lot better.

Black markets will always be with us. But they will recede in importance when our public morality is consistent with our private one.


http://www.tatteredcover.com/NASApp/store/IndexJsp?s=showproduct&affiliateId=000095&isbn=0618334661' target='_new'>Eric Schlosser, Reefer Madness

« Last Edit: December 31, 1969, 07:00:00 PM by Guest »
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Offline Fran

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The Seed-------Did Art Barker succeed?
« Reply #2 on: February 06, 2005, 07:17:00 PM »
After reading the last few posts...I have to say I am glad I left the seed for good in early 75. Though I graduated the program in May 73...I was made to feel I had to go to oldtimer meetings(programemed that BIG BROTHER (seed staff members) were going to find me if I didn't go)...finally one day I stopped going. It was a huge relief. I finally took control of my own self.
I now realize why all these years when people have tried to talk me into business type pyramid schemes with all this motivational talk and hype...I ran the other way. The programming and meetings must have sub consciously reminded me of the seed all those years ago.
I despise any one controlling me or having power over me. Whether it is in the work place or social gathering etc.
My brother tried to get me to go to one of his cult religious meetings THE WAY many years ago and I made every excuse I could find never to attend...knowing that I never want to put myself in a position where I do not have control.
Anyone feel the same way?
« Last Edit: December 31, 1969, 07:00:00 PM by Guest »

Offline Anonymous

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The Seed-------Did Art Barker succeed?
« Reply #3 on: February 07, 2005, 03:42:00 AM »
Yeah he succeeded, He turned me into a commie and Krushev didn't bury our asses. :smokin:
« Last Edit: December 31, 1969, 07:00:00 PM by Guest »

Offline GregFL

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The Seed-------Did Art Barker succeed?
« Reply #4 on: February 07, 2005, 08:49:00 AM »
You know, I am begginning to question what exactly you are smoking in your postings...

 :grin:
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Offline Ft. Lauderdale

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The Seed-------Did Art Barker succeed?
« Reply #5 on: February 07, 2005, 10:06:00 AM »
not a cool reply to someone in recovery- someone send him an "Emily Post" manner book, please. ::puke::
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Offline GregFL

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The Seed-------Did Art Barker succeed?
« Reply #6 on: February 07, 2005, 11:10:00 AM »
Quote
On 2005-02-07 07:06:00, Ft. Lauderdale wrote:

"not a cool reply to someone in recovery- someone send him an "Emily Post" manner book, please. ::puke:: "


Emily post....what a bitch she is.

 :grin:
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Offline Antigen

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The Seed-------Did Art Barker succeed?
« Reply #7 on: February 07, 2005, 12:42:00 PM »
Quote
On 2005-02-06 16:17:00, Fran wrote:

My brother tried to get me to go to one of his cult religious meetings THE WAY many years ago and I made every excuse I could find never to attend...knowing that I never want to put myself in a position where I do not have control.
Anyone feel the same way?


Oh yeah! I knew about Amway cause my brothers or their friends or somebody had done that in the `70's. A few years after the Program, I went to a job interview and found, instead, a motivational rap session. I was amazed! I had NO intention of joining up, but I was fascinated that people were, evidently, buying into it. So I had to go along for the day just to see what happened. I wound up stranded on the beach, 10 miles or so from my car and calling a friend for a ride home. It was amazing! The guy who'd been tasked to "train" me for my first day almost cried, he was so afraid of what would happen if he couldn't get me to finish the day (which was already night... it was street level perfume sales)

What a hoot. Prior to that, my boyfriend's brother and his wife got into The Way. So we had to go to a few branch meetings. There was nothing for it, I just had to go or fight about it and I didn't want to fight. So, instead, I just argued what I remembered of scripture. Like, for example, that Mathew (their favorite apostle at the time) never had been a damned paid preacher. He made a living making tents and preached in his spare time to voluntary listeners. This rather pissed off the branch leader, as he was trying to convince us all that we could become wealthy selling branch programs and do it w/ a clear concience, as we would essentially be selling salvation.

Thankfully, that didn't last any longer than it took the boyfriend to realize they were trying to get him to spend his beer money on books.

O senseless man, who cannot possibly make a worm and yet will make Gods by the dozen!
--Michel Eyqyem de Montaigne, French essayist



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Offline Ft. Lauderdale

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The Seed-------Did Art Barker succeed?
« Reply #8 on: February 07, 2005, 01:37:00 PM »
I think Emily Post is a biker babe. ::nod::
« Last Edit: December 31, 1969, 07:00:00 PM by Guest »

Offline GregFL

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The Seed-------Did Art Barker succeed?
« Reply #9 on: February 07, 2005, 11:24:00 PM »
Quote


My brother tried to get me to go to one of his cult religious meetings THE WAY many years ago and I made every excuse I could find never to attend...knowing that I never want to put myself in a position where I do not have control.

Anyone feel the same way?"


One time in my mid twenties, I was young and married, had a small child. The seed was the furthest thing from my mind at that time.

Anyway, I was waiting for my wife to come out of some store in a strip mall. I wandered down and I could hear from behind a door a speaker, then excited motivated people, then I swear to fucking god I heard them sing some silly song, then say some real seed like stuff. I was confused but intriqued and tried to peak thru the window. Folding chairs were lined up and blank smiles were on all their faces and looks of admiration as the "leader"spoke,.I wandered over to a sign in the door and sure enough, it was A.L. Williams...LIFE INSURANCE MEETING.

Later I had the misfortune to meet some of these zombie life insurance salesman as the A.L. Willims cult pyramid model took, then lost steam. But that meeting at the time really creeped me out.
« Last Edit: December 31, 1969, 07:00:00 PM by Guest »

Offline Stripe

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The Seed-------Did Art Barker succeed?
« Reply #10 on: February 08, 2005, 09:45:00 AM »
Don'tyou think all of these pyramid sales schemes work the same way?  Obviously, everyone needs to make a living, but it seems to me it takes advatage of a needy mindset and victimizes the participants.  

My son had an experience similar to Antigen's when we lived in Michigan.  He called for a job interview and was strung along for a couple of weeks and then a big to do was made about allowing him the opportunity to participate. Long story short, I had to go pick the boy up at a gas station in 20 degree weather.  The operators had told these kids the product would sell itself- all they had to do was present the opportunity to public.. The amamzing, life altering opportuinty??? Street level sales of a local restuarant discount book.  

For some people, NOT THE TRULY DRUG ADDICTED SUPPORTERS, the Seed was sold in the same fashion - taking advantge of fearful people, creating self-doubt and dependency.  Here it is, you can't live without it and if you don't take it, you'll endup deadinsaneorinjail.  What bullshit.
« Last Edit: December 31, 1969, 07:00:00 PM by Guest »
The person who stands up and says, ``This is stupid,\'\' either is asked to `behave\' or, worse, is greeted with a cheerful ``Yes, we know! Isn\'t it terrific ?\'\' -- Frank Zappa

Offline Antigen

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The Seed-------Did Art Barker succeed?
« Reply #11 on: February 08, 2005, 11:21:00 AM »
Quote
On 2005-02-08 06:45:00, Stripe wrote:

For some people, NOT THE TRULY DRUG ADDICTED SUPPORTERS, the Seed was sold in the same fashion - taking advantge of fearful people, creating self-doubt and dependency. Here it is, you can't live without it and if you don't take it, you'll endup deadinsaneorinjail. What bullshit.


I think that nails it. The scary part, though, is that they have onverted so many influential people that they actually have the power to make someone deadinsaneorinjail if they won't come along voluntarily.

That's my primary beef w/ the whole thing. Stepcraft is a religion. That's not just my opinion, but the opinion of every court that's ever heard the question. And religion is fine so long as it's voluntary. If it works for you, great! But it's just nuts to try and convert people by force or to stick w/ it for a lifetime when it's clearly not working for you.


They know that it is human nature to take up causes whereby a man may oppress his neighbor, no matter how unjustly. ... Hence they have had no trouble in finding men who would preach the damnability and heresy of the new doctrine from the very pulpit.
--Galileo Galilei, Italian astronomer

« Last Edit: December 31, 1969, 07:00:00 PM by Guest »
"Don\'t let the past remind us of what we are not now."
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Offline Fran

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The Seed-------Did Art Barker succeed?
« Reply #12 on: February 08, 2005, 12:37:00 PM »
Thanks for your imput...I think the seed experience has given us all an instinct on things like pyramid scheming or cult like motivational meetings that put shivers down our spine and make us run the other way.
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Offline Ft. Lauderdale

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The Seed-------Did Art Barker succeed?
« Reply #13 on: February 08, 2005, 01:32:00 PM »
Actually, the Seed experience did give me a good instinct on how I feel about people- wheather to trust or not.  Usually it holds true.  I can also remember talking in the group about becomming institutionalized & how this was not tolerated and people need to become themselves and stand for something not just going along with the crowd.  I always seemed to buck the system and somehow it was tolerated. :grin:
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Offline GregFL

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The Seed-------Did Art Barker succeed?
« Reply #14 on: February 08, 2005, 03:13:00 PM »
You seem to be the exception to the rule Ft Laud. Most people felt extreme pressure to conform right down to the color of socks and matching belt.

Yes stripe, there is a common thread running thru all these motivatinal seminars, pyramid sales schemes, and stepcraft meetings. Not so much philisophically as in the mechanics of how they whip people up and procur converts.  My son has an experience with CUTCO knives, responded to an add and ended up in a fucked up Knife selling snafu with cultic undertones.

The major difference? Forced coercion and attendance and total isolation from the outside world.

It is  a whopper of a difference.
« Last Edit: December 31, 1969, 07:00:00 PM by Guest »