Show Posts
1
The Troubled Teen Industry / Anchor Academy for Boys in Havre, Montana.
« on: January 18, 2006, 11:14:00 PM »Quote
After skimming through the thread, I must ask the obvious question. Why do you post here? Are you trying to change the minds of those who speak out against Anchor Academy?
Seriously, if you son is successful and you are both happy with the program, why not just ignore this forum and go live your happy lives together? Why not just stay out of the muck?
First, let me say that your post was very well written and has so much good content. If I may, let me tell you why I even started to post here. I rarely ever post on any forums contrary to be called a troll. .
My wife found this forum and told me to check it out. Therefore, I read the posts and thought I would give a positive outcome to the Anchor story. I was rather taken back by the barrage of name-calling and profanity that followed. I was also taken back by the lack of proof, for this particular program or its staff. I continued to post because I feel it is wrong to unjustly accuse someone without proof while the accusers label any form of success as proof of a deep seeded conspiracy.
Quote
Even before finding Fornits I had decided that the only reason these programs can exist at all is for three reasons. First, teenagers have been stripped of their right to self determination. The laws that are designed to protect them work against them. This industry exists by exploiting the legal loopholes that deny teenagers some of the most basic rights that every adult takes for granted. More and more, teenagers are being infantilised and vilified (unjustly) by society at large. So this is an industry created for the sole reason of exploiting legal loopholes against young people. This industry does not and could not exist for adults simply because as adults, we would not tolerate this kind of treatment. It can only exist by exploiting a population segment that has no voice.
I agree with much of your assertions and certainly think there are many people that are afraid of youth and find it necessary to smoother it. I am not so sure it is as bleak as you seem to think. This is what I believe.
When a child is born, they begin their journey. As they develop, they explore and learn. From day one, it is our job to keep them safe and make sure they stay within acceptable and safe bounds, which can be different for each parent as we do live in a culturally diverse world.
When the child moves to the next stage of their development, [stage for lack of a better term], the boundaries expand. They move from their play pen to the floor. From the floor to outside and eventually, they can ride their bike down the street, choose their friends, and so on.
Once the child reaches the teen years, they have ideas of right and wrong and can truly think on their own. Some are very intelligent and critical thinkers. Some teens will flirt with the edge of their known bounds just to see what happens, maybe not intentionally. Just because they are a teenager or just because they become a young adult, in my opinion, those bounds do not go away. I live within bounds still to this day and if I go outside of them continually, I'll be forced to stay inbounds. That is how our society works.
What happens then if a teenager begins to go further and further out of their bounds? As adults we loss our self-determination if we do it. Teens are people and I know teens that can think quicker, clearer, and can out wit me.
I do not advocate programs like the one in Florida that beat a kid to death. I also do not support the program that sat on a teenager while he begged for his inhaler and died from suffocation. They should be shut down and only the participants involved should be put behind bars for murder. Nevertheless, I am not going to accuse every single program based on something someone else did in another program. There are good programs and their intention is to help the LOW percentage of teens that need help. I happen to believe that Anchor is one of them because I have only positive proof and zero real negative proof. I have only the assertions of folks that have never even been to Anchor.
We need places for kids and adults for when they continually step beyond the bounds put in place by our society. If not then we have anarchy. Not to beat and murder them but to teach them what the acceptable bounds are and how to explore it. I also believe that if a parent feels that Christianity is an acceptable solution then they can teach it. The child will untimely decide whether to adhere to it. That is the beauty of salvation. It is based on freewill. If there is a heaven or a hell, you choose freely where you end up.
Quote
Second, there are parents who suffer from the illusion that they can (and should) control every facet of another human being's life. Control of this sort is an illusion, except in controlled prison-like environments.
All forms of control are illusions. That does not mean we settle for anarchy.
I think that you have an accurate picture of some of our society but again I don't think it's that bleak. I do not think everyone hates teens and wants to squash them.
I'm sorry if I misunderstood your general theme, that's what I thought I picked up on. I also do not want to give the impression I know it all. Those are my beliefs and who knows, after this experience they may change.
Quote
This alarms me. That is why I am here. Because it is my resonsibility to speak up when another's rights are being violated.
In attmpt to have this not come across as sarcasm I'd like to say that it alarms me that the staff's rights at Anchor have been violated because many here have already tried and convicted them. [ This Message was edited by: corecrash on 2006-01-18 20:17 ]