On 2005-06-22 09:56:00, Stripe wrote:
"Cleveland,
Ok, I'll use that term sparingly.
When I do use that term, I am referring strictly to the top creators and supporting staff members, not the rank and file. Generally, a programmer knows exactly what he or she is doing and intends the result - a controlled rank and file.
My observation that part of the result of programming was our own unknowing use of programming techniques on ourselves and each other is not meant to be critical or make any person feel bad about doing what we thought was the right thing. It just is what it is.
I see it more as clear evidence of the power that was weilded over us with abosolutely no regard for or understanding of the consequences. I have spent years feeling awfully guilty and remorseful about things I said and did back then.
Please accept my apologies if I offened you, or any other rank and file as it was not my intention to do that. [ This Message was edited by: Stripe on 2005-06-22 10:14 ]"
Stripe, I think you miss one point here. Even the very top people...Libby..Suzie..these people were just kids themselves and duped into the scheme. They, at least early on, weren't sophisticated enough, smart enough, or even educated enough to understand the techniques they were using..they were only on the program themselves and then elevated to hero status by the group and by Art.
We were all victims...yes even Art himself...he was a victim of AA dogma and an ego that overshadowed reality and self perpeuated into god/hero worship. I believe he really thought that the "drugs" and druggie culture were going to destroy american society and he was waging a one man war against it, a war that spoke loudly to the fears of our parents. This mindset was shared by my father and we were basically casualties of this war, our youthfull innocence expendable in the greater more important drug war and "counter culture" issues of the day.
I am not excusing Art only trying to understand how we ALL approach this topic.
You and I for instance will come to different conclusions than someone who spent 20 years there, believing the seed was their actual family, only to be left alone by this family without explanation when the shit hit the fan.
Still others (Robin?) will think differently than us because she apparently didn't experience much trauma at the seed and spent the last 30 years believing it saved her life.
We all need to try to understand why the other guy has a certain mindset when we broach a topic in this forum. It is hard to do granted, but it imrpoves the dialogue tremendously.
