'Brat Camp' not an easy decision

[Anonymous]

what is heartwarming about seeing a group of children being yelled at and made to live in a prolonged hellish camping trip against their will, broadcast across the nation?  How is anyone supposed to find themselves in this sort of situation?  the best thing they are going to find is a way to avoid being reprimanded and punished. ie conforming

[Anonymous]

by taking them out of their environment and letting them take responsibilty for themselves,especially on the solo, the therapy is working. They are gradually coming to grips with how they were screwing up their lives and getting the strength to change.
great episode tonight and the therapists did a great job turning the kids around
this show will go a long way towards enhancing the reputation of the good wilderness programs
The concern is still with the poor ones and the state-run ones, which all but really rich people are stuck with.

[Anonymous]

So far I haven't watched this program - it shouldn't be on the air. It is disgusting that the networks are now exploiting children with emotional, home and behavior problems. The parents who allow this exploitation are worse than the networks. How can they expose their children's lives to the whole country. This is so outrageous.

I agree.  It is horrible that there aren't laws in place to protect children from this type of exploitation.  Parents should not be allowed to sign away their children's rights like this.  Unfortunately, ratings and money are more important than children.  

Does anyone remember the good old days when creators of television shows actually had to be creative?  Televison creators today - "Heck, I'm not talented enough to actually create a story and characters.  Maybe I'll just go out to the playground and look for some kids with problems to exploit."  It is really sad!

[bandit1978]

"...coming to grips with how they were screwing up..."

What?  Trust me, as a survivor of one of these sorts of programs, learning to survive in the program, day-to-day, absolute does not ever carry over into your life post-program, nor are these "learned skills" or "issues" relevent to anything before they were committed to program.    It has nothing to do with it, despite the fact that under pressure, some may delude themselves into thinking otherwise.

[bandit1978]

...so when I tried public school in 12th grade, it just wasn't something I was going to put up with.  Having to be in a classroom at a very specific time- down to the fucking bell- or else get in trouble, well I thought that was just petty.  Even at my job, we generally work within a 7 minute grace period.  

And one day I called myself out sick to the attendence office (cause my parents were out of town), and I got yelled at like a child.  Apparantely I was not allowed to call myself out sick, even if my parents were out of town.  

Public school is totally ridiculous.

[Troll Control]

On 2005-08-03 19:45:00, Anonymous wrote:

"by taking them out of their environment and letting them take responsibilty for themselves,especially on the solo, the therapy is working. They are gradually coming to grips with how they were screwing up their lives and getting the strength to change.

great episode tonight and the therapists did a great job turning the kids around

this show will go a long way towards enhancing the reputation of the good wilderness programs

The concern is still with the poor ones and the state-run ones, which all but really rich people are stuck with."

I guess you haven't seen the news...

The program isn't even finished airing yet, but one of the "brats" has already been arrested for a hate crime committed while drunk and disorderly.

It's working GREAT, huh?

[Anonymous]

Theres lots of parents out there that arent fit to be parents. Bad example usually leads to bad behavior. Ive been to many a graduation and met the parents and wondered why the kids behavior and communication skills werent worse! Too bad foster care isnt an option anymore. Long term foster care is too expensive. So social programs have come to the conclusion (because of the almighty dollar) to try tp keep the family together. Little Timmy still lives with tweakin mom and meth cookin boyfriend in the trailer park. Great for Timmy. And unfortunately sociopaths have kids and sociopaths are born.

Happy birthday. Now go hit the karaoke bar.

[Shortbus]

True dat. Cardiologists can do a pretty damn good job at messing up kids too. I dont know about you but Ive been to many a graduation ceremony and met the parents - if they bother to find time in their busy lives to come. And Ive been amazed that the fruit of their loins was not more rotten (just a play on words, I found 99.9% of students thrown my way to be pretty good eggs that could be reasoned with).   The poor behavior and communication skills of these parents was AMAZING. And the horrible letters they sent to their kids..... whooooeeee. Nutbags. And with most of the parents it was easy to figure out how to push their buttons. Id talk to em for a few minutes and want to start messing with them because it would be easy and fun. What would I do if they were my parents?

[Anonymous]

I don't quite follow what you are saying.  What does a cardiologist have to do with messing kids up?  Just trying to follow you.  You sound like staff, are you? (ex that is)  I am sure there are some nutjob parents out there, but I met many who were just all-American folks who needed help with their kids.

[Shortbus]

Yes Ive worked at a couple programs not unlike TSW. What I meant was that messing up your children doesnt follow economic boundaries. You can be a doctor, pilot, crackwhore, everyones doin it. Ive met parents that were very much on the ball and felt they wasted money sending their kid to wilderness. Ive met nutbag parents that didnt have a clue one way or another and were sending the kid on to another program. And there have been parents I havent met because they didnt take time out to come to the graduation. And there were families that just rolled with the program, got what they wanted/needed, left what they didnt and moved on.hope that helps clarify what I meant.

[Anonymous]

Just say YES! :tup:
  My kid promised to run away if he was sent there.
Two months later, he was asking the staff if he could work for them when he finished school. He loved it.
They really treated the kids well.
He learned a lot of life skills, that he had no chance of learning while stoned everyday. He even learned how to cook and prepare food(in a dutch oven) while he was there too! Those camps are not ALL bad!

[Anonymous]

On 2005-08-04 08:38:00, Dysfunction Junction wrote:

"

On 2005-08-03 19:45:00, Anonymous wrote:


"by taking them out of their environment and letting them take responsibilty for themselves,especially on the solo, the therapy is working. They are gradually coming to grips with how they were screwing up their lives and getting the strength to change.


great episode tonight and the therapists did a great job turning the kids around


this show will go a long way towards enhancing the reputation of the good wilderness programs


The concern is still with the poor ones and the state-run ones, which all but really rich people are stuck with."

I guess you haven't seen the news...



The program isn't even finished airing yet, but one of the "brats" has already been arrested for a hate crime committed while drunk and disorderly.



It's working GREAT, huh?
"

....and Bill Clinton got blow jobs under the desk in the oval office!
NEWS FLASH
Nothing is perfect!

[Troll Control]

So I'm clueless, huh?  What does that make you?  Downright moronic I guess...

In case your not abreast of the news, a SECOND "Brat Camper" was arrested on very serious charges.  That's two down, seven to go, and the show HASN'T EVEN FINISHED AIRING YET.

Let's assume for a moment, that it won't get any worse than it already is (although I have the sincerest doubts about that).  

If the program told you, up front, that they reasonably expect that 25% of program graduates will be arrested for serious crimes within mere weeks of completing the program, would you still have sent your kid there?

I would wager that you would, because if your kid spent six months in a wilderness camp and you knew they'd be in jail for some time afterward, that would be the perfect scenario for a responsibilty-abdicating, abject failure of a parent.  

You'd probably testify against your own kid to "hold him accountable,"  i.e. continue your vacation from parenting...

As an aside, what could be MORE PERFECT than being the most powerful man on the planet AND getting blown at work?  Isn't that sort of the definition of perfect??   :nworthy:

_________________
"Compassion is the basis of morality"

-Arnold Schopenhauer[ This Message was edited by: Dysfunction Junction on 2005-08-06 05:57 ]

[Anonymous]

The wilderness camp programs are usually not nearly long enough to make permanent behavioral changes in children used to getting into mischief or hurting themselves and/or others. Bad choices are hard to unlearn in 8 weeks. Just because some kids go back to their old ways after wilderness camps don't mean they are all a waste of time. It shouldnt be a shock that some of these kids are getting into trouble after the program. It doesn't mean the program is to blame. It just means the program didn't work for those particular kids.

[Nihilanthic]

Ive still yet to see any program as proven good for the children that are forced into it and trapped there for a signifigant portion of these formative years of their lives, Anon.

You say there is but one way to worship the Great Spirit. If there is but one religion, why do you white people differ so much about it?
--Chief Red Jacket, Seneca Indian Chieftain