If you look back now, you will see that Buzz has deleted all of those posts she wrote in support of Scheff. Why?
BuzzKill has not deleted any post. You can find plenty of BuzzKill post defending Scheff's motivation - prior to March of 2005. They're all still there. I believed she was telling the truth (more or less) until there was proof I was wrong. You'll not find anything written by BuzzKill, in her defense, after that.
I never bring up ALA. With regard to ALA, I am in a no win situation. When someone else brings it up, and I fail to respond, I am hiding something. If I respond, with what is the truth for our family, I am a brainwashed devotee of the cult of Craig.
There is some truth to the cult like aspect of the Trekkers. I will freely acknowledge this to be so from my own perspective. That group operated much like any other small cult. I sometimes felt many of "us" had exchanged one cult for another. Like with any cult, there was a great reluctance to disagree with leader/guru; or oppose her on anything. If anyone did, they were evicted from the group. Most wanted to remain in the group badly enough to never openly oppose her on anything.
Mostly, I believe, this was motivated by a desire to retain access to information which came through Marie Pert to Sue, to the group; and also, from the sub-rose BBS account one member had; rather than any real devotion to Scheff. But, I did later learn that it was not unusual for *some* of the group members to refer parents to PURE for program placement - thus helping to enrich the guru. So, It was indeed, in some ways, very cult like.
Still, it is terribly unfair to paint them all as somehow sinister and unscrupulous. Most of these people were/are kind hearted and sensitive individuals, who truly sacrificed a great deal of time and resources to help educate other parents about the realities of Program life, and to help the teens who had been victimized by it. And not all were ex-program parents. Some were extended family members, who had fought hard to get their young grand children, nieces or nephews and even neighbors out of the program.
Painting them all with one brush - calling them PUREST or Puppets, Stupid, mindless and wishy washy - and suggesting they all deserve to be litigated into oblivion for their stupidity, is just plan wrong. Attempting to bring about their collective destruction by selling them out to WWASP was vicious, hateful, spiteful, malicious. It devastated the efforts to educate the parents and secure the removal of students.
As a result of the rental by WWASP, of the Bock lap top, there was a real threat of many being added to the case against PURE. This haulted or crippled all the grass roots efforts of this group; and caused some to feel they needed to erase much of the work they had done, so it wouldn't be used in court against them or others.
Access to the BBS was also lost as a result of this Bock lap top rental; which made continuing to reach out to the program parents who seemed doubtful, impossible. This very likely caused some teens who would have been pulled early on, to instead live out the full and complete program experience. WWASP was, I am certain, most grateful.
They were in fact so grateful - so anxious to obtain this lap top - that they paid 12,500 for access to it; and flew one of their lawyers down to Louisiana to pick it up, and take Mz Bock to dinner. So, one can hardly argue anything about this act was intended to help the kids; unless you want to try and argue that the Program is helping kids.
I think Buzz probably really believes she was brainwashed,
I never said I was brainwashed. I said in fact, I could feel the influence effecting my thoughts and decisions. I believe I was in the early stages - when doubt in ones own convictions is being eroded, prior to implanting the "new" convictions for the benefit of the "cult". I believe this, because I know how hard it was for me to pull my son, even tho all my common sense was screaming at me to do so. Something made me afraid. I believe that something to have been the beginning stages of the process. I do believe those who attend the seminars, and come out of it changed, and thinking this is great, (even when their families fall apart afterward, because they must shun all non-supporting members) have been brainwashed, and have joined a cult.
I do think this is the key to understanding how these program stay in business despite their horrible reputation and performance. You have the faithful legions to contend with any time the debate goes public - and they are very sincere and very adamant that the program saved them and their family. The truth - that they haven't spoken to their child in a year or more has nothing to do with it - and those lacking inside knowledge, seldom think to ask.
Those who insist the program was a life saver, despite the fact their kid has fallen into far worse shape than before the program; and/or despite the fact, they have divorced a spouse they loved, and/or are shunning their own parents and siblings for not being supportive; are not rational, free thinking persons. They are brainwashed members of a cult.
I think it is important to understand this. I think education is the key. How to educate the masses in the numbers required is the question. I'm sorry if I derailed the thread by bringing this up - but I do feel it is important.
I do also want to add that yes, Zero tolerance is part of the problem - and this is something we also need to address when ever possible.
