Treatment Abuse, Behavior Modification, Thought Reform > The Troubled Teen Industry

The Source, the WWASP In-House Magazine

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spots:
Anon (is there only one WWASP defender here, posting frequently, hiding behind "Anon"?) posted some links in the Casa Journal thread.  Two are for The Source, the tiny, glossy magazine put out from St. George every other month.  [The third link is a PR piece disguised as a news story by a reporter for a small Seattle-area newspaper.  The Seattle Northwestern WWASP support group is notoriously aggressive in propoganda.]

I have a subscription for this magazine, although it is downloadable from the main WWASP site.  Let me share a little of what the WWASP parents absorb:

There is a new editor lately.  Her name is Glenda Gabriel, and, like almost all WWASP Utah staff, she has sent her kid through The Program.  The prettiness of the magazine improved with her hiring, but the subject matter is still propoganda.  

On the May cover, there is a picture of "The Spring Creek Lodge Academy Choir" at the Montana Capital building rotunda.  Actually, this is the Thompson Falls, MT High School Choir, 52 teens.  Spring Creek Lodge Academy asked to include some kids in the small local high school activities (would I be wrong to think the HS got $$$ for it?) In a side-bar Letter to the Editor of the little local paper, a State Senator gushes about the "Community Choir", "...we have a wonderful group of kids and *adults* in the Spring Creek Community Choir...".  The story carefully skirts around who actually "was" the choir, but the saccharine article goes right to the heart for sponges like Anon who eat this stuff up.

There are several "articles" with a child's name and date of enrollment at a WWASP school (occasionally with a recent graduate).  Read the whole magazine, and it becomes very clear that Ms. Gabriel writes all the text.  Her syntax and style comprise EVERY story, whether it is written by a graduating 18yo (nothing gets printed without "...and it saved my life"), or an 11yo little boy, living at Majestic Ranch since July 2002, who "writes" how he loves his mom, and "I think our relationship has grown a lot since I came here".  Do you know any 11yo boy who writes like this?  

There is an article by a 1998 Program graduate, who now works for WWASP setting up the facilities for the seminars.  He has worked for WWASP since his graduation...as a staffer, an enrollment coordinator, and a transport agent (YIKES!)  Again, typical WWASP corporate staff either went through the program or sent their kids there.

A sort-of sickening article describes the SCLA attempt at normalcy in providing some higher level students with a "prom".  Girls in fancy dresses and tennies dance with each other; a smaller number of boys, some in rented tuxes, hovers off in their own "side".  One visiting mother (son in for about a year) writes, "Anyhow, the room was all done in blue and white with tables set up lengthwise.  The boys and girls sat across from each other and had conversation while eating the finger food.  Sheet cake, vegetables with ranch dip, strawberries and grapes, cold cuts and cheese slices, deluxe mixed nuts, M&M's...Pepsi and bottled water rounded out the menu."  Not quite a night-on-the-town gourmet dinner prom.  

She continues, "...The girls and boys did dance apart.  However, they did arrange a way for the boys and girls to touch dance across from each other carefully, no talking, some even avoided eye contact.  I saw absolutely no inappropriate behavior.  The way they did the pairing was arbitrary, names in a bowl and picked at random so there was no picking partners."

The recent grad writes, at the end of her I-was-horrible-now-I'm-great tale, "Today we are all becoming the leaders of tomorrow.  It is my belief that what we take from this experience will determine where we will lead.  Never forget who you are, because the joy that comes with self-love is priceless.  Go out there and fulfill your dreams.  Make it happen."  Do you know anybody other than Tony Robbins or L. Ron Hubbard who actually believes this stuff?

I suggest you go back and read Deborah's post on the squashing of all her son's independent spirit.  Leading is definitely NOT something these WWASP kids will do.  I hope Deborah's son is able to shake this off eventually, and return to what he was "before".

Anonymous:
I'm here, happened on this site well over 2 months ago - and I do post ANON.  As do many others.  What's in a name? My purpose for being here is to let you know that it's not all one-sided.  The others posting ANON are not my concern either.  So what?


--- Quote ---On 2003-07-29 15:25:00, spots wrote:

The third link is a PR piece disguised as a news story by a reporter for a small Seattle-area newspaper.  The Seattle Northwestern WWASP support group is notoriously aggressive in propoganda.]



Small newspaper, so what?  So is the Tico Times.  I guess you have to write for a large paper in order to be credible? Tim Weiner has already apologized for his articles in the NY Times.  No WWASP group is notoriously aggressive - if they were, they'd be all over this forum, in the hundreds.




There is a new editor lately.  Her name is Glenda Gabriel, and, like almost all WWASP Utah staff, she has sent her kid through The Program.  The prettiness of the magazine improved with her hiring, but the subject matter is still propoganda.  



Glenda is not NEW - she's been the Editor for over 5 years!!!


On the May cover, there is a picture of "The Spring Creek Lodge Academy Choir" at the Montana Capital building rotunda.  Actually, this is the Thompson Falls, MT High School Choir, 52 teens.  Spring Creek Lodge Academy asked to include some kids in the small local high school activities (would I be wrong to think the HS got $$$ for it?) In a side-bar Letter to the Editor of the little local paper, a State Senator gushes about the "Community Choir", "...we have a wonderful group of kids and *adults* in the Spring Creek Community Choir...".  The story carefully skirts around who actually "was" the choir, but the saccharine article goes right to the heart for sponges like Anon who eat this stuff up.



The photo IS of the Spring Creek choir.  Think about it...what parent of a non-program student in Thompson Falls agree to have their child on a magazine for program families?  I wouldn't.  If you look closely, you will see the Director of SCL and some staff with the students.  I do recognize several of them as students at SCL.    


There are several "articles" with a child's name and date of enrollment at a WWASP school (occasionally with a recent graduate).  Read the whole magazine, and it becomes very clear that Ms. Gabriel writes all the text.  Her syntax and style comprise EVERY story, whether it is written by a graduating 18yo (nothing gets printed without "...and it saved my life"), or an 11yo little boy, living at Majestic Ranch since July 2002, who "writes" how he loves his mom, and "I think our relationship has grown a lot since I came here".  Do you know any 11yo boy who writes like this?  



As a matter of fact I do. Glenda edits, not writes,though she has on occasion written her own articles - she would have to be super human to write that much that month after month - really!
 

There is an article by a 1998 Program graduate, who now works for WWASP setting up the facilities for the seminars.  He has worked for WWASP since his graduation...as a staffer, an enrollment coordinator, and a transport agent (YIKES!)  Again, typical WWASP corporate staff either went through the program or sent their kids there.



That should really say something about the program if some of the parents want to work for the company and so do their kids who graduated. If it was so horrible, why would they do what they do?  They could get employment elsewhere for a lot more money.    


A sort-of sickening article describes the SCLA attempt at normalcy in providing some higher level students with a "prom".  Girls in fancy dresses and tennies dance with each other; a smaller number of boys, some in rented tuxes, hovers off in their own "side".  One visiting mother (son in for about a year) writes, "Anyhow, the room was all done in blue and white with tables set up lengthwise.  The boys and girls sat across from each other and had conversation while eating the finger food.  Sheet cake, vegetables with ranch dip, strawberries and grapes, cold cuts and cheese slices, deluxe mixed nuts, M&M's...Pepsi and bottled water rounded out the menu."  Not quite a night-on-the-town gourmet dinner prom.  

She continues, "...The girls and boys did dance apart.  However, they did arrange a way for the boys and girls to touch dance across from each other carefully, no talking, some even avoided eye contact.  I saw absolutely no inappropriate behavior.  The way they did the pairing was arbitrary, names in a bowl and picked at random so there was no picking partners."



Hey, whatever, Spots.  You obviously missed the point.
 

The recent grad writes, at the end of her I-was-horrible-now-I'm-great tale, "Today we are all becoming the leaders of tomorrow.  It is my belief that what we take from this experience will determine where we will lead.  Never forget who you are, because the joy that comes with self-love is priceless.  Go out there and fulfill your dreams.  Make it happen."  Do you know anybody other than Tony Robbins or L. Ron Hubbard who actually believes this stuff?



You can attend the parent seminars and get this same knowledge, if you choose.  You don't have to be IN a WWASP program to go. It's not a secret society, you know. What's stopped you from going?  I happen to like Tony Robbins and Dr. Phil, but no one is saying you have to.    
 

I suggest you go back and read Deborah's post on the squashing of all her son's independent spirit.  Leading is definitely NOT something these WWASP kids will do.  I hope Deborah's son is able to shake this off eventually, and return to what he was "before".

"

Yes, these kids do get leadership skills, lots of skills.  Maybe the only drawback is they are more mature and more focused than some of the kids their age.  On Deborah: When these kids first go in, their independent spirit was not working at home, most at a dangerous level. You said quashed, I tend to look at it as re-direction.  That's what I paid for. I don't know the story of why he was there or why he didn't stay long enough to experience the leadership components.  They exist.

--- End quote ---


Here's the link to the whole magazine, since you picked out just a few articles to dissect.

http://www.wwasp.com/source03/May-03L.pdf

Anonymous:
Tim Weiner apologized to whom about his articles?
It hasn't appeared anywhere in print.

So somehow, I doubt it!

Deborah:
On Deborah: When these kids first go in, their independent spirit was not working at home, most at a dangerous level. You said quashed, I tend to look at it as re-direction. That's what I paid for. I don't know the story of why he was there or why he didn't stay long enough to experience the leadership components. They exist.

Re-direction my eye.
No you don't know anything about me, my son, or the facility where he spent 20 months of his 22 month "sentence". Nor does it sound like you bothered to read my post. He possessed leadership skills before "treatment". He demonstrated those skills in wilderness, when for a moment he had room to breath and be himself, largely thanks to the one sane counselor there. He is not as confident after his ordeal, here in the real world. I don't think you needed to bring me or my son into this discussion. It was not necessary to make your point.

But, since you did. Re-direction is not what my son experienced. Re-direction does not include physical or mental abuse- seperation from family, or being made to believe you are a bad person, or eating the same thing day after day, or eating less calories than your teen body requires for extended periods of time while doing manual labor, and on and on ad nauseum.

Re-direction is consistently refocusing a child's attention on what you would rather they do, without ridicule, shame, humiliation, or punishment. Not constantly pointing out their flaws and punishing them.

No maam, what he (and others) experienced is behavior modification of the worst kind. Punishment but no rewards- except for the relief of finally figuring out what they wanted to hear in order to get off restriction.

Two entirely different approaches. Let's not confuse the issue.

Deborah



[ This Message was edited by: Deborah on 2003-07-29 20:28 ]

MORSEGLASS:
where did tim say he was sorry???? i didnt see it anywhere!!!  somebody programed is a fiber !!  prove it!! anon!!  go post on the pro abuse forum! :wstupid:

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