A little harsh I would say. They are boarding schools and programs and for the first time in many of these kids lives they are held accountable for their actions and it seems abusive to them because this is a first for them. The schools have to make up for and turn around 15 or more years of a lax life in a very short time, so there isn’t much time for laying around and empowering laziness. The environment is extremely structured and when you come from an extremely “unstructured” home, cleaning their room and common hallways, helping in the kitchen, doing homework, writing in their journal, attending meetings on time, dressing appropriately, brushing their teeth, being respectful to others, writing letters home, getting up early, going to school every day etc. will be considered abusive.
Many would not want to face their abusers because they know they needed the kick in the butt that came to them and they are better people for it.. bitter because they were separated from their family? Maybe.. but whose fault was that? Why didn’t family life work out for them? It wasn’t the programs fault. Much of the anger is do to bad choices that were made early on and local options to correct them were unsuccessful. Many of the kids had plenty of warning and chances before a program became an option. Maybe the parents shoulder some of the blame but the vast majority of it lies with the kids refusal to work within the families rules and structure.
When reading here on fornits the readers need to understand that many of these kids never had structure in their lives so their definition of abuse is distorted a bit. If there really were hundreds of thousands of kids abused by this system no one would need a study to determine there was a problem. The psychiatric community would be overwhelmed and the cause would be easily determined and they would be obligated to contact the authorities themselves. This has clearly not happened. This is a great forum for people to get together but I would not get too hung up on the claims of torture, kidnapping, shackling, rape, isolation and abuse that many claim to occur in the local Gulags. If any of this actually happened, people magazine would pay them a fortune for their story and I am sure there are a few people who could use a few hundred grand here on fornits.
Quick guide to making "structure" abusive so pay attention:
1) You use the infamous repeat system. Allow me to elaborate:
"Oh I'm sorry Jonny but your bed isn't up to spec. Do it again, and again, and again, and again, and again, and again, and again, and again, and again, and Oh I'm sorry jonny but I can't believe YOU snapped over making your bed and I had to restrain you. Silly boy."
2) Idiotically high expectations:
"I'm sorry boys but your cabin has a spot of dust on the top shelf of your book case. You are all going to have to face the consequences now."
3) Emotional Manipulation:
"Don't you know that while you are snapping because I'm spending all day provoking you with my psychotically high expectations your poor mom and dad are at home and they miss you? Obviously you don't love your parents. You should tell them to adopt a Vietnamese child so they don't get lonely. Oh dear me you snapped again, mind your head doesn't hit that log on the way dooowwwwwwwwwnnnn."
4) Vague Treatment plans:
Resident Tommy Twiddles will learn to deal and control his ADHD.
wtf? I'm fairly sure if Tommy knew how to accomplish this he'd probably have done it on his own a while ago.
5) Physical Manipulation/Emotional Manipulation/Idiotically High Expectations
"Oh dear me boys.. you don't appreciate your cabin? I guess we'll be sleeping in tents for the next week. Anyone who can't meet the group's new standards will cause the entire to have to repeat the entire day! Oh dear me.. Tommy are you going to snap? Remember Tommy your mommy loves you, how is that Vietnamese orphan they are going to adopt doing while you are here hating them in the program? Oh dear.. mind your head on the way down, as you either have the log or the rock."
The list goes on and on and on..
Your little structured utopia of pseudo horse shit is nothing more than a snake nest of abuse or potential abuse. Either it has happened or it will happened. Parents who are slack around the house need to man the fuck up and take control of their own damn lives and homes. Sending their kids to a program because they are to knackered at the end of the day or to damn busy with their social schedule doesn't cut it. If you are man or woman enough to make a baby or shit one out you damn well better be man or woman enough to be the child's proper parenting.
New slogan...
Proper parenting prevents piss poor programs
back on boycott.. peace.
