Treatment Abuse, Behavior Modification, Thought Reform > Straight, Inc. and Derivatives
Hello everyone! ...Atlanta Straight alumni here....
cram737:
Like I said, I wasn't there when it went down and I'm in no way accusing you of being responsible. We all, I would suppose, did things to other people we are ashamed of and would never do under normal circumstances. Unfortunately, cruelty was just a part of the methodology of the program and it was inevietable if you planned on ever getting out of there not to mention that by the time you reached your higher phases you really believed the things you were doing to people was helping to save their lives, or at least I did. I in no way blame you for the events of that day, if I remember you correctly you were a pretty kind hearted guy and a fairly good trainee in respect to treating people fairly. Unless my memory is totally whacked though, I do remember blood,holesin the walls and torn clothing in the bathroom and I believe Donny K. from Gastonia was messed up pretty bad. Things like that happened. Blaming other victims does no good for anyone. I do hold executive staff responsible though. They were completely aware of what was being done to us and not only did nothing to stop it but profited from it. There were also several girls hurt pretty bad that day, so yes, it did take place on the girls side too. I'm sorry for the pain that time has caused you and I hope that life with freedom from the effects of it is on the horizon for us both.
Marc
ClayL:
--- Quote ---On 2002-10-20 00:44:00, cram737 wrote:
Like I said, I wasn't there when it went down and I'm in no way accusing you of being responsible. We all, I would suppose, did things to other people we are ashamed of and would never do under normal circumstances. Unfortunately, cruelty was just a part of the methodology of the program and it was inevietable if you planned on ever getting out of there not to mention that by the time you reached your higher phases you really believed the things you were doing to people was helping to save their lives, or at least I did. I in no way blame you for the events of that day, if I remember you correctly you were a pretty kind hearted guy and a fairly good trainee in respect to treating people fairly. Unless my memory is totally whacked though, I do remember blood,holesin the walls and torn clothing in the bathroom and I believe Donny K. from Gastonia was messed up pretty bad. Things like that happened. Blaming other victims does no good for anyone. I do hold executive staff responsible though. They were completely aware of what was being done to us and not only did nothing to stop it but profited from it. There were also several girls hurt pretty bad that day, so yes, it did take place on the girls side too. I'm sorry for the pain that time has caused you and I hope that life with freedom from the effects of it is on the horizon for us both.
Marc
--- End quote ---
Here, HERE!
Clay
enough:
Through the blessing of blocked memories, I can only recall Rob, and Bob, of all the people that were in the bathroom.
Donny K, rings absolutely no bells at all, and I am glad of it.
There may have been holes in the wall, for one thing I got so frustrated with Bob that I hit the wall myself, and may well have bloodied my own knuckles.
But it is hard to say, and these issues work out very slowly.
I was nothing more than a fall guy in this incident- a disposable low ranking staffer whose loyalty was being tested. Had Bob Ambrose not gone home and told his foster parents what happened, and had they not started calling execs that night, this would have been like any other day in the program, and nothing would have come of it.
I would have gone on to rise through the staff ranks, most likely to the top. I would likely have become a drug warrior, a zealot, and most likely a law enforcement officer- I am glad that it blew up in my face, because despite the horror I live with and have survived so far- I think that I am a better person today for all of it.
I whole heartedly bought into the ideology of the program ( that is- shame and guilt are necessary motivators for one to become a good citizen), I was convinced that we were fighting against a devil inspired disease that was insidous and evil. I was resolute in my desire to help people, much as I thought that I had been helped, and continued to believe for literally 18 years.
In retrospect I was a deeply confused young man, who had been severely abused both prior tp my intake and during both of my programs. I was desparate for something to believe in, I was idealistic, altruistc, and highly intelligent and impressionable.
Those are prime elements of a cult-joiner and believer, across the spectrum of cultic groups.
I have a hard time holding some of the exec's responsible, because they were themselves brainwashed. Plenty of adults get brainwashed and believe really wacked out stuff- look at the doctrine behind scientology and think of the high profile grown ups ( Tom Cruise, John Travolta) who are high ranking memebers of the 'cult'.
I hold Melvin Sembler and his Wife, along with Joseph Zappala, Art Barker, Robert Dupont, and the others who developed and refined the modality fully responsible.
Incidentally, Tilly was on as an exec for a while, then left and returned as the director after Dave Buttermur left. It was Tilly who presided over the roughest periods of late 84 and early 85.
ClayL:
James wrote: "Incidentally, Tilly was on as an exec for a while, then left and returned as the director after Dave Buttermur left. It was Tilly who presided over the roughest periods of late 84 and early 85."
This I did not know. I remember Tilly from when I first came in and he left before I got out. Buttermer was the director then. When I came back on the Mini-program, Ben Webb was the Director, but he left shortly after I got there.
CL
cram737:
All I know is that Buttimer resided over my intake in July 84. He was the driving force behind all of my sister's set backs, stuff like that is hard to forget. I remember Tilly coming in right before I stepped in June 85 and I don't recall ever seeing Buttimer after the day all that happened. I always assumumed he got fired or left because of it. What I am absolutely sure of is that he was the exec. for the major portion of my program. I was 12 years old and terrified of the man.
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