I don't know about Anon, but I started reading the other sites to educate myself about programs other than CEDU. The Straight and SEED sites often contain great insight that really clarifies feelings I have about my own experience. It alkso seems people at the S/S sites don't get bogged down in the pettiness such as the Elan site. The Straight sites has actually been very helpful for me in terms of articulating my experiences. Because I really sort of pushed it in the back of my mind for years. To tell you the truth, even though I successfully split CEDU, I was still brainwashed and my perspective was changed about the world. After all that insularity, I judged things as being "in agreement" or out of it according to CEDU--this was all subconscious. I think in the back of my mind I thought "it's OK to split if I live by CEDU values." How fucked up is that??!!
Anyway, CEDU was an attractive environment that appealed to parents but it was very isolated to keep you from leaving and to keep the outside world from influencing you. Once inside, you are are surrounded by CEDU lingo, group think, values, agreements, arbitrary bans (bans like music, or from the opposite sex if you were attractive, or from the sun if you spent too much time outside, or the color blue... If your hair was beautiful and long, they'd cut it off etc.) The raps were probably very similar to Straight from everything I heard and we also had a series of "propheets" that lasted from 24 hours to 5 days that were full of sleep dep, abusive raps where they REALLY tear you down--break you--and mind fucking exercises that screw up your psyche and penetrate your own values and ability to think for yourself what is good and true. In propheets, you were very isolated and never allowed to mention any of the goings-on to anyone, ever. Secret stuff.
They also lied/exaggerated/manipulated parents and bullied you into making confessions to use against you--some of these confessions were false under duress. Also you were cut off from everyone except a monitored 15 minute phone call w/your parents where you could say nothing true. The parents visited every 3 months, and after wards were debriefed to make sure you didn't say anything and to paint you as a bullshitter. YOu had no contact with anyone else.
There's more (academics that were a total sham, medical neglect etc.), and I'll write later or answer questions.
I will say that in many ways Straight sounds worse. We were not physically restrained or hurt
in the CA facility because of laws. Also we weren't belt loooped (which is fucking totally demeaning), in foster type homes that varied in quality, given poor hygeine and singular diets (PB&J). We probably saw our parents a little more (every 3 months). The Straight stories make me want to vomit for the total lack of dignity they took from you.
Anyway, that's all for now,Shanlea
