Treatment Abuse, Behavior Modification, Thought Reform > Brat Camp
ABC Brat Camp
AtomicAnt:
"...today's coddled spoiled tantruming brats..."
Why each generation seeks to villify its children is beyond me. I'm 44 years old and remember the 1970s when I was a teenager. I watched the original Scared Straight (same director as the current Brat Camp). Back then, we had the same media hysteria about 'out of control teenagers,' increased sexual activity, increased drug use, the country is going to hell, yadda yadda. Yes, I went through 'wilderness therapy' (1975). I felt good for a little while, but it wears off.
The 'tough love' approach became a fad around the middle to late seventies and many states opened Boot Camps for delinquents. Most have closed them because they are expensive and don't work.
Now, private enterprise has found a way to sell the 'tough love' approach to parents and make a fast buck off other peoples' pain. It sucks. But what really bugs me is how parents and the media can be still be sold this outdated technology.
Personally, I find coercive programs intinsically wrong regardless of effectiveness. The ends does not justify the means and we are supposed to be a society that believes in free will and freedom of choice. Some kids need help, but force doesn't work and is just wrong. The one aspect of my own experience that sticks with me is the frustration and anger of having to endure attitudes and activities that I felt were wrong, but knew I could not even express my opinion without risk of punishment. I felt that was wrong then. I feel it is wrong now.
Yes, I have kids. No teens, yet.
Anonymous:
--- Quote ---On 2005-07-24 15:42:00, AtomicAnt wrote:
""...today's coddled spoiled tantruming brats..."
Why each generation seeks to villify its children is beyond me. I'm 44 years old and remember the 1970s when I was a teenager. I watched the original Scared Straight (same director as the current Brat Camp). Back then, we had the same media hysteria about 'out of control teenagers,' increased sexual activity, increased drug use, the country is going to hell, yadda yadda. Yes, I went through 'wilderness therapy' (1975). I felt good for a little while, but it wears off.
The 'tough love' approach became a fad around the middle to late seventies and many states opened Boot Camps for delinquents. Most have closed them because they are expensive and don't work.
Now, private enterprise has found a way to sell the 'tough love' approach to parents and make a fast buck off other peoples' pain. It sucks. But what really bugs me is how parents and the media can be still be sold this outdated technology.
Personally, I find coercive programs intinsically wrong regardless of effectiveness. The ends does not justify the means and we are supposed to be a society that believes in free will and freedom of choice. Some kids need help, but force doesn't work and is just wrong. The one aspect of my own experience that sticks with me is the frustration and anger of having to endure attitudes and activities that I felt were wrong, but knew I could not even express my opinion without risk of punishment. I felt that was wrong then. I feel it is wrong now.
Yes, I have kids. No teens, yet."
--- End quote ---
Bravo ... well said!
:nworthy:
Anonymous:
I'll second that! Well said, Atomic Ant!
SilmarilOne:
"what god wants, god gets
god help us all"
roger waters 1994
Antigen:
--- Quote ---On 2005-07-24 15:42:00, AtomicAnt wrote:
Why each generation seeks to villify its children is beyond me.
--- End quote ---
They don't. At least not the way recent American generations have done.
Here's a good read on that:
--- Quote ---At a time of decreasing youth crime what fuels the increasing incarceration and punishment of youth?
The fact that the Right is better positioned than the Left to take advantage of the alarmist anti-youth myths all sides circulate. The public and policymakers don?t know, and don?t care, that youth homicide and crime have fallen to their lowest levels in 30 years because their constituent interest groups, left to right, are busy fanning fears of youth to push their agendas. Progressives are outraged when U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft, former California Governor Pete Wilson, and their prosecutor-prison-industry allies inflame the press with false images of rising youth crime to advance draconian youth-crackdowns. But liberal-left political lobbies, culture critics, media, and program advocates (the same entities deploring society?s "criminalization of youth") also unconscionably exploit fears of youth and crime, violence, guns, drugs, and general dangerousness when it suits their purposes. Examples (of many):
Full Text: http://www.zmag.org/malesint.htm
--- End quote ---
If I am of the opinion that it is inexpedient to assign to the government the task of operating railroads, hotels, or mines, I am not an "enemy of the state" any more than I can be called an enemy of sulfuric acid because I am of the opinion that, useful though it may be for many purposes, it is not suitable either for drinking, or for washing one's hands.
Anonymity Anonymous
return undef() if /coercion/i;
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