Hey Ashlee,
Here's how I see it, some girls, truely mistreated have every right to be angry should they seek to file a lawsuit, from the stories I've heard, I wouldn't blame them. Quicky, you said above that you thought some girls shouldn't sue MMS b/c others don't agree or were helped by the experience, but that's really irrelevant. People don't stop and say wait, 'Enron didn't fuck my cousin (he may have even made money!) so maybe I shouldn't try to get back the money I lost and hold them liable for x, y, z'. I know girls out there don't agree with the lawsuit against MMS, but some girls were truely hurt and it's very insensitive to comment without knowing the story...
Where I'm coming from regarding regulation: I completely agree, better placement, that's a great place to start. Part of that is the educational consultants (if they're hired)the other, bigger part is the school. They need to understand what their limitation are and send kids elsewhere once they're there and if they can't help- I'm not just referring to the obvious one b/c that's a miniscule percentage of the girls they can't help. The problem with acutally putting that into effect is that at MMS girls are punished for acting out- which suggests they need help outside of what MMS can provide, but if the program is fear based how can the girls feel comforatble by saying, 'excuse me, John, this isn't working for me, maybe I should be sent somewhere else?' If you arrive there you don't feel that's an option.
That's why I feel so strongly about regulation, I don't see John (hence the school) changing on his own. And even the girls who had good experineces (with the exception of the extreme advocates of MMS- which seem to be only a few comparatively) agree thing should change, as you do. They won't change by themselves though- just not going to happen and changing the procedural part is not enough, since that's not the only problem as I'm beginning to see more and more the nuetral girls concur with me on that.
Since the problems at MMS are not all procedural, change need to come to the damaging aspects of the school- regardless if other aspects are good.
This is also part of the reason girls shut their mouths and changes at these types of shcools are hard to come by...people move on b/c it's almost too traumatizing to fight for what they believe is right- there's very little support b/c girls feel to help address the negative somehow negates the positive. No one is saying that though.
kat