I would just like to say that when I recently heard about the shutting down of Elan was was thrilled and emotional. I am so happy for the people who worked hard to see this happen. I never went there. I went to hyde, i'm sure you guys know about hyde from running track against us and the like. you guys made Hyde seem like a walk in the park. I havn't been on this forum in years but this has renewed my faith that positive effect can certainly come out of people organizing themselves on the internet. I am telling all my friends about this.
I take it that you're only speaking for yourself here, mansion dweller?
And I gather that you weren't one of those Hyde students who was sexually or physically assaulted, or who's life Hyde tried to sabotage, or who's family was ripped apart irrevocably, or who was driven to consider or commit suicide as a result of their experiences, or the myriad of other nightmares associated with that place? I wouldn't exactly call those kids' experiences "a walk in the park."
In fact, and please forgive me if I seem harsh here, it is just such a mindset which has enabled this industry not only to get a solid start, but also to continue to flourish. If people keep invalidating what others go through, no one is ever gonna really understand, let alone heal from, the mindfuckery behind it all.
People are different. What's lethally toxic for one person may be bearable for another. It takes all kinds to make a world, something these one-size-fits-all programs don't like to take into consideration.
Moreover, there will always be another program that's supposedly "not as bad" as another one, or the one before, as long as you continue to make superficial "improvements" of the ilk that Whooter recommends, which completely ignore the heart of the problem.
Just my two cents, and just sayin', fwiw... :nods:
That said (which turned into a bigger and crankier mouthful than intended), I wholeheartedly concur with the rest of your expressed sentiments, and I'm sure that many Elaners appreciate the trouble you took to come back on to fornits to post them.
And yet, there is still much to be done, as this here thread title very much implies. Perhaps you'd care to involve yourself? Your perspective on "the scene in Maine" could very likely be helpful.