Tough Love, Hold the Love

The Times today carries a chilling piece on a "behavior modification" (read brainwashing and abuse) camp called Tranquility Bay. The inaptly named center is run by the World Wide Association of Specialty Programs and Schools, which bears the more accurate acronym WWASP. Parents send kids there for counseling and discipline, but there's much more of the latter than the former. Indeed, in a candid interview during a brief separation from the organization, one of WWASP's higher-ups essentially admitted that the staff at Tranquility Bay have no real training or experience in dealing with kids who may require more subtle treatment than isolation and twisted arms. Lots of the parents, sadly, seem willing enough not to ask questions so long as the kids are out of their hair and come back "fixed." Or, at any rate, terrified into docility, which is just as good, right?

Comments

[B]

It's all a matter of degree.

[John]

There's a few of these places in Utah and I think some people based in Utah run some camps in foreign countries.

These camps rank right up there with polygamy, Olympic bribery and Greg Ostertag and The Most Embarassing Things About Utah.

[Ron Hardin]

The idea that kids have a right to consequences of their actions doesn't require subtlety; rather it requires consistency and clarity. You can't do thus and so not because it won't please me, but because it's a rule. Follow a few rules and you'll get along fine.

The kid discovers that he also acquires rights from this. A paradox. Obedience and rights are not opposed.

That's not to say that you can't do it badly; but on its face you don't know.

Vicki Hearne _Adam's Task_ the essay on Washoe and ``How to Say Fetch!'' discuss this odd fact.

[Shady O'Grady]

Could someone please post the text?

[scott]

What is really scary is that in Florida "faith-based" programs are exempt from licensing, education and staff training laws. They just killed a kid in Tampa.

[Anonymous]

An article from the Jamaica Observer newspaper's website.

http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/magazines/teenage/html/20021230t200000-0500_37366_obs_family_wins_fight_to_remove_teen_from_tranquility_bay.asp

[Buck Hicks]

It reminds me of the Character First program which has been implemented in many cities, including mine, across the country.

Check out these nice little Character Traits that they want to teach to your children as well as promote in businesses.

MEEKNESS vs. Anger - Yielding my personal rights and expectations with a desire to serve

OBEDIENCE vs. Willfulness - Quickly and cheerfully carrying out the proper direction of my authorities

FLEXIBILITY vs. Resistance - Being willing to change plans or ideas according to the wishes of my authorities

DEFERENCE vs. Rudeness - Limiting my freedom so I do not offend the tastes of those around me

HOSPITALITY vs. Loneliness - Cheerfully sharing food,shelter, or conversation to benefit others

GENEROSITY vs. Stinginess - Carefully managing my resources so I can freely give to those in need

AVAILABILITY vs. Self-centeredness - Making my own schedule and priorities secondary to the wishes of those I serve

Those are just a few examples. You can see the entire list from the Character Cities website here (PDF format):

http://www.charactercities.org/downloads/publications/CharacterDefinitions.pdf

Look at who they are promoting this to:

http://www.charactercities.org/

And then check out the organization that is behind it all:

Institute in Basic Life Principles http://www.iblp.com/ and the controversial evangelical who is behind it all Bill Gothard http://www.billgothard.com/

I have also compiled a list of news stories about the man, the organization. It is very scary and it doesn't stop there.

http://www.liberty1st.org/cfirst.asp

By the way someone mentioned the faith based initiative in Florida and I would bet a dollar that this is the organization involved. I say this because this program was instituted there with the Governors endorsement.

[Tom]

Buck,

There's actually a man named Bill Gothard? "Bill Got Hard?" Almost a Haywood Jablomy kinda handle.

The points about hospitality and generosity put me in mind of when one of my own house apes would go ballistic because his brother "won't share!" It hit me one day that, come to think of it, why should anyone share anything, other than in self-interest? We have since instituted a house policy that dicates "sharing" is purely the choice of the individual requested to do the sharing. If you want some of what your brother has, barter for it. Now the kids know that they will never be commanded to relinquish the Nintendo or split the last popsicle, and the amount of bitching, whining and complaining has dramatically dropped. They also interact much better with each other, since if you piss off your brother today, tomorrow he might not agree to your offer of making his bed for 30 minutes of the video game that he bought with his own birthday money.

Poor training for today's America, however...

[mark]

That would be Willy Got Hard

[joe]

Character Cities? Any connection to Bush's "Communities of Character?"

[Plutarck]

"One such child was Tyler Marshall of Tazewell, Va. "Tyler was 12 when he went to Tranquility Bay," said his cousin, Gini Farmer Remines, "and he had never been in trouble with the law. Basically, he did not get along with the woman his dad was going to marry.""

Jesus, this stuff reminds me of "Battle For The Mind" and some of the horrifying history of Psychiatry at the begining of the century - particularly the "treatment" of people who simply behaved in a fashion which the parents didn't much like (which apparently does not usually, if ever, arise to the point of posing a real physical threat or apparent danger to other people). One example, which I believe was in an earlier Reason article, was of the psychiatric treatment of a girl who was "insane" - that is, she liked to hang around with a homosexual guy and read Pruest and fantasized about running away to Mexico, who's treatment entailed being tortured in a variety of ways until she was more like a pet than a human, with the accidental side-effect of her becoming incontinent.

I suppose "and you thought your parents were bad" just doesn't quite do justice to this sort of thing. Let's just hope this sort of thing doesn't catch on and gets simply stamped out, and we don't end up with a real-life modern version of 1984 or Clockwork Orange style "treatment" of undesirables.

[Rick]

Reading a little deeper into this, it becomes clear that a lot of the kids sent to these facilities are being sent for what amounts to "behavior that irriates adults", i.e. perpetual questioning of parental authority, staying out past curfew, dating the wrong guy/gal, etc. I am given to understand that a frequent "diagnosis" for such children is "oppositional defiant disorder" or ODD. I am not sure that this is a real mental/psychiatric illness, much less one that should be treated by techniques that, were they to be applied to prisoners of war, would be violative of the Geneva Conventions.

Anyone can be a parent, and can (with enough money) abuse that authority horrendously, but you need a special license to catch fish. Sheesh.

[Plutarck]

I sure as hell hope not. Being able to screw up one's children may not be a nice thing, but being unable to protect them from other people screwing them up - as inevitably the norms of the political elite and cultural well-dressed dung-heap become a matter of law, and to contradict their dictates becomes illegal, and children become used as spys against their parents dissident behavior - is quite a many times worse.

I'll keep the assholes with limited reach as opposed to trading them for the assholes with unlimited reach and Good Intentions.

[dhex]

"Obedience and rights are not opposed."

of course not...at least until the obeyed decide to change what constitues rights. funny how that works.

WWASPS is the best acronym ever. it'd probably be almost fun to test out my more whacky behavior modification theories on rich kids with sadistic lazy assholes for parents.

[dhex]

think we'll ever get around to parental licensing?

[Richard Titsch III]

Early this year (2003) I vacationed in Jamaica. I had heard the stories and had spoken to some press that were investigating the issues. My curiosity was somewhat peaked, and since I was staying in Jamaica for about a week, I decided to hire a driver and see, for myself, what this facility looks like. My experience and the pictures I personally took of the facility are available for the asking. For those interested in an abridged version - - here it goes:

First and foremost, you must understand that this place is in the middle of nowhere. It's a shock to travel Jamaica's countryside to begin with, because driving in general is so dangerous, away from the resorts (I happened to be staying in Ocho Rios) and the poverty is omnipresent. The city (Treasure Beach) is as remote as it gets, and when you arrive and ask where Tranquility Bay is (or to it's local folk the "Olde Warf Hotel"), you are outrightly lied to -- they say they don't know exactly where it is. Once you arrive in town, past the Motorcycle merchant, look for an old Jamaican (looks to be 300 or so) sitting on a rock, for it is at that dirt road you have to turn and follow a path about a half-mile long to the rather un-glorious "Tranquility Bay".

My first awareness that I was in the right place, was that I saw 10 or 20 boys riding on the rim of an old Pick-up Truck in front of us. They all looked unkempt and the ride looked dangerous. They were allowed inside the gates (the children and the dilapidated truck) and I had the driver stop so I could take in this nightmare, that I had only previously read about or had seen by way of very unclear pictures on the internet.

It's bad -- the first thing that catches your eye is that all of the windows (99%) have been "boarded-up". It hales from something out of a Hitchcock movie. The place has an odor and it is not pleasant at all. The beach could never be utilized because it looks as though the sewage is emptied on it regularly. If that's not the case, then a blanket statement that the beach is in horrible and unusable condition for whatever reason is a completely fair assessment of the situation.

The place has guards; it's ominously quiet (it was while I was there). Even if you did manage to escape, I don't know where any of its "guests" would run to. The trip just to the main road (if you could call it that) would wind even the most fit athlete, and the townspeople are rumored to get rewards for turning run-a-ways in. Remember that many Jamaicans work for the facility and even if the reward does not exist, they have a stake in making sure the "guests" stay imprisoned.

Obviously, I could not go inside, but I snapped many pictures and they clearly illustrate, that the place is a broken-down second-rate motel from the past, and should have been leveled many years ago, and that any beauty that the structure or the beach on which it sits may have once possessed is gone. It's a frightening site (and this is just from the outside). Notably, there is garbage in large cages outside the structure and I did have the feeling that something or someone, other than it's intended contents, may be placed in there from time-to-time.

Interestingly, I was not approached, although I was taking pictures like crazy (and my presence was somewhat obvious).

Another important fact, for people to keep in mind, is that this "hell-hole" is hours from both Kingston and Montego Bay Airports -- it's a drive you will never forget and it runs upwards of $300 round-trip.

Truly, all of this is moot, because the Headmaster (and I use this reference loosely) has no credentials at all which justify his position of management over this facility. The parents are bad parents -- plain and simple -- for taking part in this plan. An inquiry about this program by any parent, by itself, should result in a parent being jailed with no due process for the rest of their life.

Eventually, the United States Government will have to deal with this mess -- hopefully by invading Utah again -- it is time for that (government intervention) -- they have short memories from the last time (The Invasion of Utah.) Utah's inhabitance (and others) need desperately to come to terms with the fact that troubled children are a part of normal life and that having them kidnapped by paid morons (mostly because the parents are too cowardly to do this themselves)and then surreptitiously smuggling their child/children off to a foreign country to be tortured indefinitely is contrary to the mores and values of a civilized society.

Do not send your kids to this place! It's awful to look at, the manager is unqualified and all your doing is stuffing the bulging coffers of the nuts and religious fanatics that run these torture chambers.

Richard R. Titsch, III
New Jersey

[Adam]

Dear everyone on this post,

I have a few questions for all of you?
1. Are you a teenager growing up in today's society?
2. Do you any teenagers growing up in this society?
3. Have you ever noticed that teenagers now are extremly closed off?
4. do you know that person down the street from you that has an out of conrtol kid that everyone shakes thier head about?

Now that you have answered that i will tell you who i am. I am NOT a religious fantic and i am NOT a coward. My name is Adam and i have a sister that was in the program. I also personally know students that attended Tranquality Bay.
About two years ago my sister was completely out of control and causing complete havoc in my house just about every day, it was so bad that i moved out of my house. When she wa admitted into the program she had all but failed out of high school. I will agree with all of you that she did not have fun there. She was unable to make phone calls to her freinds or even watch TV.
She was there for 13 months until my Father passed away. She is now a functioning part of society, has a boyfriend with another programmy that attended Tranquility Bay, and has aplied to a very good college. So ask yourself now does this program work? If you have real questions and not treats or slander against my name please email me. I am open to all questions.

[Richard Titsch III]

I have had so much of the kind of reply Adam has posted, I find it's easirer to refer Adam and anyone with this position directly to my BBS where the issues he's raised have been covered, ad nauseum.

http://www.bulletinboards.com/view.cfm?comcode=Titsch

[Richard Titsch III]

Wow Kelly, that's brutal. I've read a lot of this kind of post, yet every time I read a new one, I'm still blown-away by the thought that one human being can do this stuff to another.

Best of luck to you!

Richard Titsch III

[Adam]

Dear Kelly,

Just out of couristy how long were you in CSA, what level were you on and how many of the seminars did you go through. Also how long have you been out of the program.

Thank you for this info

-Adam

[Kelly]

I know what these programs advertise are false. I went to Carolina Springs Academy (Donalds, SC) for 19 months and I would never put someone else through that crap. We were told that CSA has the best reputation out of all of them. If thats true then my heart goes out to the rest of the prisoners in the other facilities. Verbal/Emotional/mental abuse are rampant. Staff there isnt trained, most havent even graduated from high school. Medication was denied. Unfair practices, unclean facilities, lice and scabies were rampant and we were just shampooed, the rugs and materials werent cleaned so it just kept happening.Pretty much everyone that I know faked their progress and lied just to get out of there because we werent allowed to say anything bad about the program to anyone including our parents or we were punished. We were treated like cattle, with the exception of maybe 4 staff no one acted like they cared about anything. In short IT WAS HORRIBLE. id never wish my enemy to go there.

[jas]

For the first time today, I heard about this Tranquillity Bay, I just read it in some magazine....I absolutely can't beleive it. ok im from Croatia, and here, people love their kids, and most of all, people deal with them, play with them, go to the movies with them. I wont say that here we dont have any child abuse cases (unfortunately) or problematic children and adolescent. but the fact is that in most of the cases, the parents dont turn away....

This centers are a consequence of child abuse, but more subtile version. Those kids were all abused before they got to the center, and it was a psicologycal abuse. A neglected child is an abused child. It is normal that teenagers go through a difficult stage, and along with them parents. But this is parenthood.

The things I read about this center are awfull, repugnant and so low and unethical. It is a pure example of degradation of a human being, a breaking of human rights.

Every human should be free to spek, to think and to do. and every kid should be loved. Kids are not circus pets (another form of human vanity). Having a personal oppinion, being socially aware, being loved and respect not only people around you but yourself too, this should be though by parents. This centers dont teach respect, they force you to respect, and that is the difference.

I was a normally problematic child in my puberty. Here and there got drunk, tried some drugs. And not alchohol, and not drugs have never interested me. Now I dont drink, and i dont do any drugs. But i feel confident with myself because I choosed to do so, I wasnt forced by anyone, but the love of my parents and the deep respect I have for them was allways something I could relly on. and they were present, allways......

The kids in Tranquillity bay are abused. the only good thing for them is that they are away of their parents - who obviously didnt have the interest to deal with them.

Im completely shocked

[Eric]

I was in one of these facilities, Casa by the Sea in Ensenada, Mexico. They are not entirely good or bad. It has helped me out tons, I mean I am smarter and can deal with people much easier. I also have some psychological trauma left over from my experiences. I'd recommend the movie "but i am a cheerleader," if you want to see sort of what it is like. Now, that movie is about a program made to cure homosexuality, but the structure of it and what goes on in VERY similar to the program I was at. If you have any questions you can e-mail me at [e-mail]

[Mandala]

seriously:
Parents who send their child to such camps are obviously not fitted for parenting AT ALL and should be taken away the custody. Such a sadistic move to do- to a child, just because the parent's an immature, spoiled brat without any sense of resposibility and too much money...
Seen the parent's interwievs? "such a relief when I sent him/her away"....

Gruesome.
🙁

[Bivins Jason]

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