"brat camp"

peapod

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Jun 26, 2004
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Save the Brats!

Spank their parents 'Brat Camp' turns child abuse into tele-tainment.
By Shannon Rupp

TheTyee.ca
Reality TV just hit a new a low. Not that it had such lofty heights from which to fall, but I would have thought that ABC's Brat Camp -- which deserves the subtitle torturing children for fun and profit - was crossing the line. Even by the venal standards of TV producers.

<Snip: Copyright violation>
 

peapod

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Jun 26, 2004
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Disney :twisted: Lets not even get started on those bastards :twisted:
Why do people watch this stuff?? it would not exist if people didn't like it. You would think by now humans would know one thing for sure...there is no "magic pill" for anything. :? :? :? :?
 

no1important

Time Out
Jan 9, 2003
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That brat camp is bs. That show should never been allowed on. Those places are not very good and have bad reputations in certain parts. Kids don't need those places but parents do. A lot of those places are fronts for child abuse.

Having spent part of my career assessing troubled children for possible residential placement (NOT BOOT CAMPS) I can say unequivocally that boot camps do not work. Such programs, in my view, have no concept of the fact that so-called "problem behavior" is always indicative of some sort of emotional problem. Such problems generally stem from long term dysfunctional family settings (of course there are other causative factors but in my experience this was always at or very near the very top of the list). I don't think that responsible child welfare agencies or professionals use boot camps (if they do they are not worth the name of professional). Boot camps appear largely based on the premise that problem behavior stems from some sort of moral failure and that the failure can be remedied by the application of iron discipline. This is a totally fallacious assumption which ignores the underlying emotional genesis of behavior "problems.

btw- I saw on CTV last night a promo for a show called "Tommy Lee Goes to school" Like that sounds like a bunch of crap if you ask me. This reality craze is almost over and they are digging up the most ridiculous things to keep this dying craze going.
 

missile

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Dec 1, 2004
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About the only show I'm watching these days is "Crossing Jordan" on A&E[can only stand 5 min.of Springer,Maury,Oprah,Fear Factor,Survivor,etc.]
 

Frappuccino Dibs

Electoral Member
Apr 25, 2005
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Chucking really heavy packs on any child, no matter how mal-adjusted they are, is plain stupidity. A growing body should not be forced to carry weights etc. at an early age as it can have profound impact on the childs growth. It can effect joints and the heart and generally screw them up phisically for life.

I've not seen the program, but it sounds like the biggest load of crap since 'Celebrity Love Island'.
 

Twila

Nanah Potato
Mar 26, 2003
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I personally believe that "brat camp" is about as real as Jerry Springer.....

It's garbage tv. Although at least Jerry Springer admits it.

I don't know what it says about us as a society that we so thoroughly enjoy watching others misery and failure. That we spend so much time watching other peoples fake lives.....It's disturbing.
 

Cosmo

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Jul 10, 2004
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Hmmm ... how interesting. I've been watching the show and have an entirely different opinion than the others here.

While I agree with you, No 1, that the primary cause of messed up kids is their family of origin (having come from such a place myself), I think Brat Camp might be helpful to these kids. The parents have caused the vast majority of the problems these kids are experiencing, but getting away from that influence, learning discipline, responsibility and team work could be the saving grace for some of these kids.

Some people just should never have kids. Unfortunately they do. You have to work harder to drive a car or own a gun than you do to be a parent. Something wrong with that, in my mind. But it is what it is. These people are free to screw up their offspring as they see fit.

Somehow I think playing the sympathy card because the kids had to pack heavy gear on long hikes or eat basic food just isn't appropriate. So it's inconvenient, uncomfortable and pushes them to their physical limit. So what. They are not actually being harmed.

I was one of those kids and by sheer luck I didn't end up behind bars. At 27 I sobered up and got my life on track, but the hardest part was learning to deal with my family or origin. If I had been put in a situation where I had to deal with it at 15, I think I would have saved myself a whole lot of grief.

My mother is an evil being who managed to do serious damage to six kids. One of them is now dead, two others beyond help. Since you can't send the parent off to camp, the only remaining solution is to get to the kids and show them there IS another reality beyond the walls of the family home.

It's TV. I realize that. It's edited and designed for maximum entertainment value. Yet I think it has value to the kids participating. In fact, the only Brat Camps I would deem suitable would be ones with cameras around to ensure there was no abuse happening. The potential for abuse in a situation like that is definitely high so monitoring the process is necessary.

My .02 cents worth. :)
 

mrmom2

Senate Member
Mar 8, 2005
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C'mon people reality TV how real can it be when theres 40 or 50 Crew people running around with lights and camera's and make up :roll: Theres nothing real about it its staged bullshit for the asleep masses :wink: What better way to keep them asleep
 

manda

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Jul 3, 2005
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Now, I have to say that I could have really benifitted from an experience like this when I was a teen. And it wasn't how I was reaised, my mother was, and continues to ba a wonderful woman who did everything she could for me. Unfortunately, my parents divorcing when I was 5 took a toll on me, as did my fathers aloof attitude and my stepmother being rotten.

Even with my mother's love and support I was pretty much uncontrollable. Something like this may have snapped me into line, and may have been much more benifical than treatment and hospitalization for depression. Show me a pack to carry, fresh air, and counsellors who at least have some idea of how to handle these types of crisis anyday. Instead I was stuck in a room, not allowed to call my friends or have visitors, drugged and insulted by a psychiatrist, and not even allowed to wear my own clothes. The only time I got outside is if one of the overworked nurses who didn't want and didn't know how to deal with myself and the others stuck in peadiatrics had a moment to take us for a stroll. Occasionally I would get a day pass to spend outside of the hospital. I was miserable, and my mom didn't know what to do, because at least there, I was watched all the time and couldn't kill myself, but she was sending to a place that made me want to even more.

I think an idea like teen bootcamps are a good idea, and so does my mother. both of us would have rathered go that route had it been available.

Although some may think it bad, it's absolutely shiningly wonderful when you think about the alternatives
 

Cosmo

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Jul 10, 2004
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Well said, Manda. As long as they are carefully monitored, I think brat camps would do a lot of good for a lot of kids.

My brother went to one when he was 15. He says it was one of the best experiences of his life. They lived out in the wilderness for weeks, rappelled, built back country trails for hikers. I don't know how much effect it had on his behaviour, but I do know it was one of the highlights of his youth. That has to count for something.
 

merryclaire

Electoral Member
Feb 1, 2005
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i've watched bratcamp twice now...so while i am not an expert on the show, i did notice a few things...
1.) there is a boy there, who tried to stab his twin..on the episode i saw, it turns out he is dyslexic and has been tortured by his brother all his life for being 'stupid'....stupid mother, where has she been???? anyways, the episode i saw, taught this boy that if he perserveres he can do things, he's not stupid...in fact his words were, 'i know now i can do anything i set my mind too'...you could see his pride...a huge thing, pride, huge to gain, huge to keep...a huge life lesson...how long would it have been for him to learn this on his own at home? probably never
2.) another girl overcame huge fear to rappel...huge huge fear, but they encouraged her...and they were allowed not to do it...one boy backed down...she was scared out of her tree, but she did it...she was sexually abused and has tremendously low self esteem...she know benefits from knowing that when the going gets tough she bucks up...how empowering!!
3.) they are teaching these kids, possibly for the first time in their lives, to work as a TEAM, to work for a common goal
4.) their parents are obviously -for the most part- completely incompetent -why haven't they sought help before this? this could be an opportunity for these kids to learn so many life skills...and to get out of an environment that is crippling and abusive and see another way of life for the first time ever...when you are a child, you tend to think that how your life is, is the only way
5.) the part i don't like, is the intrusive part...i don't want to and north america does not deserve to see these children's pain...they were abused and are hurt and tender and we have no right to be watching them cry
6.) but i really like the parts where i see these kids accomplish goals and feel proud - possibly for the first time...these kids haven't had a whole lot of opportunities to feel good about themselves, probably do not have a lot of people in their lives who say i will not give up on you, you can do it

it would be really interesting to do a 1 yr after study on these kids and hear from them what they thought of it all
 

Cosmo

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Jul 10, 2004
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merryclaire said:
it would be really interesting to do a 1 yr after study on these kids and hear from them what they thought of it all

Very true, Merryclaire ... I would be most interested in seeing followup. I know my brother continued to get into trouble with the law after his camp experience, but it still proved extremely valuable to him in many ways.

I still find the show interesting. Thankfully I don't have kids ... I'll leave that enormous responsibility to those with far more maturity than I! :)
 

manda

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Jul 3, 2005
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I don't know that maturity has a whole lot to do with it...I've got 3 kids...and still refuse to grow up! I take pride in the fact that I Am a good mother, especially when throwing it in the face of all the naysayers that said I couldn't do it because I had my first boy when I was 17...so to all of the naysayers :blah!: :p