Tranquility Bay

[Sajberhippien]

http://education.guardian.co.uk/classroo mviolence/story/0,12388,987932,00.html

Now that is really sick.

"Corporal punishment is not practised, but staff administer 'restraint'. Officially it is deployed as the name suggests, to subdue a student who is out of control. However, former students say it is issued more often as a punishment. One explains: 'It's a completely degrading, painful experience. You could get it for raising your voice or pointing your finger. You know you're going to get it when three Jamaicans walk in and say, "Take off your watch." They pin you down in a five-point formation and that's when they start twisting and pulling your limbs, grinding your ankles.'"
Now that definately fits into the definition of torture.

[poxpower]

Choice quotes for the lazy:

"Students are moved around the property in silence by guards in single file, 3ft apart - a complicated operation, because girls and boys must be kept segregated at all times, forbidden to look at one another."

"The first most teenagers hear of Tranquility is therefore when they are woken from their beds at home at 4am by guards, who place them in a van, handcuffed if necessary, drive them to an airport and fly them to Jamaica."

"At 9.30am, each family is moved into a classroom for two hours. You continue the US high-school curriculum where you left off at home, but there is no teaching."

sound about the same for that.

"Jay Kay is 33 years old, (...)Previously he had been a night guard there, and before that a petrol-pump attendant, having dropped out of college. He has no qualifications in child development, but considers this unimportant."

WOW WHERE DO I SEND MY CHECK FOR 40K??

"A 'Cat 1' offence, ie rolling your eyes, is consequenced by a modest loss of points"

Is there seriously a chart that says "roll eyes: -1 point"

"If your son is willfully disrespectful, the most loving gift a parent can give him is incarceration in an environment so intolerable that he will do anything to get out - where 'anything' means surrendering his mind to authority."

"Jim Mozingo (...) is a good example of a typical Tranquility parent. Divorced from Josh's mother, busy, wealthy, he found Tranquility by typing 'defiant teen' into the internet."

in short: an asswipe

more proof:

"I tell you, I was at my wits' end with my son. (...) He never got into trouble with the police. He was one step from that. (...)Pot got involved.'"

SHIT, ANYTHING BUT POT!

"'Sure, he complained like hell at first,' he recalls fondly. 'Typical case of manipulation, just like they said in the handbook. He said the staff were mean and violent, they beat you, the food is terrible.' He chuckles"

In short: this man will throw money at all his problems and is also an fucking psycho, let's hope his son learned to not send HIS kids to places like that.

"For example, Mozingo believes his son had a serious drug problem before coming to Jamaica and Josh agrees. What was he taking? 'I was doing marijuana. I was doing cigarettes. Alcohol."

Holy shit, I hope they don't come for me! I've done CANADIAN BEER, that's even worse than doing alcohol.

"That without Tranquility they would be dead is an article of faith among all the students.

I ask one how they would have died. 'What?'"

"'You have to understand,' a former student, who turned 18 and walked out, tries to explain. 'The staff are constantly trying to work out what you are thinking about and constantly telling you what to think about, and then constantly checking to see if you are thinking about it. And if you're not, and they know you're not, you might as well be dead.'"

"Points and privileges are awarded to students who tell on each other. If you don't tell on someone for breaking a rule and get found out, you lose points."

Ok now this isn't even worth joking about anymore, this shit is horrible.

". And parents have a financial incentive to believe and proselytise. For every new customer they can recruit, a month's fees for their own child are waived."

COMPLETELY SICK

"Four overseas Wwasp facilities have been closed down by local authorities in the past seven years."

and perhaps, most FRGHTENING OF ALL: "The 200 staff are all Jamaican"
NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

The article was pretty sensationalistic and biased, it's obvious, the guy was trying to pull tears out of the readers, but damn that place sure sounds harsh. While I don't doubt that some kids seriously deserve to go to a place like that, I also don't doubt that the majority of people sent there have crazy, lazy rich parents who don't give two shits about anyone but themselves.

[Proteas]

At 8/16/07 12:22 PM, poxpower wrote: I also don't doubt that the majority of people sent there have crazy, lazy rich parents who don't give two shits about anyone but themselves.

I think you hit the nail on the head, man. Even the author of the article points this out...

Messy divorce and remarriage are the norm among these parents. Their expectations of loyalty from their children, though, suggest a gilt-edged ideal of American family life so brittle any rebellion or defiance is literally terrifying. This culture then creates its own logic - for once adolescence is criminalised, Tranquility becomes the obvious solution.

[onefingersalute1]

wow a zombification factory

[poxpower]

At 8/16/07 01:21 PM, Proteas wrote:

I think you hit the nail on the head, man. Even the author of the article points this out...

indeed :o
though he obviously doesn't want to side with the crazy jamaicans. But some of those stories just sound really fucking sad, while the real kid monsters who become rapists and murderers are still roaming free because THEIR parents don't have 40k to send them to "Fahrenheit 451 bootcamp" :(

Question: should Paris Hilton have been sent there?
dun dundun

[Elfer]

This is one of those cases where vigilante justice would be acceptable.

[Imperator]

At 8/16/07 02:50 PM, Elfer wrote: This is one of those cases where vigilante justice would be acceptable.

Agreed.

I love the linguistic anthropology that goes on with stuff like this. "Tranquility Bay".....

We justify the oddest behaviors simply by attaching nicer names to them. It's sickening....

[dodo-man-1]

If your kid is a jerk, you should be able to discipline them yourself, and more fairly than this psychopathic institution. Kids aren't made for a prison environment. I think that the government should know about this (like they don't know, and care).

[poxpower]

At 8/16/07 02:52 PM, Imperator wrote:

I love the linguistic anthropology that goes on with stuff like this. "Tranquility Bay".....

If my kids piss me off, I'll send them on a long vacation to sunshine-filled Lobotomy Lagoon

[Elfer]

I'm sending my kids to Angry Punch Swamp

[morefngdbs]

At 8/16/07 12:22 PM, poxpower wrote:

"Jay Kay is 33 years old, (...)Previously he had been a night guard there, and before that a petrol-pump attendant, having dropped out of college. He has no qualifications in child development, but considers this unimportant."

WOW WHERE DO I SEND MY CHECK FOR 40K??

;
With qualifications like that, shouldn't he be paid a salary closer to minimum wage?
But seriously, if we were talking about kids that were really fucked up, they would be sent to these type of "tough love" places by our court systems. To give them a chance to get their lives turned around & not have a criminal record(s).
Since this is all done to children, by the parents it sure seems to be open for abuse.
Poor little bastards, what a great life they 're all having.

[poxpower]

At 8/16/07 04:04 PM, morefngdbs wrote:

At 8/16/07 12:22 PM, poxpower wrote:

"Jay Kay is 33 years old, (...)Previously he had been a night guard there, and before that a petrol-pump attendant, having dropped out of college. He has no qualifications in child development, but considers this unimportant."

With qualifications like that, shouldn't he be paid a salary closer to minimum wage?

Well that's capitalism for you. That guy sure found a good nice market. So sad that he's so hellbent on profiting from that :o
There's no doubt this guy lives the good life.

Also when I read that he was a night guard, I couldn't help but think about those assholes in Terminator 2 who beat on Sarah Connor at the asylum.
Hopefully one of his kids grows up to be a brilliant scientist who sends a robot back in time to kick his ass.

[Korriken]

it would be hilarious if a teen winds up in there and begins a revolution inside the compound. but I wonder, without using physical force, how do they force kids to lie down face first and keep them there? do they tie them down? I also ponder the legality of the whole thing, you take a minor across, not only state lines, but out of the country, by force, against the child's will, and apparently without a passport, since the kid does not apply for one. Also the children are held against their will and forced to do many things that parents today would get put in the clink for with abuse and neglect charges. Perhaps one day one of these kids will due the place and win a bunch of money, then begins a cascade of lawsuits to bankrupt the guy and put em out of business.

[MortifiedPenguins]

Question: Why do I suspect the actual truth of this article and why hasn't ever been reported in any other news source (ie CNN, NBC etc etc) since this would bring the usual sensational reviews and attention.?

[LightandDark]

At 8/16/07 07:29 PM, MortifiedPenguins wrote: Question: Why do I suspect the actual truth of this article and why hasn't ever been reported in any other news source (ie CNN, NBC etc etc) since this would bring the usual sensational reviews and attention.?

you might have not been watching the news back in 2003, but if you did, the whole story might be fake

[TonyTostieno]

At 8/16/07 02:50 PM, Elfer wrote: This is one of those cases where vigilante justice would be acceptable.

Oh, can I help? It sounds like fun.

[Elfer]

At 8/16/07 07:17 PM, Korriken wrote: it would be hilarious if a teen winds up in there and begins a revolution inside the compound. but I wonder, without using physical force, how do they force kids to lie down face first and keep them there? do they tie them down?

Um, they do it by using physical force.

[TonyTostieno]

At 8/17/07 11:06 AM, Elfer wrote: Um, they do it by using physical force.

I say we stop them by getting waffle irons that have JUST been turned off so they're still like wicked hot, and burn their faces with them for using physical force to keep people in line. Nothing like steaming off a few control-freaks faces off to start the day, am I right or what?

[Elfer]

Actually, I think a vigilante force might be able to get away with it if they broke down a compound wall and got the kids out without injuring anyone.

No jury in the world would convict you for that shit.

[poxpower]

At 8/17/07 11:50 AM, Elfer wrote:

No jury in the world would convict you for that shit.

Well it's in Jamaica, a lawless land of brutal tribal dancing and fine Caribbean rum.So I guess if you can snatch the kids, you're free to go? Though you'd piss off a lot of rich people. You don't want to do that.

It's better to commit crimes against poor people.

[Elfer]

At 8/17/07 01:56 PM, poxpower wrote: It's better to commit crimes against poor people.

Uh not if it's kidnapping duh.

[Sajberhippien]

At 8/16/07 07:29 PM, MortifiedPenguins wrote: Question: Why do I suspect the actual truth of this article and why hasn't ever been reported in any other news source (ie CNN, NBC etc etc) since this would bring the usual sensational reviews and attention.?

I think the answer lies in this:

It's better to commit crimes against poor people.

Together with the fact that this was the only time anyone was allowed to enter and do a reportage. You don't mess with rich people.

[SmilezRoyale]

Boot camp is better than tranquility bay, i'd love it if i had kids that would say 'sir yes sir' after i asked them to do something; mind you i intend on raising them in a way that will ensure that boot camp is never needed.

[morefngdbs]

At 8/17/07 02:38 PM, SmilezRoyale wrote: Boot camp is better than tranquility bay, i'd love it if i had kids that would say 'sir yes sir' after i asked them to do something; mind you i intend on raising them in a way that will ensure that boot camp is never needed.

;
I have 2 children, if they ever addressed me like that it would probably break my heart ; unless they were just play acting out something or other.
The idea of a place to send an ah.... out of control teen , is in my mind not a bad idea. I just think that it shouldn't be used by the rich & don't give a fuck parents.
If a child has to be placed into an institution for behavioral problems 'QUALIFIED' people should be the only ones to make that decission. The parents would need to be checked out as well, for a complete evaluation to help determine why there is a problem in the first place.

[Bolo]

I've got to admit, the article makes this camp sound like it violates the Geneva Convention. Operating outside of the United states on a small, remote island, making kids lie on their faces for eighteen months...

However, I'm inclined to believe that the article is a bit sensationalistic, just to rile people up, you know. I'd be interested to hear the other perspective of this story.