User:Aleharo/sandbox

Best practices for working in groups

I surprisingly don't have much experience doing group assignments, although I have had to do group work in other areas such as the workplace and school organizations. In the past, I worked for the YMCA in San Jose, CA and have been a member of Nu Alpha Kappa Fraternity and Student Government at my previous university. While working for the YMCA as an After School Site Director, I had to work with other directors on various administrative projects and other projects such as event planning. While a member of Nu Alpha Kappa and Student Government I had to work with others on topics such as writing and editing the respective organization's constitutions and by-laws as well as planning community service and fundraising activities. I can honestly say I have had good experiences working in groups as I like to discuss ideas with others and I am very accepting of new ideas from other group members. -Israel Garcia

Sources Assignment I will be adding to the Lifetime Rehabilitation Concept and Popular Depictions sections. The Lifetime Rehabilitation Concept section does not actually talk much about what that means and so I hope to add to it by researching what exactly their rehabilitation methods were. The popular depictions section is pretty general but I will try and see if I can find any more depictions of the Synanon group in the media. The sources I have looked up are general but I hope to find more sources specific to the sections I will be covering: 1) http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/089976407400300307?journalCode=nvsa 2)https://web-a-ebscohost-com.webinfo.ndnu.edu:8080/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?vid=1&sid=b4851200-b822-4721-bccf-3cb9adf51a78%40sessionmgr4010 3) http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/002216786700700104 -Israel Garcia

Article Discussion 1) Is everything in the article relevant to the article topic? Is there anything that distracted you?

Everything in the article is relevant to Synanon,but I do think the contents could go into more depth in the different topics. I think the information is a bit scrambled throughout the page. What was distracting was how the information would be talking about one thing and then jump into a completely different thing. Not only by the change in content titles, but within that topic the information is shambles and jumps from one thing to another. For example, in the criminal activity and collapse section it start of with a story about Synanon member who was beaten, but only states a sentence about it then jumps to a completely different topic leaving the previous one unfinished.

2) Is the article neutral? Are there any claims, or frames, that appear heavily biased toward a particular position?

The article is neutral for the most part, it doesn't talk to much about non-synanon members, but it does talk about how many didn't believe in there practices. A section should be added to discuss more about how non-memebers felt and how they acted towards Synanon members. Biancaalvarez

Content Gap A content gap to me is when an important topic or subject is not covered or addressed with any information. Ways to identify content gaps is through your target audience. You want to make sure you fully understand the audience you are portraying information to. Another way to identify content gaps is to find the missing information and make sure you touch on that. Content gaps can arise when information isn’t properly layout throughout the page. You want to make sure you are explaining and addressing each topic properly and with the right information. Ways to get rid of content gaps is to find the problem and figure out how to solve it. For example, if you are writing about a certain religion you want to make sure you pick out all the important topics regarding that religion to make sure you cover all the important facts. But you also want to make sure you support those against that religion, so it doesn’t seem like you are being biased. Anyone can make a Wikipedia page, you just need to make sure you are citing all the sources you use and that you are only putting relevant and important information on there. To be unbiased on Wikipedia it means that you are not favoring just one side which would be biased. You want to make sure you explain how those who support and don't support the topic you are talking about. But also being careful with the way your information sounds. You don’t want people to know whichever side you support or don’t support. This is where it can be tricky. Relating this to The Shakers, when we were reading about them in class it talk more about what they support and believe, but not so much about what nonsupporters think. They believe the outside world is like hell and that their way is the way or there is no way. I think the readings should include how non-Shakers view Shakers. There may have been minor points, but I don’t remember reading any subtopics. Biancaalvarez

Sources

For the Synanon article I am going to clean up and add to the criminality activity and the collapse of Synanon. The section already on the article is very messy and jumps around a lot. I am going to add more to this topic as well as the popular depictions sections. I thinK I can add more to the criminality activity section by adding more about past members and adding more to the collapse of Synanon. The resources listed below are going to help me add to the article:

1)https://forum.culteducation.com/read.php?5,14860 2)http://www.paulmorantz.com/the_synanon_story/aftermath-the-synanon-legacy/ 3)https://paleofuture.gizmodo.com/synanons-sober-utopia-how-a-drug-rehab-program-became-1562665776 4)http://jonestown.sdsu.edu/?page_id=34288 Biancaalvarez

Lead Section Synanon

The Synanon organization is the first ever self help-no doctors-drug rehabilitation program, which was founded by Charles E. "Chuck" Dederich, Sr., in 1958 in Santa Monica, California, United States. The name was discovered when a member slurred the words "symposium" and "seminar". By the early 1960s, Synanon had also become an alternative community, attracting people with its emphasis on living a self-examined life, as aided by group truth-telling sessions that came to be known as the "Synanon Game." "The Game" was used to break down the individual to create community. In 1970s Synanon formally became known as the Church of Synanon, but in 1991 dissolved due to illicit activities. Including attempted murder of which members were convicted, as well as legal problems including losing its tax-free status retroactively with the Internal Revenue Service due to financial misdeeds, destruction of evidence and terrorism. It has been called one of the "most dangerous and violent cults America had ever seen."

Criminal Activity Synanon members did not support violence in the beginning, but as the organization grew Dederich changed the rules to only use violence when needed. The sanctuary was for addicts, but it attracted a lot of violent offenders. Synanon members did not avoid violence, some of the violent acts they got in trouble for are:

June 1975,some Synanon members had jumped a man named Alvin Gambonini, on his own property. Gambonini had a cattle ranch that bordered Synanon property. Gambonini lost a tooth and suffered other injuries when Synanon members were pulling him from his car. He was attacked for alerting authorities to the stories of abused teenagers and buying the kids bus tickets home when he could says Dederich.

In 1977, a woman in Venice, California who they called Terry was considered Synanon's last recruit. She went there because she was struggling with very serious mental issues and was recommended to go to Synanon. When she got their she answered three questions, shaved her heard and she was officially a member. Once her husband realized where she was he went looking for her and tried to see her, but Synanon members would not allow it and told him Terry did not want to see him, and they told Terry that Ted did not care about her and that she was better off with Synanon. Ted later rsn into Paul Moranz who was know for freeing Skid Row Alcoholics from their nursing home prisons. He helped Ted get Terry back, but it was because Synanon did not want her anymore. They just wanted her for the money, but could not actually help cure her, so they signed an agreement Morantz made up releasing her. After this Morantz sues Synanon on behalf of Terry and Ted. He won them $300,000. Morantz embarrassed Synanon at the time when they were already receiving bad press from violence among their neighbors and made enemies with Charles Dederich.

During the summer of 1978, the NBC Nightly News produced a news segment on the controversies surrounding Synanon. Following this broadcast, several executives of the NBC network and its corporate chairman allegedly received hundreds of threats from Synanon members and supporters. However, NBC continued with a series of reports on the Synanon situation on the NBC Nightly News.

On September 21, 1978, ex-Synanon member Phil Ritter was severely beaten by two Synanon members, which fractured his skull and caused him to fall into a coma. Almost getting a case of spinal meningitis because fluid leaked into his spine. On September 21, 2008 the Marines tried to murder Ritter by hitting him over the head, after he went to the authorities trying to get his child out of Synanon.

Mr.Dederich the founder of Synanon was caught on tape saying ''I'm quite willing to break some lawyer's legs and then tell him, 'The next time in I'll break your wife's legs; then I'm going to cut your kid's arm off,'And that's the end of your lawyer. That's the end. And all of his friends, you see. It's a very satisfactory, humane way of transmitting information. It's worked.'' This tape was used during the investigation of the rattlesnake incident.

On October 10, 1978, two Synanon members placed a de-rattled rattlesnake in the mailbox of attorney Paul Morantz of Pacific Palisades, California.[21] Morantz had just won a case he brought against Synanon abducting a woman. The snake bit him as he grabbed his mail and he was rushed to the hospital almost losing his life. Dedrich pleaded no contest and was placed on a five years probation, had to pay a $5000 fine and all tapes of the incident were given back to the police. Biancaalvarez (talk) 01:55, 7 December 2017 (UTC)

Collapse

Much of the violence by Synanon had been carried out by a group within Synanon called the "Imperial Marines." Over 80 violent acts were committed including mass beatings that hospitalized teenagers and ranchers who were beaten in front of their families.

The media had played a big part in the fall of Synanon. In the beginning the media presented Synanon in a positive way, they portrayed them as a revolutionary program. When they organization moved to Marin County that was when they started to receive more negative media. It was the local newspaper the Point Reyes Light that started to investigate Synanon. This newspaper played a big part in the collapse of Synanon because of all the bad press they gave them. They said Synanon was a violent cult and a danger to its neighbors, community and general public.

After the rattlesnake incident and all the bad media Synanon was finally under investigation by the law and government. They came across many lawsuits and arrest against the members of Synanon. Not only did they get in trouble with law enforcement, but also with the Internal Revenue Services. Once the IRS revoked Synanon tax-exempt status they fell apart.

Synanon did fail because of finical issues and the bad look they had in the media, but Charles Dederich is the main reason for Synanon ending. As years went on he got more caught up in everything and was so worried about being in control and making sure he knew what was always going on. He was the one who called all the shots. He reacted to the media in a negative way by going and buying enough weapons for his own little army, which he had(Imperial Marines). He took Synanon down with them and lost sight of the whole reason he started the organization in the first place. Biancaalvarez (talk) 23:51, 10 November 2017 (UTC)

 Successes 

The game that was established by Synanon in 1959 was its highest success that they are acclaimed for. The game called for many of the addicts to group together, and confront one another throwing out all their excuses and making them think differently. The confrontations became extremely personal on many instances, but it had a big psychoactive play on how the members thought of addiction afterwards. In the 1960s and 1970s when a lot of baby-boomers wanted to experiment differently in life, Synanon attracted many others that didn't even have a drug addiction. These individuals were referred to as "squares" and were everything from middle age professionals to recently graduated college kids, which essentially brought the commune to experimenting with personal transformation within communal living.

Despite its controversies and its downfall, the Synanon program is credited with curing some people of their addictions. For example, Synanon was credited with curing, at least temporarily, the heroin-addicted jazz musicians Frank Rehak, Arnold Ross, Joe Pass, and Art Pepper (Pepper discussed his Synanon experiences at length in his autobiography Straight Life), and the actor Matthew "Stymie" Beard. In 1962, Pass formed a band composed of Synanon patients who recorded an album titled Sounds of Synanon. The Synanon organization was praised by the motivational speaker Florrie Fisher in her speeches to high school students, and she credited Synanon with curing her of her heroin addiction. Synanon also inspired the creation of successful programs such as the Delancey Street Foundation, co-founded by John Maher, a former Synanon member. Many former members still value what they see as the positive aspects of Synanon, primarily its strong sense of community, and remain in close contact, in person or through on-line chat groups, and have gone into business together.

A branch of Synanon that was founded in Germany in 1971 is still in operation.

Practices
Entrance into the Synanon community required a strong initial commitment. Newcomers were first interviewed by Synanon leadership to gain entrance into the community. Upon their arrival, those newcomers are forced to quit using drugs cold turkey, going through withdrawal within the first few days in the community. Furthermore, for their first ninety days in the community, members were expected to cease contact with outside friends and family.

During its first decade, Synanon members entered into a 1-2 year program in three stages aimed at preparing members to reenter greater society. During the first stage, members did community and housekeeping labor. During the second stage, members worked outside of the community but still resided within the community. Finally, during the third stage, members both worked and lived outside of the community, but still attended regular meetings. However, after Synanon's transition into an alternate society in 1968, this program changed to a "lifetime rehabilitation" program, with the premise that drug addicts would never be fully healed enough to return to society.

One of the most distinguishing practices of the Synanon community was a therapeutic practice commonly referred to as "The Game." The game was a session during which one member would talk about themselves and then endure violent criticism by their peers. During this practice, members were encouraged to be critical of everything, using critical and profane language. However, despite the very aggressive nature of The Game, outside of The Game, members were required to act civilly to each other. While in The Game, members criticized each other, but left as friends and supportive community members. The Game served not only as Synanon's most prominent form of therapy and personal change, but also worked as a way for leaders to collect the opinions of community members. Because there was no hierarchy in The Game, members could freely criticize Synanon's highest leadership, who would then take member concerns into consideration when deciding policy. Children as young as 3 were accepted into the game as well, freely criticizing their peers or even adults. They were studied by researcher Edward Gould, and he came back with conclusions that it actually helped the children for when they weren't playing "The Game".

The game turned into a 72-hour version and was admitted by Dederich and author Lewis Yablonsky to be brainwashing. Refer to Yablonsky's book The Tunnel Back. The game was eventually used to pressure people to Dederich's will, to abort pregnancies, have vasectomies and commit violence.

Chuck Dederich eventually changed his way of thinking about Synanon, and morphed it partially towards a human progressive group. Synanon moved to create schooling for members, and Dederich wanted the members to mentally change for the better of society on the outside. The school was headed by Al Bauman, which believed in innovative philosophy, and aimed to teach children in the same manner to think differently. The school attracted lawyers, screenwriters, business executives, all wanting to educate their children in a progressive environment.

Popular Depictions
Deborah Swisher, a former Synanon member, recounts her experiences growing up in several Synanon communes in her one-woman show "Hundreds of Sisters and One Big Brother"

-Israel Garcia