Chapter 33 is ready!

The internet and age of online reviews was definitely the final straw for Elan. As a matter of fact, I watched it happen in real time. Here is an article about it actually, where Elan is singled out as being destroyed by internet activism: http://healthland.time.com/2011/04/05/increasingly-internet-activism-helps-shutter-abusive-troubled-teen-boot-camps/ Here is the interesting thing about it, as I said I was there watching when this happened and many of the review sites and blogs calling out Elan were actually being counter-attacked. I remember people taking screenshots of negative reviews and a couple days later they would disappear. Stuff like that. That was very scary to witness, that these independent review sites could read these testimonies of blatant child abuse and humiliation and then, as I researched, still offer Elan the option of a "paid removal" for those reviews. I also remember someone sharing emails from a pr/marketing agency hired by Elan, where this agency was doing damage-control. Even going as far as to plant fake positive reviews after purging the real ones. Insane. And then on top of all that, it is important to understand that Elan's brainwashing was so effective that there are hundreds of ex-residents who are convinced Elan was their holy savior, and a lot of these people are completely unhinged. They defend Elan as if they were still there. They are like battered spouses or people with Stockholm Syndrome. And they move like moths to any person holding up a light to expose Elan. Again, I saw a lot of this first hand and it was scary. It is interesting you mentioned other countries because I always keep my ears to the gossip and word-of-mouth about Elan, I am in a lot of groups (anonymously) that kind of keep tabs on things. And you know something crazy, there has been a lot of talk about a former Elan resident who decided to create his own Elan. Last I heard, he moved to Venezuela to start it. Freaking scary.

This is so unreal. Do you think in this age of cell phones, online reviews, and better parenting a place like this would still be possible? Maybe in other countries?

James Steinberg

I know it is a bit short and ends on a cliff-hanger, but this chapter is kind of like a "prelude" to the next one. So be patient, crazy stuff ahead!!!