Thanks for your response. It still makes me feel really sick to think about it, but at least now I can without crying. (What can I say, I'm a really sensitive guy.)



Having Jason get sent to Cloverdale at the end of the book was, in my opinion, extremely distasteful. No, nobody deserves that. Jason needed legitimate psychological treatment, which is clearly what Cloverdale did not provide. I wish Mark hadn't put that in there. Hopefully he'll read this and at least give some kind of explanation other than to appease the reader to see him get tortured as many might thing he deserved.

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Replying to:

Hey Colin,



Unfortunately places like that do exist. Probably more so back when A Better Place took place but I'm sure they still exist today. They are usually run by right-wing religous nuts who will do whatever it takes to "straighten" out a gay person. The parents may or may not know what measures are being used to accomplish that desire and probably don't care as long as their child is "saved" from the perceived perversion.



Ken

Mark's Webmaster

http://www.markroeder.com

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Replying to:

Places like this... do they really still exist..? My...god... I don't think I've ever been so angry at anything in my entire life... I ... ... I don't even know what to say... except, does anyone know of any of these places? I've got half a mind to gather a group of people and torch them. I mean, know there are bigots, but..parents sending their kids.. ..jesus, do the parents even know what really happens there?!?

Keeping in context with the era of the story, there were only two places Jason could end up. Either at a detention center for youthful offenders or at a state certified mental health facility for 'troubled' youth. There would be no psychological treatment avialable at a detention center, so he ends up at Cloverdale where they practice aversion therapy, which was considered legitimate at that time.

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Replying to:

Thanks for your response. It still makes me feel really sick to think about it, but at least now I can without crying. (What can I say, I'm a really sensitive guy.)



Having Jason get sent to Cloverdale at the end of the book was, in my opinion, extremely distasteful. No, nobody deserves that. Jason needed legitimate psychological treatment, which is clearly what Cloverdale did not provide. I wish Mark hadn't put that in there. Hopefully he'll read this and at least give some kind of explanation other than to appease the reader to see him get tortured as many might thing he deserved.

--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---

Replying to:

Hey Colin,



Unfortunately places like that do exist. Probably more so back when A Better Place took place but I'm sure they still exist today. They are usually run by right-wing religous nuts who will do whatever it takes to "straighten" out a gay person. The parents may or may not know what measures are being used to accomplish that desire and probably don't care as long as their child is "saved" from the perceived perversion.



Ken

Mark's Webmaster

http://www.markroeder.com

--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---

Replying to:

Places like this... do they really still exist..? My...god... I don't think I've ever been so angry at anything in my entire life... I ... ... I don't even know what to say... except, does anyone know of any of these places? I've got half a mind to gather a group of people and torch them. I mean, know there are bigots, but..parents sending their kids.. ..jesus, do the parents even know what really happens there?!?

Don't worry about it -- keep reading the series and see who survives, Jason or the Cloverdale Center.

Unfortunately, places like that DO actually exist... but don't torch them or anything, because that just shows you're no better than they are (motivated by hatred and whatnot)...

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Replying to:

Places like this... do they really still exist..? My...god... I don't think I've ever been so angry at anything in my entire life... I ... ... I don't even know what to say... except, does anyone know of any of these places? I've got half a mind to gather a group of people and torch them. I mean, know there are bigots, but..parents sending their kids.. ..jesus, do the parents even know what really happens there?!?

Things like this make me cry. Its so sad to see how ignorant and nieve people really are.

when i first read the introduction in a better place it really upset me to know that such places exist. personally i think its worst than being kicked out of the house by your parents. its just awful to know such a place exist and nobody does anything about it.