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Strange Country

Sometimes you need to have a glass of wine, cuppa whatever and listen to a good old weird story. Musical score Resting Place by A Cast of Thousands.

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  2. Strange Country Ep.150: Synanon

Jul 9, 2020

If you're like us, you likely never heard of Synanon, but its tactics live on in "tough-love" drug rehabilitation programs. Synanon was founded in 1958 by Charles Dederich, and it was the first ever non-medical drug rehabilitation program. And then it became a cult. Join Beth and Kelly as they share the story of shaved heads, forced abortions and the origin story of one of Nancy Reagan's favorite programs.

Theme music: Big White Lie by A Cast of Thousands

Cite your sources:

“Doris Gambonini, a Ranch Woman Who Comforted Synanon Refugees, Dies at 80.” The Point Reyes Light, 2 Oct. 2014, www.ptreyeslight.com/article/doris-gambonini-ranch-woman-who-comforted-synanon-refugees-dies-80.

Etler, Cyndy. “I Spent 16 Months Of My Childhood Locked In A Warehouse.” HuffPost, HuffPost, 1 Mar. 2019, www.huffpost.com/entry/straight-inc_n_5c76a914e4b062b30eba021e.

Fang, Lee. “GOP Mogul Behind Drug Rehab 'Torture' Centers Is Bankrolling Opposition to Pot Legalization in Colorado.” The Nation, 29 June 2015, www.thenation.com/article/archive/gop-mogul-behind-drug-rehab-torture-centers-bankrolling-opposition-pot-legalization-colo/.

Gelder, Lawrence Van. “Charles Dederich, 83, Synanon Founder, Dies.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 4 Mar. 1997, www.nytimes.com/1997/03/04/us/charles-dederich-83-synanon-founder-dies.html?searchResultPosition=1.

Hillel Aron. “The Story of This Drug Rehab-Turned-Violent Cult Is Wild, Wild Country-Caliber Bizarre.” Los Angeles Magazine, 27 Feb. 2020, www.lamag.com/citythinkblog/synanon-cult/.

Jollett, Mikel. Hollywood Park: a Memoir. Celadon Books, 2020.

King, Wayne. “SYNANON MEMBERS ACCUSED IN BEATING.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 1 Mar. 1981, www.nytimes.com/1981/03/01/us/synanon-members-accused-in-beating.html?searchResultPosition=1.

Mitchell, Dave. “Light to Celebrate 25th Anniversary of Its Pulitzer.” Cult Education Institute, Point Reyes Light, 15 Aug. 2014, culteducation.com/group/1179-synanon/20123-light-to-celebrate-25th-anniversary-of-its-pulitzer.html.

Morantz, Paul. The History of Synanon and Charles Dederich, 2 Aug. 2008, culteducation.com/group/1179-synanon/20127-the-history-of-synanon-and-charles-dederich.html.

Morgan, Fiona. “One Big Dysfunctional.” Cult Education Institute, Salon Magazine, 29 Mar. 1999, culteducation.com/group/1179-synanon/20120-one-big-dysfunctional-family.html.

Novak, Matt. “The Man Who Fought the Synanon Cult and Won.” Paleofuture, 27 Sept. 2014, paleofuture.gizmodo.com/the-man-who-fought-cults-and-won-1634267961.

Novak, Matt. “Synanon's Sober Utopia: How a Drug Rehab Program Became a Violent Cult.” Paleofuture, 15 Apr. 2014, paleofuture.gizmodo.com/synanons-sober-utopia-how-a-drug-rehab-program-became-1562665776.

Pendle, George. “Shaved Heads, Snipped Tubes, Imperial Marines, and Dope Fiends: George Pendle.” CABINET , www.cabinetmagazine.org/issues/48/pendle.php.

Shenon, Philip. “9 LINKED TO SYNANON INDICTED BY U.S.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 2 Oct. 1985, www.nytimes.com/1985/10/02/us/9-linked-to-synanon-indicted-by-us.html.

“Synanon.” RationalWiki, rationalwiki.org/wiki/Synanon.

“Synanon Calls Sex Tapes ‘Liturgy’ - Group Claims Constitute Protects Wife-Swap Records.” Cult Education Institute, San Diego Union, 2 Nov. 1979, culteducation.com/group/1179-synanon/20119-synanon-calls-sex-tapes-liturgy-group-claims-constitute-protects-wife-swap-records.html.

“Synanon Foundation, Inc. v. Bernstein, District of Columbia Court of Appeals, State Courts, COURT CASE.” Court Case, www.ecases.us/case/dc/1995369/synanon-foundation-inc-v-bernstein.

Szalavitz, Maia. “The Cult That Spawned the Tough-Love Teen Industry.” Mother Jones, 20 Aug. 2007, www.motherjones.com/politics/2007/08/cult-spawned-tough-love-teen-industry/.

Szalavitz, Maia. "Breaking addicts in order to fix them: how Synanon revolutionized drug treatment and poisoned the politics of prohibition." Reason, vol. 49, no. 5, Oct. 2017, p. 72+. Gale OneFile: Popular Magazines, https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/A506607207/PPPM?u=nysl_sc_flls&sid=PPPM&xid=27bca0d6. Accessed 25 June 2020.

Szalavitz, Maia. "Tainted Love." Stanford Social Innovation Review, vol. 4, no. 2, Summer, 2006, pp. 66-67. ProQuest, https://search-proquest-cay.orc.scoolaid.net/docview/217168587?accountid=34664