I think it's counterproductive to imply that the Delphian School brainwashes students, without producing more convincing evidence.
The fact that many students go on to join the Sea Org may be related to the high percentage of students who are Scientologists. I attended the Delphian School in Oregon from 1977-1981 and from 1986-1989. My interest was in aerospace engineering. The Delphi staff strongly encouraged to pursue this, and I went on to college in the fall of 1989. (I subsequently flunked out of college, but that is another story.
) . Out of a graduating class of seven students, only one of us joined the Sea Org, and she ended up quitting the S.O. a few years later.
Brainwashing has a broad range of meanings.
http://www.macmillandictionary.com/dictionary/american/brainwash#brainwash_4
Brainwash - to force someone to accept a particular set of beliefs by repeating the same idea many times so that the person cannot think in an independent way
http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/brainwash?view=uk
Brainwash - pressurize (someone) into adopting radically different beliefs by using systematic and often forcible means:
http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/brainwashing
1.
a method for systematically changing attitudes or altering beliefs, originated in totalitarian countries, especially through the use of torture, drugs, or psychological-stress techniques.
2.
any method of controlled systematic indoctrination, especially one based on repetition or confusion: brainwashing by TV commercials.
http://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Brainwashing
"To that end, brainwashers desired techniques that would break down the psychic integrity of the individual with regard to information processing, with regard to information retained in the mind, and with regard to values. Chosen techniques included: Dehumanizing of individuals by keeping them in filth, sleep deprivation, partial sensory deprivation, psychological harassment, inculcation of guilt, group social pressure, and so forth. These methods of thought control proved extremely useful in gaining the compliance of prisoners of war. Key elements in their success included tight control of the information available to prisoners, and tight control over their behavior."
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/define.asp?key=brainwash*1+0
brainwash - to make (someone) believe only what you want them to believe by continually telling them that it is true and preventing any other information from reaching them
http://www.askoxford.com/concise_oed/brainwash?view=uk
brainwash - subject (someone) to a prolonged process to transform their attitudes and beliefs totally.
The closest thing to brainwashing that I saw occurring at the Delphian School is the careful removal from the environment of negative information about Hubbard and Scientology. The LRH materials taught were for the most part, sensible. The controversial and outlandish parts had been edited out. I left there with a positive idea of who LRH was.
Torture, drugs, duress?
Dehumanization, sleep deprivation, sensory deprivation, psychological harassment?
I didn't see this. We did have to do an hour of manual work every week day and 3 hours on the weekend. Students who got in trouble did more. Some paid for some of their tuition by working, too. Maybe some could claim that this amounts to brainwashing, but it's a real stretch. But I think the school simply preferred to kick out the serious trouble makers rather than try to force them to behave.
Group social pressure, inculcation of guilt? There was a lot of group social pressure. But it was mainly along the lines of: looking up words you didn't understand, studying diligently, being professional, etc. We had to do O/W write-ups (written confessionals), but not all the time. I recall doing this two or three times during my whole time there. I mean, this was just a whole different level of control compared to my experience in Scientology -- which was totally anal about O/Ws.
Repetition? Yes, there was repetition. But again, it was repetition of fairly sensible ideas. One of the big ideas that was repeated was how important it was for the student to take responsibility for his own education,
evaluate for himself. Seriously. And when I went to into a Scientology Church and started seeing the contradictions, I struggled. I could not accept parts of Scientology
because of the training I had at Delphi. It took me years to gain the courage and certainty to break free from Scientology, but that was more due to the peer pressure of Scientologists than the influence of the Delphian School. And I have non-Scientologist friends, who went to the Delphian School with me, still love Delphi, and either never got involved in Scientology, or rejected Scientology fairly quickly.
So, I think someone has to make a stronger case for brainwashing than posting a lot of photos. It's counterproductive to overstate the situation because it detracts from the credibility of critics. If you talk to a Scientologist who's been to Delphi and you say it's brainwashing, he'll think you're just smearing Delphi. If instead, you point out the specific ways that Delphi has deceptively glorified L. Ron Hubbard, you might get somewhere.
If you're talking about brainwashing in the Church of Scientology, there is plenty of evidence of dehumanization, psychological harassment, inculcation of guilt, sleep deprivation, etc. You can make a solid argument. But, for the Delphian School, the argument is very weak.
