Boy's Town Hotline

[operator kos]

So I've been seeing ads on Hulu lately, advising troubled youths to call 1-800-448-3000 for "support" from the Boy's Town Hotline. Given what I know about Boy's Town's past, this gives me an uneasy feeling in my gut. I try to tell myself that the pedo ring was just a few bad apples who are gone now, and that this is really a genuine attempt to help people. But part of the ad is about how you should call them if you're having problems with your family and friends. And while kids do face bad peer pressure and abuse at home, I can't help thinking about how separating people from their friends and family is a classic part of cult indoctrination. Am I being paranoid? What *is* Boy's Town up to these days? Anyone know?

[8bitagent]

Holy shit, is this the SAME Boy's Town?

I love me some new and classic Saturday Night Live, but every single time I fire up an SNL clip there's one of those Boy's Town ads.

Btw, anyone know when "A Carefully Crafted Hoax" documentary comes out?

[Stephen Morgan]

[psynapz]

I remember seeing Boys Town Hotline ads as far back as the early 90's, possibly earlier (can any other USians confirm?), but it never creeped me out like it does now, that's for sure. Although I distinctly remember always wondering why girls weren't allowed.

[Project Willow]

FWIW: In reference to the OP, I inquired with an activist friend who lives in Omaha. He thinks that Boys Town has cleaned up its act and that the people now in charge aren't like the ones who helped run the pedo ring back in the 80's and 90's. He thinks Omaha in general is cleaner these days than it used to be.

As for the Hoax doc, I haven't inquired on it since the summer and even if I had, I wouldn't post info about it publicly. Franklin is a still a dangerous business. I shall maintain a perpetual fingers crossed attitude.

[nathan28]

FWIW: In reference to the OP, I inquired with an activist friend who lives in Omaha. He thinks that Boys Town has cleaned up its act and that the people now in charge aren't like the ones who helped run the pedo ring back in the 80's and 90's. He thinks Omaha in general is cleaner these days than it used to be.

As for the Hoax doc, I haven't inquired on it since the summer and even if I had, I wouldn't post info about it publicly. Franklin is a still a dangerous business. I shall maintain a perpetual fingers crossed attitude.

It'd be almost impossible to imagine any organization who gets busted abusing children wouldn't clean up its act. The Children of God groups that remained under the auspices of the original leadership did after the trials in the mid-90s and the death of their leader, David Berg.

At the same time isn't Boy's Town associated with the international pedophile organization known as the Catholic Church?

[Project Willow]

At the same time isn't Boy's Town associated with the international pedophile organization known as the Catholic Church?

Yes, why, yes it is.

[sw]

Maybe they will hire Larry King now that he left BMW of Sterling.