id: 561371 - Text: I do not understand. Is mark not investing in professional therapy for the people he is helping? Is he under the impression he and his target people can overcome these paradigms on their own??
This video series kind of seems like a revealing documentary about Mark’s short-sightedness.
Mark. You are biting off waaaaaay more than you can chew. You could do so much good, your desire to save saveable folks is lovely, but your target people need TEAMS of professional psychologists to help them. They need deprogramming. They need long-term professional treatment for trauma and tons of other factors.
Without the aid of psychologists’ intervention, you are setting yourself, and more importantly them, up for failure. The problem with this grandiose but inadequate intervention plan you’re implementing is you’re setting up a failure-reinforcement scenario for your target people.
Invest in GOOD psychologist teams (PhD) with appropriate specializations.
id: 561384 - Text: been following her story since the first video. It was disappointing to me when Mark asked her if she had anything to say and she said nothing. Couldn’t even say “I am sorry”.
id: 561404 - Text: Please please please be safe Mark. Even most people in your videos say what they regret the most is trusting people. This is you and literal persons from the gang, either is a woman or not.
id: 561415 - Text: I work in anti-trafficking & I think, while Mark has the best intentions, he isn’t an anti-trafficking professional. His interviews aren’t trauma-informed & that is extremely dangerous for the subjects of these interviews. For those he helps, I have never heard the mention of counseling or psychotherapy, which is critical for anyone who is overcoming this kind of trauma to change their behavior. It feels very much like the old school way of throwing money & education at a problem with conditions, that leaves a person very vulnerable when they back-slide & lose the support. It also reiterates to them that they don’t deserve education, safety, etc. because they don’t “meet” societal baselines for deserving those things. This approach really doesn’t work. The problem isn’t necessarily Asriah or any of the other people he is trying to help. The issue may perhaps lie in his approach.
The exploitative dude entering the situation is one thing. That’s not in Mark’s control. But from what I have gathered there are broader issues in the approach he has taken to supporting these people.
I also have to wonder if the subjects of these videos have a right to request, at any time, their interviews be taken down. If not, that’s deeply exploitative & removes the agency & consent of subjects, which in turn dehumanizes them & the project itself becomes exploitative. It’s a problem that is present in anti-trafficking & lots of other aid work, so I am not just criticizing Mark on this matter.
id: 561418 - Text: No, every single one of the people in these videos absolutely need and deserve therapy. There’s obviously more than enough money- he said he was sending her hundreds of dollars per day, sometimes $1000 at a time, and one day TWO THOUSAND DOLLARS.
And he himself said that he didn’t ask any questions before sending her money. Why not? In the previous interview he said that he frequently talks to her on the phone at 4am, so why didn’t it come up then?
If Mark truly wanted to help her, he would have connected her with resources and with people qualified to help and support her and her children. Instead he threw money at her, never asking about or encouraging long term plans or goals. He should be concerned about her safety, and instead he is acting like she is betraying him by being with this other man. This is such a mess and honestly Mark needs to confront his own lack of professional boundaries.
Also, am I the only one who immediately noticed she has a literal black eye in this interview??
id: 561427 - Text: Actually the ones that want counseling get it. He has actually said it multiple videos that if someone needs counseling he will pay for it.
id: 561436 - Text: @boobies7795 That's great! I'm glad. I decided to stop watching the videos after he openly stated he "doesn't understand" how people selling sex can be victims of assault from a client.
Again, I reiterate, however, that all of this care is conditional. A person overcoming substance abuse disorders, sex trafficking, etc. may require years of sustained support so they may make informed, self-determined choices for their future. There is a plethora of evidence that when you only offer housing, education, counseling, etc. under the conditions someone abstains entirely from a behavior they are dependent upon or have been engaged in well over half their life, such as the subject of this story, they will almost certainly be set up for failure.
I won't disagree that the dude in this story introduced a very different problem that is difficult to navigate. But Mark also is trying to support someone by separating them from the only community they have &, as far as I can tell, wasn't helping them to replace that community. This is a very outdated concept that leaves a person feeling isolated and increases the risks they will return to a place where they feel a sense of connection & community--even dangerous or harmful community is better than isolation for many people.
id: 561446 - Text: I'm a realist. ALL of these people are programmed with the same mindset. Great that Mark wants to help but lets be real. EVERYONE makes
decisions. They are users. They use people. Unfortunate that they live like this BUT I would point them in the direction of organizations that can help them.
If they go down the wrong path in life and if they cannot see or understand, for whatever reason, is sad and unfortunate,
(broken home, lack of education, etc), Everyone has the ability to say no or yes to things. But they take advantage as a survival instinct.
I would buy them food BUT I would never give them the idea that I am going to rescue them and financially support them. The hard reality is that they cannot be
trusted because they will do whatever it takes to score money, drugs or whatever. They are not loyal or know how to be and most lack a conscience.
Like I said, I'm a realist and have witnessed a family member who was taken advantage of similarly. Are they all the same? Pretty much. That's the ugly truth.
Mental illness is a separate issue. As more of them see what Mark is willing to do financially, they will play up the drama and use the sympathy card.
I have noticed a few of the newer videos where it is pretty obvious and, frankly, wondered how long it would take for something like this to happen.
Her body language says it all. The only decisions they will make is whatever serves their best interest, even if it means pushing their children to the side.
The truth is harsh, to think differently is naive.
id: 561449 - Text: I hope he keeps helping these girls … try keeping them off video a little longer when people see them doing good they come after them … she still needs the help because we all know what the alternative is.
id: 561486 - Text: Can't figure that out for yourself? The photos were taken at a different time than the video interview.