Intent of Exhibit
Synanon has received a lot of bad press regarding violent tendencies, most famously including the rattle snake incident. A lawyer, Paul Morantz, working on a case about a woman, who held against her will at Synanon, was nearly killed by a rattle snake in his mailbox. Synanites had placed the snake inside the mailbox and removed the snake's rattle to stop any warning the snake was present, or that the snake would strike.
For information on Paul Morantz and the rattle snake story, click here
Additionally, Synanon has been criticized for overly controlling leadership. There have been some reports of holding people against their will, forcing communal child raising, mandatory divorces, and pressure to shave one's head.
This site attempts to uncover the good at Synanon with personal stories from various anonymous individuals who lived there. Synanon was seen as a religion. It saved people, gave them hope, and something to devote themselves to. When most people think of Synanon, they think violence, oppression, dictatorship, and bizarre. The personal accounts of what Synanon has done for them show the stark contrast between an insider and an outsider's perspective.