MLM and Systems

MLMs have a set of rules and coaching they establish as a system, and this system is designed under the assumption that when followed properly success is achievable. These systems come in many different forms, but the message is always the same, if you follow the system you will win, and if you don't follow the system you will lose. This design allows MLMs to shift responsibility and blame to the MLMer, because they will always be able to find a way to excuse themselves. They have many different ways to make themselves sound pure and authentic, and they are prepared to make the MLMer look very bad when they are unable to achieve the success they say is achievable.

These systems require blind obedience and unwavering faith as they continue to promote new teachings. An MLM proponent by the name of John Maxwell insists that teaching never ends, and there is always a new message that needs to be expressed. He suggests that his endless books and mantras are all valuable and continues to hold lectures in MLMs, even though he isn't actually an MLMer, teaching people how to be successful leaders.

MLMs have been around for decades, and the systems are consistently being reported as having a one hundred percent success rate. Yet, when you look at the income disclosure statements and the research on actual success within MLM, the results suggest they are far from perfect. Most MLMs boast a measly one percent success rate in turning a profit, and an even lower success rate for achieving the million dollar lifestyle. At some point, it has to be noted that these systems are inherently flawed, and there is no amount of dedication that will get an MLMer to their goals or dreams.

When MLMers are confronted with the glaringly bad facts the retorts continue to be the same. The MLMers didn't try hard enough, they didn't follow the system exactly as described, or they are quitters. Nobody is taking responsibility for the decades of time and effort that was put into these failing systems, and everyone is ready to pass the blame. How can there be guaranteed success when the numbers of failures have not diminished? How can these perfect systems continue to exist when nobody is attempting to identify the extreme inconsistencies? Why are people so quick to pass the blame, instead of trying to address the problem for future MLMers?

The chicanery of the systems is clearly a ruse. It is an excuse engine and a manipulation technique. It is a method to keep people blindly faithful while alleviating the painful reality of the failure rates. It is a facade, a ruse, a ploy to ensure more people's bank accounts are left with less and less money. There are rules in business about such terms as one hundred percent success, guarantee, fool-proof. This is strictly prohibited when entering a business venture, or involving yourself in any form of money making opportunity, because nobody can predict the outcome.

If you have a story involving abuses from your upline and would like me to share it on this blog as a guest post, then please e-mail me and I will be more than happy to post it! Your stories are not as unique as you may think, and your stories are some of the most impactful resources we have to fight MLMs. I will keep your anonymity upon request.

MLM and Pizza Gate, pizzagate, #pizzagate

Today's blog post is steering way off course, because there is important news that needs to be shared! Recently, more Podesta e-mails were leaked and these were the worst yet. They are calling it pizza gate, and it encompasses Podestas, Clintons, rape, pedophilia, satanism, and much more. The main issue that I have with this, besides the criminal acts being committed, is the blatant disregard for the consumers of news and media. We, as citizens of various governments, have very limited access to information, and it is vitally important to keep as many channels open as possible. Censorship, by and large, has been an outright failure, and yet it continues to prevail as it is used to brainwash the masses.

So, what is pizza gate, and why is it a big deal? During the recent United States election, a large number of e-mails were hacked from the chairman of the Clinton campaign, John Podesta. John Podesta was also a counselor to Barack Obama, and Chief of Staff under Bill Clinton's presidency. These e-mails that were hacked are slowly being leaked through a news group called Wikileaks, and this latest set of e-mails involves Podesta's relationship with a pizza shop owner named, James Alefantis (I believe this name to be fake as it roughly translates in french to "I like children"). James Alefantis is the owner of Comet Ping Pong pizza, and it turns out pizza is not the only thing he serves. The coded language from the e-mails revealed he is highly connected to the Podesta brothers, in particular Tony, as well as many of the democratic party members, and they are all part of a large child trafficking ring.

There is a small block of stores in Washington D.C. that has at least four stores promoting these activities, including Comet Ping Pong, and they are Besta pizza, Politics & Prose Bookstore, and Terasol Bistro and Artisan Gallery. On top of the e-mails, there are regularly identified symbols used by these four locations, and they all refer to pedophilia by the FBI's database. Moreover, they have strange hours, weird and grotesque artwork, and other subliminal messaging throughout their businesses.

The main culprits thus far are, James Alefantis, Tony Podesta, Hillary Clinton, and Andrew Kline. The main focus here is on the last two as they are both high ranking members of the U.S. government. Hillary Clinton, former Secretary of State, Democratic Presidential Nominee, and Former first lady is riddled with connections to these three, and she and Bill have also had their foundation connected to this as well. She is a main ambassador on child related issues, and you can see her connection to her programs and funds here:
https://www.hillaryclinton.com/feed/hillary-clinton-has-spent-her-life-fighting-for-children-here-are-8-ways-shes-changed-their-lives/

Andrew Kline is the owner of Besta Pizza a trade name for the corporation Uptown Pizza. Andrew Kline is also a lawyer and lobbyist for the DoJ, and his position is prosecution of...human trafficking. This is the ultimate wolf guarding the hen house situation.

While all of this is truly tragic, it has a much bigger impact on the United States as a whole in its relationship to censorship. The mainstream media is publishing tons of stories about this being "fake" news, and how it is detrimental to society. They are also shutting down websites and taking down segments of Reddit, YouTube, and Facebook. This is the first time Reddit has ever been censored, and Facebook and YouTube have never cared about news content in the past. This is an important note, because they are castrating their audience and forcing them to be uninformed by virtue of human beings believing other human beings can't understand what they are reading. Sound familiar?

The cult-like closed system of information is backfiring on them, and their perfectly brainwashed masses are being given real information about taboo topics. All of the work and programming the US has done to make sure people don't ask questions and stay in line is at risk, and the only way to stop it is to pretend like it isn't real with censorship.

MLMers utilize these same tactics when they are indoctrinating new recruits. They insist the news, internet, friends, family, and everything negative is wrong or unknowing. They monopolize your information, and eventually control your entire reality.

Here are some video's on pizzagate:

If you have a story involving abuses from your upline and would like me to share it on this blog as a guest post, then please e-mail me and I will be more than happy to post it! Your stories are not as unique as you may think, and your stories are some of the most impactful resources we have to fight MLMs. I will keep your anonymity upon request.

MLM and The Path from Hulu

Today's blog post is about an interesting show that was recommended to me by Hulu. The show is called The Path, and it stars Aaron Paul from Breaking Bad. I had previously watched Breaking Bad, and told myself I need to stay away from these series, because I end up losing many productive days binge watching them. Obviously, I did not live up to my goal, and ended up bingeing on The Path all day Saturday.

The show is based on the Meyerist group, a made-up cult in upstate New York. The show has many layers as is it deals with interactions and drama within the cult and with the outside world. It is fascinating to see the parallels between MLM and the show, and it is especially helpful to see the many viewpoints of people coming into contact with this group, both inside and outside.

The lead character, played by Aaron Paul, named Eddie, is dealing with the overwhelming evidence that the group has been lying to him and his family. In the opening episode, you can see he is not conforming completely to the ideas being presented by the Meyerists, and it is later revealed that he was devoted until he went on a trip to Peru. Dealing with his own issues in the cult is one thing, but he also has to deal with the fact that his family is extremely devoted to the cause. He tries to tread as lightly as possible, and pretend to fall in line, but there are constantly issues coming up and eventually his views get him kicked out of his family.

While there is dissension in the Meyerist group, there is also a devoted police officer trying to bring the group down, a neglectful father that tries to get his daughter out or receive some sort of compensation, and the locals in town that do not want this cult infiltrating their society. This adds to the significance of the story, because you aren't stuck with a one dimensional view of the impact of cults. Cults are mostly covered from the inside, and made to look as though it doesn't affect a broader portion of the general public, but this show includes the people of the society and the burden they feel having the Meyerists around.

The main points of the show that are similar to MLM: an us vs them mentality, a specific set of rules or guidelines created by a superior intellect which must be followed or failure is imminent, a set of levels that are artificially created by the cult leader to ensure superiority and create subordination from the lower ranks, a level of ambiguity and lies to help spread the message and generate more followers, a specific target audience of people that are vulnerable.

I highly recommend this show, and look forward to comments correlating MLM with the Meyerists.

If you have a story involving abuses from your upline and would like me to share it on this blog as a guest post, then please e-mail me and I will be more than happy to post it! Your stories are not as unique as you may think, and your stories are some of the most impactful resources we have to fight MLMs. I will keep your anonymity upon request.

Fun Post Friday! Twenty One Pilots, Car Radio and MLM

Today's blog post is going to stray away from the psychological connection to MLM. Instead, I'm going to continue down the road of the philosophical idea of MLM.

I recently heard a song from one of my favorite bands of all time, and the best part about this band is to break away from the current trends while still hitting the main stream radio. This is extremely important, because they are reaching a large audience and can have a greater impact on my current generation. One of the recurring themes of this blog is the inability for MLMers to think critically, and to need a system, or a specific teacher to guide them toward success. The same can be said for the current popular music scene. There seems to be a limit on creativity and innovation. I fear we are more closed-minded with music, and there is a specific method to make a "hit".

When I was taking music, I learned the psychological aspect of how particular hymns, melodies, or jingles become popular. There is an emphasis on a very basic chord progression and very repetitive lyrics. The easier it is to understand and repeat the music, the more popular it tends to trend. Of course that is not the case for all music, but for the most part this is the case for main stream music, and this stems from the earliest developments of music. People yearn for understanding and to make sense of the information they are being given. Music is no exception to the rules of form and functionality.

The song that I am focusing on today is by the band Twenty One Pilots, and it is called Car Radio. Here are the lyrics:

I ponder of something great
My lungs will fill and then deflate
They fill with fire, exhale desire
I know it's dire my time today

I have these thoughts, so often I ought
To replace that slot with what I once bought
'Cause somebody stole my car radio
And now I just sit in silence

Sometimes quiet is violent
I find it hard to hide it
My pride is no longer inside
It's on my sleeve
My skin will scream reminding me of
Who I killed inside my dream
I hate this car that I'm driving
There's no hiding for me
I'm forced to deal with what I feel
There is no distraction to mask what is real
I could pull the steering wheel

I have these thoughts, so often I ought
To replace that slot with what I once bought
'Cause somebody stole my car radio
And now I just sit in silence

I ponder of something terrifying
'Cause this time there's no sound to hide behind
I find over the course of our human existence
One thing consists of consistence
And it's that we're all battling fear
Oh dear, I don't know if we know why we're here
Oh my, too deep, please stop thinking
I liked it better when my car had sound

There are things we can do
But from the things that work there are only two
And from the two that we choose to do
Peace will win and fear will lose
It is faith and there's sleep
We need to pick one please because
Faith is to be awake
And to be awake is for us to think
And for us to think is to be alive
And I will try with every rhyme
To come across like I am dying
To let you know you need to try to think

I have these thoughts, so often I ought
To replace that slot with what I once bought
'Cause somebody stole my car radio
And now I just sit in silence

And now I just sit in silence
And now I just sit
And now I just sit in silence
And now I just sit in silence
And now I just sit in silence
And now I just sit

I ponder of something great
My lungs will fill and then deflate
They fill with fire, exhale desire
I know it's dire my time today

I have these thoughts, so often I ought
To replace that slot with what I once bought
'Cause somebody stole my car radio
And now I just sit in silence

I will start with the only negative I have with this song, and that is the overwhelming amount of repetition. I am not a repetition snob, but it is clear from the depth of this author's lyrics that it is designed for mass appeal.

I ponder of something great
My lungs will fill and then deflate
They fill with fire, exhale desire
I know it's dire my time today

In his first paragraph, he describes sitting (presumably in the car), and he is going through an extremely emotional situation. He is too ambiguous to presume what is going through his head, but it is clearly negative as he refers to his time as being dire.

I have these thoughts, so often I ought
To replace that slot with what I once bought
'Cause somebody stole my car radio
And now I just sit in silence

The second paragraph describes these thoughts repeatedly coming to haunt him when the outside noise is turned off. It is very difficult for most people to deal with their day-to-day thought processes and emotions, and MLMs no this and take full advantage. They provide the mind numbing activities and structure to keep consumers hypnotized into a lull as they extract their dollars. The car radio, much like MLMs continuous training and development, is used as an escape from taking responsibility for thoughts and actions.

Sometimes quiet is violent
I find it hard to hide it
My pride is no longer inside
It's on my sleeve
My skin will scream reminding me of
Who I killed inside my dream
I hate this car that I'm driving
There's no hiding for me
I'm forced to deal with what I feel
There is no distraction to mask what is real
I could pull the steering wheel

This is the epitome of the struggle every consumer has when they are faced with the reality of being involved in a MLM scam. They can hide their pride and continue in stride when the cd's are on and the plans are drawn, but when they have to sit and look at their business, it becomes all too clear it is more of an illness.

I ponder of something terrifying
'Cause this time there's no sound to hide behind
I find over the course of our human existence
One thing consists of consistence
And it's that we're all battling fear
Oh dear, I don't know if we know why we're here
Oh my, too deep, please stop thinking
I liked it better when my car had sound

This is the confirmation that whatever he is dealing with is truly spiraling out of control, and it is making him question everything he has been told. This is the "Aha moment" where people start to question what our purpose is. I had this moment when I was shown the breakdown of the costs for my MLM. The fear of not knowing if I was going to be successful was pushed aside as I realized I knew I wouldn't make it if I stayed in line with this business.

There are things we can do
But from the things that work there are only two
And from the two that we choose to do
Peace will win and fear will lose
It is faith and there's sleep
We need to pick one please because
Faith is to be awake
And to be awake is for us to think
And for us to think is to be alive
And I will try with every rhyme
To come across like I am dying
To let you know you need to try to think

This is the last non-repetitive paragraph, and in my opinion the best. This is the resolution of the interior conflict, and the answer becomes clear that the mind numbing radio was not good after all. He has successfully made the transition from being a programmed slave and reactivated his brain. This is the moment every MLMer comes to and there are only two paths. If they choose to ignore the facts, then they will become an MLMer for life and they will exile themselves from the community and their friends as they slowly funnel their money and time into the MLM. But if they choose to listen to that angry little thought in their head, then they can be granted clarity and make a healthy transition away from the poisonous MLM syndicate.

Here is the actual song, thank you for indulging me on this journey through music and philosophy with MLM.

If you have a story involving abuses from your upline and would like me to share it on this blog as a guest post, then please e-mail me and I will be more than happy to post it! Your stories are not as unique as you may think, and your stories are some of the most impactful resources we have to fight MLMs. I will keep your anonymity upon request.

MLM and The Hours of Operation

Today's blog post is about a common lie that is both repeated and mutated to fit any situation. What I mean by this is, a MLMer can tell you to work as little or as much as you want in order to have success, because the system works for all types of people. I am of course referring to, as the title describes, the 10-15 hours a week rule. This rule is very similar to the 2-5 year rule (very vague), and the 10,000 hour rule (I wrote a post about this called "MLM and Arbitrary Milestones/10,000 hour rule). It incorporates the idea that you can do MLM in your spare time, and with minimal effort, and watch as the money starts rolling in. Unfortunately, the consumer is left to find out for themselves this narrative is false.

The odd thing about the 10-15 hour rule is, most people wouldn't fall for this without the other parts of the deception. If someone came to you and said, "I've got a plan to make you fabulously wealthy, and all you have to do is work 10-15 hours a week" there would be suspicions raised. However, with the accompaniment of a tangible end point such as 2-5 years, it seems more legitimate. Another way that the 10-15 hour rule is made to sound more credible is, the training system works 100% of the time as long as the consumer follows it perfectly. Again, this makes the 10-15 hour rule sound plausible, because there seems to be some sort of proven success attached to the claim.

The upsetting reality is, both parts of the comparisons given above are false. There is no 100% fool-proof system, and there is no 2-5 year guarantee. This, similarly to proofs in geometry, makes the rest of the statements false as well by association. There are no guarantees that hours given in labor will give a specific reward, and there are no guarantees that working a particular system will work every time. It is imperative to have red flags whenever someone suggests this.

The closest thing we have to a guarantee is education and trade skills. Education and trade skills are the only two investments a person can make in themselves that will increase the probability for success. Studies have shown, beyond a reasonable doubt, that people who pursue these two fields have higher salaries and more desirable positions in the workforce than those who do not.

In my other article, MLM and Arbitrary Milestones/10,000 hour rule, I went over a case study that showed chess masters differ in practice time between 2,000 hours and 25,000 hours. Therefore, effort can not reflect a guarantee. There are people that join MLM to only work 10-15 hours a week, and there are people who work MLM 40 hours and above. However, the net result is the same, and it usually a significant loss as reported by the income disclosure statements.

Be aware of buzz words, and people's motivations. Ask questions such as, "What does this person get from helping me?", or "Why does it seem like nobody else in my community has heard of this, or pursuing it?", and of course my favorite, "Does this seem too good to be true?" As Mark Cuban (billionaire investor and star of Shark Tank) has said, "...Always remember this. If a deal is a great deal, they aren’t going to share it with you."

If you have a story involving abuses from your upline and would like me to share it on this blog as a guest post, then please e-mail me and I will be more than happy to post it! Your stories are not as unique as you may think, and your stories are some of the most impactful resources we have to fight MLMs. I will keep your anonymity upon request.

MLM and Endorsements

Today's blog post is about MLM and the endorsements they give to people or corporations which are regularly involved in our popular culture. These endorsements range from sponsoring leagues (Advocare sponsoring Major League Soccer), stadiums (Amway Center for the Orlando Magic), people (Drew Brees for advocare, Cristiano Ronaldo for Herbalife), and of course Presidential-Elect Donald Trump (ACN). It is important to remember that these endorsements do not actually reflect the opinions these people or organizations have about MLM, but rather their financial bias to support these companies. While it is unfortunate that certain stars, such as Ronaldo and Brees, feel a need to get a few extra dollars from their sponsorship with these sham businesses, we can not take their reviews of the companies with 100% certainty that they are in support of their products or practices.

This type of conditioning is a huge issue, because it gives an air of legitimacy to the sham businesses. For many people, it would be hard to believe that drinks like Gatorade, Red Bull, or Monster are actually not regularly consumed by the athletes, and that the water coolers next to their benches are simply filled with water. This type of advertising is bad enough with reputable companies, because they are utilizing the visual success of athletes to push a product that has no connection to their journey or status among the top representatives of a given sport. Therefore, to allow a sham business like Herbalife or Advocare to regularly be highlighted by professional athletes is extremely devastating.

The mayo clinic wrote an article about meal supplement shakes, and their issues with being successful for long term results (http://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/weight-loss/expert-answers/protein-shakes/faq-20058335). Professional athletes have an extremely rigorous diet that is constructed and monitored by professional nutritionists, and to suggest they would need a weight loss shake, let alone support one is utterly ridiculous without accounting for their financial bias.

On a side note, I always laugh when I see the commercials for Dannon's Oikos Yogurt with Cam Newton, or when Clay Matthews was being paid to eat Campbell's Chunky Soup. It is clear, if you have experience with the rigorous activities, that you will not be eating processed foods. While these commercials are relatively harmless, they are not attached to businesses designed to take people's money through money making opportunities.

MLMers that try and use celebrity endorsements to verify the legitimacy of their business and the products should be taken with extreme caution. These athletes/stars have little to no background in the MLM field, and are not taking the products they are promoting.

If you have a story involving abuses from your upline and would like me to share it on this blog as a guest post, then please e-mail me and I will be more than happy to post it! Your stories are not as unique as you may think, and your stories are some of the most impactful resources we have to fight MLMs. I will keep your anonymity upon request.

MLM and Depression

Today's post is about two types of depression that can come from MLM. The first kind of depression is developed from the programming MLMers give consumers while they are installed in their system. Most people post about the roaring energy and excitement of the seminars and major events like the FED (Freedom Enterprise Days) from Amway, but they leave out the downswing in energy after the events are done. The second type of depression is more commonly described after people leave MLM, and have to deal with the wasted monetary resources, the lost or damaged relationships, and the emotional toll of being deceived.

Depression: Clinical depression goes by many names, such as “the blues,” biological depression, and major depression. But all of these names refer to the same thing: feeling sad and depressed for weeks or months on end — not just a passing blue mood of a day or two. This feeling is most often accompanied by a sense of hopelessness, a lack of energy (or feeling “weighed down”), and taking little or no pleasure in things that once gave a person joy in the past. (http://psychcentral.com/disorders/depression/)

The first kind of depression is extremely serious, because this depression develops from the brainwashing MLMers give to their downlines. Part of the reason people get enveloped in MLM is, the excitement and thrill of the events as well as the herd support. The other part is the comedown, which is similar to a drug, after the party meetings and seminars are done. After MLMers denigrate everything about life outside of MLM, it is extremely difficult to maintain a certain level of positive energy for typical daily tasks. Work becomes a chore, or worse a nightmare, because it is getting in the way of the guaranteed freedom. Family events and activities with friends also lose their thrill, because the only goal is to become successful in MLM. As the consumer gets more and more immersed in MLM, the worse and worse they feel when they are outside of the environment.

The second kind of depression comes from the escape from MLM. After they have programmed the consumer to hate and disregard everything unrelated to MLM it is extremely difficult for many consumers to reengage in society. There will be a level of anxiety and distrust in consumers that didn't previously exist, and there will be an irrational fear of bonding with other people. Consumers will have difficulty with their conscience and the amount of damage they had caused while involved in the business. Lost friendships and family will pay a heavy toll, as well as dealing with the personal deception.

Both types of depression are very powerful and very real. MLMers perpetrate serious permanent damage to their victims, and have caused many relationships to end. Consumers must be on guard when entering a business opportunity, and they must understand that a business opportunity is just that and nothing else.

If you have a story involving abuses from your upline and would like me to share it on this blog as a guest post, then please e-mail me and I will be more than happy to post it! Your stories are not as unique as you may think, and your stories are some of the most impactful resources we have to fight MLMs. I will keep your anonymity upon request.

MLM and Visual Appearance

Today's post is about the visual aesthetic MLMers want to portray. MLMers, by and large, are very robotic personalities, and they can be easily identified by certain traits. The clothing choice is another way MLMers condition their downline to act a certain way, and create a certain set of values they deem suitable (all puns intended) for the business. It is extremely important to create a particular facade that starts with the initial appearance, because this helps to deceive the consumer into listening to the pitch.

"If your philosophy is not unsettled daily then you are blind to all the universe has to offer."- Neil deGrasse Tyson

MLMers have been practicing their pitches for decades, and their appearance has also been carefully tailored to create a persona of magnitude. They will wear three-piece suits to every meeting, and they will be carefully manicured from head to toe. This image creates false connections in the consumers head, because they will establish this facade as someone with great power, connections, money, esteem, and success. The image an MLMer portrays can help to prevent consumers from asking questions, because the automatic response is to trust someone with this look when referencing a business topic. The consumer will be far less likely to question a MLMer that is in a three-piece suit, than they would a MLMer in a t-shirt and cargo shorts. 

I have never seen Fred (sponsor), or Tom (upline) in anything other than dress clothes. Tom was always in a nice suit, and Fred was usually in something business attire related. Fred was more charismatic than Tom and he got away with wearing some different types of clothing that weren't suits, but his attire was always professional. In fact, when he propositioned me for the business, at the comedy club, he had the opportunity to go home and change first, but opted to remain in his work clothes. He already overdressed for his job position (telemarketer), and this was an even stranger venue to be professional in appearance. He stuck out like a sore thumb, but his charisma helped to make his clothing seem normal. Even if he was a successful professional, it would have been awkward for him to show up in that kind of outfit at this type of business.

"We are what we pretend to be, so we must be careful what we intend to be." -Kurt Vonnegut

This quote couldn't be more accurate about the transformation into an MLMer. The suit I wore and the attention I got when attending the MLM seminars made me into something completely different from what I was. I felt strong, important, and even a little indestructible. My descent was rapid at first, and I felt as though I had the "golden ticket" to happiness and nobody could take it away. I was becoming a phony and it felt both real and right. I was losing my ability to care about others and their opinions. I was losing my ability to think about the here and now, because my dreams had begun to take over. I was losing myself.

This particular post doesn't stop at MLM, because everyone has a facade and tries to maintain their idea of how people expect them to be. Nietzsche wrote about everyone's masks, and the difficulty in knowing who somebody truly is, but as Vonnegut said, people become the facade they are pretending to be, and the lines between identity and self become blurred. It is important to remember that MLM is a business opportunity and not who you are as a person. Don't let someone make you conform to their ideals.

If you have a story involving abuses from your upline and would like me to share it on this blog as a guest post, then please e-mail me and I will be more than happy to post it! Your stories are not as unique as you may think, and your stories are some of the most impactful resources we have to fight MLMs. I will keep your anonymity upon request.

MLM and John Oliver

Today's post is to celebrate and acknowledge a wonderful segment presented by John Oliver. I have been a big fan of his since he was on the Daily Show, and was both excited and stunned that he actually did a piece on MLM. I found out a few months ago that you can suggest topics for him to present (this is my subtle way of suggesting I may have helped make this happen), and I suggested MLM several times on his forum. The real reason I believe he decided to make the segment is the recent address from Edith Ramirez, chairwoman of the FTC, and her remarks against MLM. She basically threw everything at MLM including the kitchen sink, and here is what she said from David Brear's article (http://mlmtheamericandreammadenightmare.blogspot.com/2016/10/edith-ramirez-recites-modified.html).

It would seem MLM has been tossed into the spotlight recently, and that doesn't seem to bode well for its future. MLM tends to slink around in the shadows of society, and gradually picks people off as targets to join while still remaining ominous. In fact, MLM only tends to come out when people are at a vulnerable place in their life, and it is interesting to see the tides turning as MLM is starting to look very vulnerable. Bill Ackman (Billionaire and CEO of Pershing Square) and Robert Fitzpatrick (Pyramid Scheme Alert) have led the charge against Herbalife, and it wasn't clear at the beginning how it would pan out, but it seems to have been a slow and steady battle with many successes. Now that the FTC has concluded their investigation, sanctioned Herbalife, and forced them to restructure their compensation plan and their opportunity pitch, there could be some real change.


Without further ado, here is the John Oliver segment on MLM. Enjoy!

If you have a story involving abuses from your upline and would like me to share it on this blog as a guest post, then please e-mail me and I will be more than happy to post it! Your stories are not as unique as you may think, and your stories are some of the most impactful resources we have to fight MLMs. I will keep your anonymity upon request.

MLM and Repetition

Today's blog is about the outrageous amount of repetition involved with MLM, and what the side effects of this repetition have shown. Some of the most common expressions that come to mind when thinking about repetition are, "Practice makes perfect", "The more you practice the better you will get", and "Repetition is the key to success". It is important to note that these expressions have a positive connotation, but can actually be just as negative when forming certain skills and abilities. In the case of MLM, they utilize mind numbing repetition to mold their members into thoughtless beings with a single purpose of getting more recruits.

FDR said, "Repetition does not transform a lie into truth".

MLMers are designed to be reactive when opposition rears its head. They are told what to say, how to say it, and they are given reasons for why it should make sense. However, when this thought stopping jargon is analyzed, it becomes apparent that all is not as it seems. The story the MLMer weaves is merely a distraction at best, but usually a very spun lie. My echolalia post is designed to debunk some of the common thought stopping jargon, and how it sounds good on the surface but is really nonsense.

MLMers are relentless in their repetition, and they know it is a key ingredient to develop their "de facto slaves" (David Brear). They will constantly talk about the dreams, the wealth they have generated, the success they want for you, and the lies and evil that exists outside of their wholesome and glorious business. They will also make sure to denigrate any of the outside influences whenever they can, and will continue to pump the same mindless jargon into the downlines until they become exquisite replicas. They are then unleashed on the world to continue the repetition they are programmed with, and their only mission is to find new victims.

MLMs will preach about duplication, and the simplicity of the business as long as you follow their system. They will say they have all the answers, and there is a 100% success rate when you apply their system, contrasting a 0% success rate if you don't. You must repeat everything they teach you with unwavering loyalty, and you must devote your life to the business.

"By repetition, each lie becomes an irreversible fact upon which other lies are constructed." - John Le Carre

If you have a story involving abuses from your upline and would like me to share it on this blog as a guest post, then please e-mail me and I will be more than happy to post it! Your stories are not as unique as you may think, and your stories are some of the most impactful resources we have to fight MLMs. I will keep your anonymity upon request.

MLM and the Monopolization of Information

Today's blog post was inspired by a recent read from one of my featured writers, David Brear. He has had an extensive history with MLM in his family, and he has written about their relationship to cults. While this particular blog isn't specifically identifying MLMs as cults, there is an underlying relationship between this blog and that idea, because the blog involves the psychology that is used to create cults. I will link David's article to the bottom of this post.

David's definition of monopoly of information from the article: The leaders of  pernicious cults seek to control all information entering not only their adherents’ minds, but also that entering the minds of casual observers. This is achieved by constantly denigrating all external sources of information whilst constantly repeating the group’s reality-inverting key words and images, and/or by the physical isolation of adherents. Cults leaders systematically categorize, condemn and exclude as unenlightened, negative, impure, absolutely evil, etc. all free-thinking individuals and any quantifiable evidence challenging the authenticity of their imaginary scenarios of control. In this way, the minds of cult adherents can become converted to accept only what their leadership arbitrarily sanctions as enlightened, positive, pure, absolutely righteous, etc. Consequently, adherents habitually communicate amongst themselves using their group’s thought-stopping ritual jargon, and they find it difficult, if not impossible, to communicate with negative persons outside of their group whom they falsely believe to be not only doomed, but also to be a suppressive threat to redemption.

MLMs lure consumers with the promise of a money making opportunity, but they are consistently vague about how the opportunity works until you are brought to a meeting. Their initial focus is on creating an environment where the consumer will be love bombed to earn trust, and then they will propose their irrational idea. They have to make sure a consumer is properly primed, because the consumer, in most cases, will not willingly hear the idea otherwise. Afterward, MLMers will turn their attention to outside resources designed to destroy the reputation of the MLM and attempt to discredit them.

When I was first propositioned for MLM, there was no mention of the business and how it worked. Instead, the focus was on a fantasy that everyone has and a loaded question that most people would answer affirmatively. In fact, the name of the MLM was disregarded until I was brought to an event where hundreds of people clambered together in a church to receive training. This is the beginning of the indoctrination as the herd helps the new recruit unconsciously form a consenting opinion about the opportunity. MLMers will consistently suggest that outside resources, such as the internet, family, friends, co-workers, and media outlets cannot be trusted and their information is routinely false. MLMers will follow this by suggesting they have all the answers, they will take care of your needs, wants, and desires, so long as you subordinate to their teachings or system.

This system is designed by the mentors that are all knowing, because they have videos showing their wealth. The mentors will encourage MLMers to consistently listen to recordings and attend seminars to reaffirm their message. The recordings and seminars will be repetitive and mind numbing, and will deter the MLMer from engaging in outside learning. They will continue to press their information while denigrating everyone else until the MLMer is completely indoctrinated.

Fred and Tom have been involved in MLM for over 10 years, and they are completely indoctrinated. They will discredit any outside opinion, and have begun to completely isolate themselves from society. Their attention has been solely consumed by the MLM as they continue to work toward their fantasy of retirement (similar to being beamed up by the mother ship). They are completely deluded and shells of their former selves.

Here is the link to the rest of David Brear's article: http://mlmtheamericandreammadenightmare.blogspot.com/2012/03/universal-identifying-characteristics.html

If you have a story involving abuses from your upline and would like me to share it on this blog as a guest post, then please e-mail me and I will be more than happy to post it! Your stories are not as unique as you may think, and your stories are some of the most impactful resources we have to fight MLMs. I will keep your anonymity upon request.