Re: At the risk of being flamed.....

Roadie ... good job . . .

I usually scan stuff. But read every word in the Amway portion. Did strike a chord as this too long post examples.

Caveat ... most will bail from my post, because of its length, some will read it and either get a laugh, or recognize something else they may be able to relate too.

Cult Behavior Modification & Control . . .
The psychological game they play, selling of BSM -- Business Support Materials, i.e., motivational tapes, seminars, camps, sorts of goodies. To their IBOs -- Independent Business Owners is right out of cult behavior modification and control.

BSM to me is a euphemism for "mind control."

For a long time cults have been accused of literally "cleansing" the recruit by systematically altering subjects ability to think for her/himself. Sometimes termed by insiders as "cut & paste," cute little take off from word processing. Cut & paste implication should be obvious by anyone having used a WP program.

Interpersonal Skills Modification . . .
Complete change of general "thought processing" that otherwise intelligent people take themselves through to make decisions. All the while not knowing that their personalities are being modified, altered to fit desired profile. Why else would an otherwise intelligent person give cults their life savings? and worse, much worse ... not for this forum.

The Amway portion you posted, for the most part, duplicates what I've read about cults.

The only thing missing was step 1, step 2, and so forth of the usually 7 to 9 installments of social style recognition and behavioral change foisted upon the recruit.

Interestingly, the recruit not only goes through the behavioral change, but gets to pay for the very "systems" they participate in that affect and finally effect desired change in them, how sweet.

Cognitive State . . .
Most cults when employing social style change in recruits. Alter their cognition, divergent, convergent ability to follow a thought process to fruition ... in ability to make life choices of their own making ... not those of a clone ... in lock step. Scary stuff.

Smiling Sellers . . .
Think such is not way of world? There is a tall, toothy smiling guy who sells seminars and courses on how to "mirror," understand six-steps most people go through in making decisions. How to analyze body language, auditory, and visual cues, and on it goes.

Moreover, there are legions of "motivational speakers" peddling social style recognition and adaptation products. Yep, I've bought some of their stuff. Moreover, certain portions of it are useful. The bothersome part is the backend selling that often takes place.

Agenda . . .
Often, peddlers of such and similar stuff have as part of their agenda to get buyer of coursework to finally come to a multi-day seminar. Not only do they make some $25,000 plus per day.

They get chance to up-sell many in the audience to go from the seminar they are now attending to an upscale boot camp. Usually reserved for "special people." The beginning of new sales process within stylized marketing has started, the infamous "take away close," followed by "subordinate opening," and on it goes.

Example of subordinate opening would be a causal, "Hey, how ya doin? Ya know ... I've been meaning to talk with you ... you strike me as someone I'd like to get to know better. Someone ... well, let's get together later, okay?"

Smooth, very smooth . . .
The example above is usually done by an insider who has "status" within the organization. During the meanwhile, the recruit has time to think ... about many things ... most not good for him/her. Though they don't know it at the time. The guy/gal with all the charisma already knows recruits bank account size, something of their friends family, job, and so forth. Someone able to cut & run to a Caribbean Island, usually has some bucks or has access -- Grandma, and her quietly saved $75,000? -- to money.

Smooth, oh my, very smooth . . .
While still single and more or less unattached, I was once at a seminar put on by a very known and popular Real Estate Guru. Good course, good seminar. At end of seminar when many of us went to the hotel bar to "chat." While alone, I was approached by a stunning female. I mean drop dead ... like, freeze you in place stunning. Guy I had been talking with returning from the john, saw her and me. And being a "good" guy, peeled off and went to another portion of the bar.

She struck up a conversation ... bought me another "refill" ... eventually I began to "listen." She was good, real good. Stood close, yet far enough way for me to "take it all in." Yet, close enough to let's say ... take in the aroma and such. She compelled me to look her into her lovely, big green eyes while she spoke ... she had it all and then some . . .

Eventually the bigger brain started to kick in, and I asked her some questions. While looking "through her," too tough to think while looking at her. Apparently I didn't respond to, nor ask the right questions. I sensed end-of-game coming . . .

Readers ... adults, hopefully . . .
After a bit she breathed, "Too bad, we coulda had a real, g-o-o-d time . . ." Wheeled, sauntering away, knowing I was in temporary angst. I'm paraphrasing, but am close, anyway, picture should be somewhat clear. And yes, I cried my eyes out. No ... but did shake my head ... exhaled ... taking a long drink from my glass. My chat partner returned, saying all kinds of guy stuff, asking me all kinds of guy stuff. Eventually I began listening ... and simply laughed.

If I had been more of a slut than I already was . . . Suffice it to say I didn't bite ... but remember her still in vivid color and still wonder, what if? Such can be the impact of charismatic people on us. By the way, I'm not overly smart, nor overly stupid. I knew what she doing in spades, and it took a little time to change mind set.

No ... wouldn't have gotten a freebie. In those situations, all is done upfront, not down the pike. Apparently my bank account, thought not large, was sufficient to kindle interest. Should I have, let's say decided to "enjoy" the moment. Chances are 100-percent that I would have been caught "compromised." Being compromised can influence one's job future, let alone marriage, or relationship, if one has one at the time. For example, conservative GE bosses wouldn't take kindly to a pic of employee sans clothing with "sweetness" all over him. Would one be prone to be influenced once such a sultry pic was known to exist? Most probably . . . By the way, this stuff happens ... all the time.

Hope everyone is adult here ... and can handle such indirect suggestion and innuendo she and I were having. Such goes on every second of every day, multitudes of times at places all over the planet. So be nice and not exclaim! how dast you post such nasty stuff. Again ... presume most are aware of such shenanigans going on in the world and are adults.

Anyhow, nifty boot camps, sometimes called retreats, usually at a cozy little Caribbean Island, where ability for recruit to exercise his/her own mind control is usually an exercise in futility. Sun, surf, warm breezes, tropical drinks, tanned bodies in so-called swim suits ... all conspire against recruit. I've never heard of a boot camp in Minnesota? Nothing against Minnesota, just lacks in the "exotic," as compared to the Bahamas or Virgin Islands.

At a boot camp, they have all but absolute control. Not only do they have auditory ability as they have say on a phone call with the recruit. They have the recruit in person. Able to read body language, which 75% of person-to-person communications. Able to affect "all" that literally surrounds the recruit.

Shoot, I've been the Caribbean on several occasions on my own ... and ability to think logically, while at such an exotic locale is always a test in and of itself. Now, couple that with people who understand behavior modification techniques in spades. And what chance does a recruit have ... how about nil, zero, nada?

For obvious reasons, I WILL not mention such purveyors by name. But, if you buy coursework and eventually buy into seminars, perhaps boot camps. Be wary, be careful, many times the agenda isn't what you've been led to believe.

A+++ Personality . . .
If you buy into MLM, network marketing, chances are good you won't be compromised, per se. But you will be influenced by upline. You will have to be able to influence downline and those yet to come aboard, you will have to have people skills and an A+++ personality has poster had it.

DSA claims less than one-half of one-percent of MLMrs make any real money. Most average $249 a year, whoopee. Personality A+++ types can make good money ... but they're a rare breed. If you join, don't quit your day job just yet. And it isn't simply a matter of duplication.

Gets tiresome listening to "new paradigm shift, new model makes it possible to duplicate, replicate success of those who proceeded you!" No ... it's the same-o, same-o. Translation, recruits needed to fill pyramid, to replace those who fell from grace. The 99.99 percent who make requisite spends, but don't make it big.

Is Amway posted by Roadie as draconian as some of my examples? Probably not ... yet they do indeed have their own collective agenda. As many pundits have it ... it's all about the money. Fortunately, most loose a few hundred, perhaps a few thousand dollars. Some loose more.

Reading the Amway piece was right out of who's who of mind control. "Control the mind, control the money."