Amway Ambot Group Pressure

Here’s a post courtesy of David Brear who writes the MLM the American Dream Made Nightmare blog.

Group-pressure is one of the co-ordinated devious techniques of psychological persuasion always used by cults.

Perhaps you know that the first book exposing 'Amway' as a cult, was by a former adherent of the 'Peoples' Temple'cult, Phil Kerns. It was entitled, 'Fake It Till You Make It.'

In the late 1970s, secretly financed by the 'Soviet' regime, more than 1000 'Peoples' Temple' adherents were persuaded to go to a remote plot of land in the jungle of Guyana. This worthless scrub had been acquired from the 'Soviet'-backed Guyana government. Years had already been spent clearing the site and planting it with crops, to build Jones' Utopian dream-world, which he claimed would be safe from an imminent nuclear holocaust. In reality, what Jones' followers were doing was not rational, because this region was too close to the Equator to support such a large population. In the end, his group was cut off from external reality, without passports and living behind barbed-wire under brutal siege conditions (convinced that the US government was going to send a murder squad to wipe-out 'Jonestown'). Dissidents to this dark fairytale risked torture in a sensory-deprivation cell, and/or injection wth psychotropic drugs. In reality, the group had always been slowly starving to death, but Jones (who maintained a monopoly of information) steadfastly pretended that his 'Agricultural Project was a huge success.'His followers were obliged to smile in front of any visitors and play the same dangerous game of make-believe. However, one trusted-adherent managed to come to her senses. Whilst on a trip to the capital of Guyana, she ran away and escaped back to the USA with the help of the US Embassy. She tried to blow the whistle, but was attacked by Jones reality-inverting propaganda machine as a 'liar and a thief.'

Eventually, rather than face reality, Jones killed himself and more than 900 of his prisoners. This mass-murder is often described as a mass-suicide, but around 25% of victims were infants and babies. Their parents obeyed Jones' orders and squirted poison into their screaming children's mouths. (The whole event was recorded on sound-tape by jones himself). Previously, Jones ordered the assasination of US Congressman, Leo J. Ryan, and a television crew, who were visiting 'Jonestown' on a fact-finding mission. Several millions dollars in gold and cash was later recovered from 'Jonestown.' This was stashed in Jones' quarters.

Just like you observe, Phil Kerns deduced that even 'Amway' adherents who appear to be 'hugely successful,' are invariably starving whilst recklessly dissipating all their own resources to the benefit of their leaders, under the delusion that this will enable them to achieve the Utopia known as 'total financial freedom.'

Phil Kerns (who was in the 'Peoples Temple' in California, before the 'Jonestown'exodus) was invited to an 'Amway' function, and he immediately recognised the tell-tale delirious looks on the faces of the worshippers who were paying-through-the-nose to attend. Kerns then decided to infiltrate 'Amway' and, over a period of time, he conducted interviews with fanatical core-adherents and he took many photographs.

Kerns discovered that, like the enslaved followers of Jim Jones, 'Amway' adherents were living a complex, ego-building lie and their doomed-project's apparent 'success' often had the effect of fooling casual observers, and of drawing other vulnerable people into the same dangerous game of make-believe.

Even today, you can find a few propagandists active on the Net., who still steadfastly pretend that Jonestown' was a 'huge success' and that Jim jones was a 'completely innocent man framed by his jealous enemies.'

David Brear (copyright 2011)