Thanks to Ben for sharing his Amway Free Enterprise Days experience. Nothing has changed in Amway!
THE FED (Freedom Enterprise Days)!!! Can we first start with the name? How
ridiculous is it for them to use the term freedom with their enterprise...?
Anyways...back to the story...The first day was grueling. I had just completed
a full work day, and then I had to battle with traffic to get to the show. The
"CONference" started at 5 p.m., but I wasn't able to get there until
6. The stadium was enormous, and I heard there were about 8,000 people in
attendance. HOLY COW!!! The scene was electric as people ranging from 18-80
were all dressed in their business suits and ready to engage in the learning.
The first speaker I saw was ELECTRIC! He brought history alive, and told us
about how far we have strayed from the Constitution. I love history, and this
guy was TERRIFIC... at making Amway sound like the answer for our journey away
from the traditions started by the founding fathers.
Then I heard the first diamond speaker...
I can't remember who they were, and quite frankly it doesn't matter, because
the diamonds are just different shapes and sizes of the same brainwashed human
being. The diamond came out to a thunderous applause, and a video played of the
most extravagant lifestyle. There were vacations, planes, cars, mansions, love,
and GOD! The speech was bland a filled with fluff about the prototypical rising
from the dumpster to the penthouse, and how they couldn't have been where they
were without the business...basically another ego massage similar to the Mike
Carrol event.
Then the show continued similarly to the first diamond with about 10 more
diamonds coming out and dragging on until MIDNIGHT! Ugh I was pooped...but I
had a long drive home, and I had to stay pumped because I was about to do it
ALL DAY SATURDAY!
Saturday begins at 9 a.m. and I'm on less than 5 hours of sleep after a close
to 18 hour day...I'm not feeling the buzz (Dateline does a great documentary
and they talk about sleep deprivation). Sure enough, the day starts just like
the last one ended, MORE DIAMONDS! At this point, I'm going in and out of the
building, and I'm hoping to learn any secrets to success from anyone...and
that's when I learned about cross-lining. YOU ARE NEVER TO DISCUSS BUSINESS
WITH MEMBERS OF A DIFFERENT ORGANIZATION...excuse my french, but what a crock
of shit. We were all listening to diamonds and other ranks from other
organizations, so why not listen to the ground floor troops. This business is
supposed to be "easy and duplicatable" yet talking to others could
screw everything up? Anyways...I went back inside and took more notes on the
inside of eyelids until lunch time.
Lunch time was...3 HOURS LONG!!! How unnecessary...I've never been given 3
hours for lunch before, and I certainly didn't need that much time in BFE (Bum
F*** Egypt) or wherever I was, but I was stuck with it. I hung out and met some
interesting people from Oklahoma (which is real dedication since we were in
California), and then I realized I still had 2 HOURS LEFT...UGH!!!
The show continued, and the excitement level got turned up! They had a
Christian rock group play a little concert, and then I got to see a Diamond
crowning...talk about over the top. The couple (Trevor and Lexi Baker) walked
down a gigantic red carpet as peons from their organization rushed to the
surrounding gates to blow kisses and touch them...it was like watching the
frickin royal family in England. They had their two lovely twin girls with them
as they continued to the stage where their parents (Glen and Joya
Baker...executive diamonds) were waiting. They had a lovely speech for their
children, and then their children completed their transformation with another
exaggerated fluffy, emotional, motivational speech...wonderful. After they were
done, it was about 9 o'clock which gave plenty of time for more diamonds to do
their diamond things on stage until MIDNIGHT AGAIN!!!
I told my sponsor after that day that I would probably not be attending the
Sunday show, and he was not having it! He said Sunday was the most important or
something, and I replied, I was going to be late because I didn't feel
comfortable attending the religious opening ceremony. He again suggested that I
would be missing something critical and guilted me into coming...which I'm glad
he did.
SUNDAY SUNDAY SUNDAY (Football reference)...Started at the lovely hour of 9 AM
again, and that was when I got to see the most magical person of them all...THE
PREACHER! This guy was in his 70's, but he was prancing around like he was in
his 20's and he was lively! The guy was amazing as he talked about this being
the greatest business ever while mixing in some notes about god, and then he
did something incredible. He got people to DONATE to him! HOLY COW! We were at
a supposed "business" conference to learn about making money, and he
got people to GIVE their money away...OH THE IRONY! He finished off by having
everyone come close to the stage and stretch out their arm to send magical
energy to a person dying of terminal cancer...he was a real life
TELEVANGELIST!!! Check that off the ol' bucket list. (For the record I have
nothing against religion, and don't care what you want to practice, but this
was really weird and not like any church service I had attended before...)
Then the rest of the day...It was pure bleh as people from lower ranks got to
cross the stage which was a "goal" apparently and got to rehearse
their diamond speeches for the future. This went on until the very end, and
then I got to unlock my new achievement... (video game reference) FED
COMPLETED!!!
Never would I ever wish that upon an unwilling participant, and I hope that
this magic show finds a fiery end.
Ben's account proves a basic point about all of these brainless "functions" and about the entire MLM racket (Amway or otherwise) and how it works.
ReplyDeleteThe whole thing runs on ENTHUSIASM and WILD EMOTION.
No intelligence, no critical thinking, no weighing of alternatives, no debate, no careful planning, no analysis -- nothing at all of that nature. Amway doesn't want you to think. It wants you to react viscerally. The functions are designed solely for that purpose, which they call "firing you up."
And yes, it is very cultish. The sleep deprivation, the long hours, the endless jargon, the frantic speechmaking, the parade of Diamond couples and the strong religious overtones -- all of this is to break you down physically and intellectually.
And notice the prohibition of talking to anyone in another branch of Amway. That serves only one purpose -- to prevent you from comparing notes with other IBOs, and figuring out for yourself what's really going on.
Thanks Anonymous. Amway brainwashing functions are all the same. The sole purpose is for the Amway cult leaders to make money. Then they have to come up with some bullshit to keep the Ambots fired up. At least long enough to buy a ticket to the next ScAmway brainwashing function. Suck those Ambot losers dry before they realize they got scammed and leave the cult.
DeleteI have said this on other forums too, so if I sound like a stuck record, it is because it is true.
ReplyDeleteIf a business opportunity is promoted as having low startup costs and having all systems in place, then still having to jump through other loops and dig deeper in your pockets AFTER you've signed up (but regardless of whether there are profits on the table yet), should make it obvious that the low startup costs and all systems in place were both lies.
The first time you get pressed for this bs is a good time to get out. Not the best time (which is to never get roped in) but a good time.
Thank you kwaaikat. It would be easier not to get roped in if those Amway losers would say the A word. No shit I’ve had people leave comments that they didn’t know they’d signed up to Amway until a month or 2 later.
DeleteThe startup costs for Amway basically cover an introductory kit, membership fee, and some incidental items.
ReplyDeleteThe real expenses in the Amway racket are the endless monthly fees, the requirements for PV and BV, the useless "tools," and the functions. And these are not "start-up fees." These are forever.
Anonymous- those forever fees in the Amway tool scam are never initially disclosed or no one would ever join the Amway cult.
Delete