Pyramid Schemes and Propaganda Machines

Ok, I'm supposed to be researching for my term paper right now, but I just had to rant about the following:

You're looking for a job, been unemployed longer than you wanted to be, and then somebody starts talking to you about
a 'really good and highly successful company.' that you eventually find out is just a pyramid scheme?

How many times has that happened to you, boys and girls?

You know that guy or girl, maybe somebody who you used to know, who's really energetic, charismatic, excited, positive, friendly, MANIPULATIVE?
Did I say "MANIPULATIVE?" I said that, right?
Good, that's a big one, don't forget.

These people are working the front lines of these companies' PROPAGANDA machines. They're as excited and make it sound easy as someone does
making World of Warcraft gold making guides.
Ok here's a REAL LIFE equivalent of WoW Gold/levelling: dating mastery for guys. The company is called Lifestyle Transformations. I went to one of their meetings, and omgizzards they know how to mess with guys' minds. Their marketing target is guys who have low confidence or just can't get girls. These dudes from LT talk about dating, etiquette, and try to make you feel good. They use the 'think positive about yourself' as one of their tactics. They run skits with eachother and tell you how to walk up and talk to a random girl (they focus on super-model types in hi-class downtown).

For example:

LT guy: *walks up to a chick, good posture/walk* "Hi, I just wanted to tell you I like your hair, you are beautiful, and I hope you have a great day!" *walks away*
hoping girl supposedly gives look of 'omg he's so nice I want to talk with him'
girl (LT imaginary world): "OMG I LOVE U!"
REAL LIFE girl: *steps back thinking WTF is with this guy. Is this a new way of hitting on women? gives awkward smile and walks away OR *sprays guy in face with bear mace* *is disgusted at pathetic attempt, or just horrified*

We all know that in most Canadian/U.S. cities that if a guy suddenly starts talking to a random girl (without any incident before hand that could give them reason to talk to eachother about it and form a basis of friendship from there), the guy is a *cough* CREEP *cough.*

So in short, dating mastery FAILS just as hard as WoW gold mastery (which real hardcore gold farmer probably use hacks ). So would trying to be a pick up artist. Only people who are REAL GOOD (like 1000% skill/success rate) at swaying others, manipulating /seducing them will have success. Average people, nyet so much.

I enjoyed their presentation, me and the guys had some fun, the LT dudes screwed with our minds and took us for a trip. Their focus was 'bring out the shining man'
meaning bring out a guy's confidence and get him to think good things about himself rather than his shortcomings. It's a good psycologic method, but used in this context, it's well, sickening. Here's why. After they get us all hyped up, then they go on to tell you that their three day 'dating boot camp'

COSTED FIFTEEN HUNDRED DOLLARS!!!!!
OMGWTFROFLSTFUBBQ

Oh, and their 4-hour training session where they take you out on the streets and show you how to meet and sway girls (and they probably score that night, not you, you probably get a slap in the face, maybe a sexual harassment charge) cost 250

I sat there disillusioned, and that broke the spell on me. I was like "Seriously you guys, what the fuck?"
Looking back, I wish I got up and walked out as soon as he wrote the prices up on the board. It would have beena great way to serve them.

Every now they send me emails about boot camps, that look just like a web page of a WoW leveling guide advertisement. *clicks spam/delete/report*

Damn.

Who's heard of Mona Vie?
its a $40/bottle drink loaded with nutrients from acai (aa-saa-EE) berries from the Amazon.

Propaganda video about the berries:

about the natives *cough* probably underpaid slave labor *cough*

PROPAGANDA video about money and pyramid scheme or "compensation plan"

IT says you get credit card on which you are paid. Pretty much you have to have a credit card before, and pay
$200 for some bottles that u have to sell. Oh, and who the hell would pay $40 for a drink when they can get their nutrients from
food, pills, and cheaper health drinks? (ex. Bolthouse Farms). You recruit people and you make money off them. (the lie covering this is called "teamwork" and "nobody gets left behind"

Mona Vie held a 'presentation' at my school, and I went because I was curious. One of the ladies there invited me to some guy's condo in Yaletown (rich part of Downtown Vancouver) for a 'party' where me and a bunch of other ppl were shown propaganda videos and hours and hours of brainwashing and testimonials of guys and girls who got rich off this scheme. People from my school were there, also preaching this jargon. They don't answer straight questions with straight answers, they just throw a bunch of jargon at you. Mona Vie people were almost religious about the drink. We got free samples, and it was good, but still, who in their right mind, not manipulated, pays $40 for a bottle (its the size of a two six or 1 litre (screw my math)).

Oh, and since they go on and on about how it's loaded up with nutrients that make you more energetic than Powerthirst, I asked what happens if you stop taking it 2X a day?

"Well, you will feel really tired for a while" I think that sums it up. If you don't believe me, there's plenty on Mona vie scam. Check google or Youtube.

Here's the latest scam I almost walked into:
Primerica
Their information FRONT is here

Primerica's video

Retards on FOX do powerthirst success ad for primerica

It started when I was taking the bus Sunday morning on my way to church. These two girls from China were sitting next to me eating dried fish fillet snacks, and laughing. I was starving, and one didn't want hers so she gave it to me. Om nom nom nom
Then this woman who sat across from us started laughing and talking to us and going on for about 5 mins of how she was married to a Chinese guy and that she loved Chinese food.
She starts talking to us and asks me if I have a job. Not caring I go "I'm looking for work," doesn't matter since economy = poop.

Primerica girl: "I have an opportunity for you. Come to this meeting Wednesday night, and there will be a presentation an all about it :D"
Me: "Okay, what do you do? What's your exact job?"
Primerica girl: "I can't tell you that, it would not serve the company well" <——-withholding information about the job
Primerica girl: "We do financial services, We help out people and tell them how to get out of debt. come to the meeting." <—BLAND explanation
Me: *being somewhat suspicious, but still interested* "K, I'll go" *thinks: check google and blogs for scams/bad experiences had by others*
And I gave her my #. Shit.
Ok, she was all happy, energetic, positive, excited, talking at a mile a minute non-stop, oh and manipulative. I noted that. She witheld information, and gave a bland expanation. Duly noted.

Today after class I went to the library and looked up Primerica online. My way of screening this out was : if anyone calls it a scam or identifies it as a pyramid scheme, IT'S A SCAM!. Sure it's legally legit, but legal paperwork doesn't serve the recruitee well.

Here's how the meeting would have gone if I went
It's like Mona Vie, with propaganda about success, money, insurance, mountains of useless information and double speak. Then you pay money
for a license, and you go to people's houses with little knowledge about money stuff and try to get them to buy Primerica insurance.

OK, I know NOTHING about money, insurance, rates, legal jumbo, economics, exchange, changes. I am NOT selling insurance to people! I know nothing about it!
That's just…creul. I mean PRimerica 'educates' its fresh noobs, and get them to recite the same crap to potential customers (which Primerica collects info on).
Highly unethical.

I called her up, and said "I'm gonna bail from the meeting. I looked Primerica up, and well, I don't do well in pyramid schemes."
Perimerica girl: "Well did you look at our website? Did you see all the good things about us? Did you see the interest rates? There's people out there who are really screwed up or are saying bad things about us!
ME: "Yeah, well I went through the brainwash/rince cycle at Monavie and Cutco- look i gotta go I got a term paper due next week and I HAVE to get started-"
Primerica girl: "You know what, look at our websites, and come to the meeting….if you don't that means you are not open minded and not willing to learn!"
SHE ACTUALLY SAID THAT!! And proved my point.
ROFL. that was actually funny. I hung up on her she wouldn't shut up. If I was recording that call (idk how 🙁 ) I would have posted that on Youtube. Fucking classic example of sheer manipulation to attack someone's integrity and their self esteem; an effort to lock them in and get them to go to meetings, etc, whatever.

[youtube]LjxJxdHbc[/youtube]
This guy explains why people without good marketing skills should avoid things like PRimerica in a short and sweet explanation

+++++++

K, I worked for this other company (for about a week) called Vector Marketing. It's a marketing branch of Cutco. The same positive hype (to boil up excitement and confidence so sales reps will actually do good. We went to people's houses and showed them knives. The pyramid part wasn't about recruiting other people to work, but getting names and numbers of potential customers starting with your friends/teachers/bosses/family, etc. Better than door-to-door.

Pretty much cutco knives are made from high quality metal and last a long time. Everythings made at the factory in new york by american workers. The thing is, the products actualyl were high quality, and spoke for themselves when I showed the knives to people. Some even bought them.
Cutco's legit, I quit because I hate soliciting, and I'm nervous talking to strangers and getting them to buy expensive knives. I even looked up cutco scams and found this. It's a scam ($17/base is NOT $17 an hour) that turns out a good product. So I left.

To actually get by in these kinds of jobs, you HAVE to be supernaturally good (like Castro, or Lenin, or crazy preacher, or that asshole friend that showed you Maple Story and you good hooked on it) at swaying and manipulating people into buying something they would never buy. On top of that you have to be 10000% confident in yourself and every piece of your life,

BUT you also have to be completely unwary to the propaganda (how "great it is"), and unaware of that its all just a pyramid scheme where you paid to start (Mona vie makes you buy $200 of their drink to sell out of your own pocket, Cutco, I had to pay $100 for a sampler kit to show customers, but I got to keep it). And believe fully in their mumbo jumbo about success, 'cause then you will be highly motivated and brainwashed to go out, sell the product, and recruit unwary would-be paid employees who get their day jobs elsewhere. People have success in this scheme, and they are NOT average people like the 99% of us.

so in closing, DON'T WORK FOR PYRAMID SCHEMES! You want money, you gotta get an actual job.

The marketing intustry is HIGH-STRESS, and unless you meet the criteria of being extremely manipulative, coercive, etc (only way you can successfully exercise marketing/recruiting strategies)

(hourly is best. I only made $10 at cutco. (110 in checks – fee for kit)

+++++++++++++++++++++

OK FINE I'LL SHUT UP NAO!!!!!

*goes and eats greaseball burger* om nom nom