The Prison of Belief

Thoughts on Amway, Scientology, Herbalife and the cult of 'belief'.

All ideas and products are marketable goods, as long as there is a void of demand. It is the main precept of the system of capitalism.  Under this banner, both the good and the bad take refuge. Believers in cult like ‘religion’ or ‘business’ paint themselves as entrepreneurs or messiahs.

Man invents his gods to fill voids.  What he chooses to believe, like natural selection, determines what he is, or hopes to become, whether one will be followers or leaders in the open market of ideas and argument. People long for 'something to believe in'. Man seeks answers to the problems of life.  It is in this void where the charlatans, the messiahs, the entrepreneurs, the preachers, the kingpins and dictators arise.

Movements come and go. Just as many businesses fail, ideas are subject to failure as well.  How could man, for instance, have been so insane to believe that slavery was a good and natural thing? Mythology of religion taught that slaves were to obey their masters? Belief, therefore, heavily determines what is acceptable, whether these beliefs are founded in truth or falsity.  

Where no man is an island, all are conditioned to become 'joiners.'  It is what one chooses that can determine the outcome of the individual and ultimately of society.

While it seems absurd that people would choose to join any totalitarian regime, the question becomes clouded by ignorance.  Those with the best of intentions do not see the snare, or the mistake of belief.  They believe they are the lucky ones, the insightful believers that have discovered some truth and now are willing not only to follow its precepts, but to proselytize, to move it forward.

Cult like behavior is more the norm than the the exception.  It is an offspring of the human experience. Rebellion and upheaval is the father of movements like the Third Reich.  The void is filled by those who want the power to dictate and control a down-line pyramid of followers willing to believe the propaganda, the plan.   

All men have a cloud of belief hanging over their head, it colors their world.  Sadly, black clouds will arise, threatening. The ‘prison of belief’ is the causation of war and ultimately threatens men on so many levels.

Predators fear the presence of a superior.

L. Ron Hubbard feared the predator of the United States government and went into hiding for many of his final years to avoid being held to account for fraud.  His cult followers continued to 'puff themselves' up in the face of their mounting taxation problems with the U.S. government, and the defection of heretics who were revealing the the absurdity of their  supposed 'religion' by revealing the cult's secrets.

Other cult initiators operates very much in the open under the guise of being a successful businessman.  They hide in the open under 'Orwellian banners' of 'patriotism' and 'charity.'  They employ armies of lawyers to suppress the disaffected, and avoid being held to account in courts of law and of governmental regulation.  The initiators of the Amway and Herbalife cults fall into this category.

It is with the hope that the present 'Herbalife' question will bring an end to an ever expanding number of MLM predators. How embarrassing to Amway Herbalife must be     

Amway Global Scam

Actually, Amway is like 'Doublemint' chewing gum.  Amway is two scams in one.  First is the product based pyramid scheme, where Amway cult initiates basically are their own best customers, buying their own products in a self consumption relationship to the Ada, Michigan mother-ship.  Secondly, there is the tool scam where all the Amway self-consumers are urged to purchase all the mundane training materials to include seminar and rally tickets.  These purchases make a very, very small group of top of the pyramid distributors very wealthy.  These folks are commonly referred to in court documents as 'kingpins'.  Both Amway and the tool kingpins operate a money extracting scheme.  Both hold a monopoly over the dream inspired believers which buy everything and sell very little.



I realized that this is a simplified version of what the Amway Global Scam is all about.  Suffice it to say that any type of pyramid scam is bad news for those participating in it.  Generally they are the bamboozled believers in the scam who are expected to buy all the badly overpriced products and the endless chain of propaganda which masquerades as training materials.  The Amway sellers of products and the kingpin sellers of tools operate their scam in an unholy alliance which basically feeds upon their own children. 



The nearly fifty year history of Amway can be described as the 'financial holocaust' because believers in the scam have a near 100% rolling failure rate.  Those hoping to make money, end up generally losing theirs.  Expenditures to sell the scam on others as well as buying the monthly quota of products in a the tool scammer's 'pay to play' game of deceit, generally make profit objectives merely a pipe dream.  Folks believing in the Amway dream might as well try to chase down the Leprechaun at the end of a rainbow or waste their time and money buying Power Ball tickets.  Most people strive senselessly in the scheme until they eventually re-enter reality, realize that success in the scam will always be just beyond their reach and quit.  Oddly enough, many of those who quit seem to blame themselves for not working hard enough in the scheme which they were badly oversold on. 



If you have found this blog while researching the Amway Global 'opportunity', you have come to the right place to find out what Amway Global really is; and, if you are wise, save your time and money from being extracted by this cult business which is designed from the top down to make you the loser in their plan. I recommend that you read Quixtar Cult Intervention and Amway Global Cult Intervention.  There are countless articles of interest there which can help guide you through the treacherous Amway Global waters of deceit.

MLM Amway Secrets

Have you ever had an invite from a friend, associate, or a stranger that left you in the lurch wondering just what the invite was all about? Maybe, just out of the blue, an old acquaintance that you have not seen since high school calls you up and invites you to see something that is so important that you absolutely must do it! Your old friend is very vague about just what this "something" is. Even if you become suspicious and ask if it is "Amway? (Herbalife? Xango? Monavie? Nuskin? Mary Kay)" Your friend might respond and say something like this: "I can't really talk about it over the phone; you will just have to see this for yourself." Your curiosity has been piqued. You most likely have just been exposed to the "curiosity invite", one of the devilish recruitment tactics of a multi-level business opportunity schemes.

Amway is the most well known, although there are other 'clones' that operate basically using Amway's pyramid recruitment practices. Amway claims to be the number #1 on line retailer of health and beauty products in the US, although most of their sales are to their own distributors. These distributors are basically the only real customers for the products which are intentionally priced to be unsellable outside of the distributor chain.

Amway's reputation in the United States has been tarnished by a series of scandals, whistle-blowers, Dateline scrutiny, and bad word of mouth. Amway has run advertising and commercials to help revive their negative image. Amway distributors are called are called either 'Amway Business Owners' (ABOs) or "Independent Business Owners (IBOs). for convenience. These 'distributors' are part of a 'pyramid'system that includes an "up-line" and a "down-line." These 'distributors' receive a distributor discount on the products they buy whether they are sold at retail or consumed at home. The idea is that any product that they retail at full price provides them with profit margin.. Buy at a discount and sell for full retail price is a universally accepted method of making money in any business, but realizing a profit in this business (or many of the other MLM clones) can be very difficult to achieve.

The remainder of this blog post will describe the secrets of  Amway.' A very small number of Amway distributors are known collectively by US courts as 'kingpins. These kingpins run a 'shadow' business monopoly business selling motivational training materials to include seminar and rally tickets which is known as the "tool and function" business. The name 'kingpin' is also used to describe key high level 'capo' in the mafia. Law Professor G. Robert Blakey, best known for his work drafting the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act, produced a report presented into evidence in Procter & Gamble Company, et al. v. Amway Corporation, et al  which had been ordered 'sealed' but which was subsequently 'leaked.'  Robert Blakey's report said:

"It is my opinion that the Amway business is run in a manner that is parallel to that of major organized crime groups, in particular the Mafia. The structure and function of major organized crime groups, generally consisting of associated enterprises engaging in patterns of legal and illegal activity, was the prototype forming the basis for federal and state racketeering legislation that I have been involved in drafting. The same structure and function, with associated enterprises engaging in patterns of legal and illegal activity, is found in the Amway business." 

Amway kingpins are introduced to new Amway recruits with exalted titles like "Ambassador."  These names are called 'pin' levels that provide aspiring Amway believers are taught to aspire to become and emulate.  The majority of 'kingpins' were early adopters in the Amway pyramid system and reside near the top of the organization.  Their wealth and monetary success are paraded in front of the distributors as proof that one can become wealthy if the Amway 'system' is followed.  The kingpins supposedly sell the 'secrets' of success to their 'down-line' Trappings of wealth serves as the "bait" for starry eyed 'newbie' distributors who have been told that they can also rise to the top of the Amway pyramid. Visions of money, palatial estates, and luxury automobiles inspire the flock to 'slave' under Amway's totalitarian system. New distributors are taught that success in Quixtar comes from profits generated in selling and recruiting a never ending chain of new distributors who will share some of their profits with their 'upline.'

The dirty secret of the Amway is that the sale of product does not provide the spectacular wealth of those at the top of the pyramid, but it is the sale of the secrets of success: the Amway tools.

Distributors in the Amway business soon realize that the sale of Amway products is difficult and realize that recruitment is the road to the promised treasure.  Therefore, they spend most of their time trying to recruit new distributors into their business where an 'annoying' invite to prospects is made and where the plan is 'sprung' on the prospects. Believers are strongly urged on by the training materials and their up-line superiors.

Amway distributors strive to build a down-line business and new recruits are encouraged to buy the tools and attend every 'function' as the 'key' to become the next Amway success story. The 'tool kingpins' smile all the way to the bank with their tool profits.

In times past, distributors were told that the tools were sold at or near cost and that success in the business came from Amway--not from tool sales. The 2004 Dateline expose on Quixtar (Amway) corruption exposed the dirty little secret of the Amway cult. Although Amway/Quixtar has denied these allegations ever since, the truth has been an open secret.  Not all distributors are fooled by the Amway propaganda machine and have fostered some many a disgruntled, angry distributor which lead to a revolt.

The tool kingpins operate a bait and switch operation; their tool sales benefit by high distributor turn over that the high cost of following the Amway 'system' requires. New distributors represent a cash cow to the kingpins, as the older distributors require less training. The hopeful new distributors  come into the business and are driven like cattle through the "money making machine." Very quickly these treasure inspired believers begin shelling out their own treasure and find themselves in a catch 22.  Like "Simple Simons" they buy the Secrets, attend seminars and rallies and absorb all the 'over-head.' Eventually,  expenditures, unfulfilled expectations, and disillusionment bring their Amway dream to an end. As proof of this, many of these Amway business failures put their accumulated books, cds, videos, materials and unsold inventory up for sale on web auction sites like Ebay at incredible discount . Many times these tools receive no bids, go unsold and remain relatively worthless!

The up-line distributor, in anguish, must now recruit more down-line to replace those that quit. Remember, his goal is to retain new distributors who will help him become profitable by buying products. An distributor constantly must struggle, expend more time and money in search of replacements.  He becomes like a man trying to run up a down escalator: two steps up and one step down; one step up and two steps down! His continued efforts hardly benefits him at all while at the same time it produces a steady stream of new distributors that will for a while buy tools from the kingpins. There are three distinct groups of people in the Amway/Quixtar business, the company owners, the tool kingpins, and the body of every day distributors. The first two groups benefit and prosper from the business while the last group of distributors do all the recruiting, buy the products, and also buy all the tools.

People struggling to succeed in Amway have little time to spend with their family and suffer social stigma. Family and friends become 'disconnected'.  Married distributors are forced to place children in the care of relatives or babysitters.   Marital discourse may arise. Uplines constantly make demands to buy product, tools and to 'show the plan.'  Success in Amway usually ends up not it fulfilled dreams, but in broken ones.  They have been taught that failure is caused by not working hard enough and for not following the system.  It is system that many times the cause of their failure.  99% of those joining Amway never show a profit.

What Do I Have Against Amway? Reader Wants Top 5 Reasons

Recently a reader left a comment under my Perfect Water Blog post on Amway Soap Box that I want to share with  readers of this blog. JFI wrote:

What exactly do you have against Amway? Give me your top 5 reasons, one of which can't start with "well my friend...".

Here is the comment answer that I gave:

Thanks for visiting. You ask for five things. Hmmm?

1. Amway Operates a 'closed market' swindle that preys on their very own. (Can you say "pernicious cult?")

2. Tool Scam. Yes, the secondary pyramid scheme, where all adherents to the cult buy a plethora of incredibly stupid 'how to screw your family, friends and co-workers' all while they are fleeced by both the tool kingpins and ol' Rich DeVos and his Ada Michigan Crime Family.

3. Nutrilite. The original pyramid scam that DeVos and Van Andel acquired when the Federal authorities effectively shut down Mytinger and Casselberry for of all things: Running a Pyramid Scheme! The vitamins, nothing more than 'soups' compressed into capsules and priced as to be extortionate are pushed--not so much on potential retail customers--but onto the IBO cult adherents.

4. Kingpins. Amway is organized and operated exactly like the mafia. These Kingpins head up a downline gang which control a secondary closed market swindle, the tool scam, basically fleecing the flock of recruits, who instead of prospering in the Amway business, lose all their investments of time and money.

5. Amway apologists. Generally, these erstwhile people, promote Amway as an incredible business opportunity, although the actual history tells a horror story--a financial holocaust--for the people foolish enough to believe all the Amway lies. Knowing the truth and promoting the scheme/scam makes these people guilty of intent to defraud others.

Another reader, Katie W, left a comment following mine that describes what generally happens to Ambots, those joining the Amway Cult:

Everything the above poster said is TRUE! When I met my fiance, he was an Amway "cult" follower. Was completely hypnotized. Had been doing it for three years. I had to seriously sit down with him (after traveling to a few open meetings and a conference with him) and have a talk. He was $3000 in credit card debt with no savings. Why? The "tools" (books, cds, etc.), the pricey conferences, hotels, gas to get there, open meeting costs, PLUS buying MORE product than what he needed so his uplines could achieve certain thresholds! They convinced him to do it for the "good of the team". Not to mention, Amway products ARE MORE EXPENSIVE than comparable products. I am a financial analyst, I'm not an idiot. And I know this is a stupid investment. After my fiance got away, at least once a week he wonders how he would've been so stupid and gullible to fall for it. He kicks himself everyday for getting into so much debt because of Amway.

If you arrived at this blog post because you have been asked to join the a MLM business opportunity and you are doing some research into the supposed 'Opportunity' you can save yourself all the time, money, and social stigma that these business cults desire to take from you simply by declining their offer. 

Former Amway Kingpins Accuse Amway of Pyramid Scheme Allegations And Force Amway To Settle Out of Court For 100 Million Dollars

Let me be blunt here. The top former distributors (Amway whistle-blowers) said was operating a pyramid scheme in a lawsuit they brought against Amway. (Aren't these former top distributors in a position to know?) The former Quixtar kingpins, to include Orrin Woodward, managed to spring a legalistic trap on the Devos/Van Andel empire (I should I say pyramid). In the process they confirmed what Amway critics have long known about Amway: that they operates a product based pyramid scheme by offering products intentionally priced not to sell outside of the distribution network.

These former 'kingpins' in their briefs have described how the esoteric structure of Amway operates, and described  in brutal detail how Amway sheep are fleeced. Truth, this time, came from the proverbial horse's mouth! The allegations made are really nothing new to Amway critics as Amway does not have a stellar reputation.

In this stare down with the IBO Rebellion, Amway blinked and will have to pay off the whistle blowing traitors and other aggrieved non rebellious distributors. Amway followed the 'out of court' strategy (again) to settle the suit. Amway gets to maintain they are not a pyramid scheme instead of taking the risk that a jury might decide otherwise.  Amway will pay out one hundred million (with another part to be returned in Amway products, an assortment of vitamins, cosmetics and energy drinks).

The IBO Rebellion-- 'traitors' of their former Amway cult--get to take the money and run.

How Amway Went Wrong Way: the Quixtar Blunder

Amway went the wrong-way by renaming themselves Quixtar (dropping the Amway name) and heralded a 'Quixtar Revolution.' Distributors felt that the new changes would bring the Amway business fully into the computer age. They disregarded the fact that Amway has always been, and still remains, a face to face, invite the victim, and show the plan recruitment scam that is pushed on naive prospects.  Recruits would  fall for the promises of huge incomes and then be willing to 'pay to play' in the supposedly tried and true (yet new) Quixtar system.

All distributors were encouraged to switch their 'businesses and become a Quixtar "Independent Business Owners." The old Amway ordering and delivery system was scrubbed. Distributors were forbidden to advertise on the web and were instead told that all orders would be processed through the Amway portal, that they would have to pay for the privilege of 'owning' a Quixtar page page on the Amway servers that could only be accessed via password.  These web pages would be hidden from prospective customers. It just wouldn't be right to have thousands upon thousands of pages touting the Amway opportunity and the pricey products.

The new 'Quixtar Powered Business'  was to remain the same old Amway a recruitment scheme that depended on the never ending recruitment of new distributors who buy all the bullshit.  Amway continued 'fixing' the product prices. 'Quix-bots' were to buy from themselves and dream of promised wealth. They were to become slaves to their Quixtar 'totalitarian' masters.

Devos and Van Andel, the Amway founders, had long since, grew wealthy by operating a  'dissimulated closed market ' scheme carefully crafted to extract considerable treasure from the cult-like, dream believing drones gullible enough to believe the myths.

In the end, after failure to ever make it big in Amway, and then in Quixtar, many would quit.  The drones had been 'conditioned' to believe that failure resulted from not following the system and/or failure to work hard enough in 'their' business. Most would awaken, from the dream, return to reality, and realize that the system was designed to fail them.   Amway and the kingpin distributors would count their money, enjoy the lifestyle of flaunted wealth and remain the 'cheese' in the Quixtar rat trap.

After Dateline exposed Quixtar distributors making exorbitant income claims was aired by NBC, and the bad press resulting from a IBO Rebellion, along with the defection of whistle-blower Eric Scheibler, the Quixtar parent company--Alticor)--had had enought and pulled the plug, dumped the Quixtar name and renamed their totalitarian sate "Amway Global".

The Quixtar revolution was over. Amway had gone the wrong way--the Quixtar blunder. The Quixtar Fragments of the failed revolution can be seen all over the web.  The 'revolution' couldn't outrun the bad smell of Amway.

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Who Really Needed an Exorcist--Amway or Proctor & Gamble?

I suppose the 1970's horror classic, The Exorcist, seems rather 'old school' today, but it was a disturbing story about a young girl who was possessed by Satan, or one of his direct 'downline' minions in his own pyramid scheme where the devil reigns as tyrant-in-chief over his own totalitarian state. How fitting then, that I must bring to readers attention to the Amway and Proctor and Gamble scandal, where P&;G accused Amway Kingpins of intentionally spreading the rumor that Proctor and Gamble was satanic.  As proof, the rumor mongers pointed to a trade symbol that appeared on P & G's packaging. The spreading of these slanders would counter the argument that P & G's product line was superior to Amway.

Distributors in Amway are taught by their  'upline' to be 'core'--100% product loyal to Amway products and to never buy any competitor's 'negative' products. (Proof by the way that Amway operates a 'closed market' swindle primarily focused at its own distributors.)

It should be pointed out that Amway's market share is miniscule compared to marketing giant Proctor and Gamble. Amway, irregardless of truth, claims to be the #1 online health and beauty retailer--a claim that is patently false. Even restricted to  MLM competition,  Mary Kay and Avon most likely move more cosmetics. 

The devil is in the details; Satan's minions had entered into the Amway Kingpins.

Amway is the author of  the great reality inverting myth:  Amway is a great business opportunity.  This is truly the biggest myth which the Amway kingpins tell.

When Amway kingpin, Randy Haugen, was named in Proctor and Gamble's defamation suit,  Amway attempted to distance themselves from the allegations by hiding behind a labyrinth of  'corporate entities.'  Amway motivational organizations foster the lies that keep the pyramid churning forward.  Recruitment of new victims must eclipse the number of victims which leave.   

Below is the trade symbol which Amway Kingpins linked Proctor and Gamble to Satan: