The 'Nu Skin' racketeers have co-opted Stanford University academics

From 'The Universal Identifying Characteristics of a Cult' (David Brear, Axiom Books, copyright 2005).

Pseudo-scientific mystification. The instigators of pernicious cults seek to overwhelm their adherents emotionally and intellectually by pretending that progressive initiation into their own superior or superhuman knowledge (coupled with total belief in its authenticity and unconditional deference to the authority of its higher initiates) will defeat a negative or adversarial force of impurity and absolute evil, and lead to future, exclusive redemption in some form of secure Utopian existence. By making total belief a prerequisite of redemption, adherents are drawn into a closed-logic trap (i.e. failure to achieve redemption is solely the fault of the individual who didn’t believe totally). Cultic pseudo-science is always essentially the same hypnotic hocus-pocus, but it can be peddled in an infinite variety of forms and combinations (‘spiritual’, ‘medical’, ‘philosophical’, ‘cosmological,’ ‘extraterrestrial’, ‘political’, ‘racial’, ‘mathematical’, ‘economic’, ‘New-Age’, 'magical', etc.), often with impressive, made-up, technical-sounding names. It is tailored to fit the spirit of the times and to attract a broad range of persons, but especially those open to an exclusive offer of salvation (i.e. the: sick, dissatisfied, bereaved, vanquished, disillusioned, oppressed, lonely, insecure, aimless, etc.). However, at a moment of vulnerability, anyone (no matter what their: age, sex, nationality, state of mental/ physical health, level of education, etc.) can need to believe in a non-rational, cultic pseudo-science. Typically, obedient adherents are granted ego-inflating names, and/or ranks, and/or titles, whilst non-initiates are referred to using derogatory, dehumanizing terms. Although initiation can at first appear to be reasonable and benefits achievable, cultic pseudo-science gradually becomes evermore costly and mystifying. Ultimately, it is completely incomprehensible and its claimed benefits are never quantifiable. The self-righteous euphoria and relentless enthusiasm of cult proselytizers can be highly infectious and deeply misleading. They are invariably convinced that their own salvation also depends on saving others.

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When you examine the absurd, self-gratifying, pseudo-scientific/economic fairy story entitled 'Nu Skin,' it's difficult to believe that any educated adult could swallow this up-dated hybrid of snake-oil, and pyramid scheme, quackery as reality. 

In essence, the authors of the 'Nu Skin' fairy story have steadfastly pretended that they have not only found the secret of halting the human ageing process, but they have also found the secret of transforming ordinary, powerless people into happy and beautiful, superhuman multi-millionaires. Furthermore, the creators of the 'Nu Skin' Utopia are willing to share their exclusive secret knowledge with anyone (for a price).

Stuart Kim

For a long time, the 'Nu Skin' quacks have been using millions of dollars of their ill-gotten gains to bedazzle academics and buy association with Stanford University. However, recently, they have been caught using a researcher’s name - falsely claiming that 'Stuart Kim' (Genetics Dept. Stamford University) 'is partnered with Nu Skin.' 

'Nu Skin' propaganda

Consequently, Stanford University sent a letter to 'Nu Skin Enterprises,' warning the company that Stuart Kim's name must be removed from all advertising material by the end of this week.

http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/08/16/us-nuskin-stanford-idUSBRE87F13W20120816

It turns out that Stuart Kim was previously approached by the 'Nu Skin' quacks to fund research into skin-ageing.  Both the researcher, and a spokesman for Stanford  University, confirm that the Dermatology Dept. has indeed, previously received substantial funding from 'Nu Skin,' but Stuart Kim has not.

Effectively-valueless 'Nu Skin' shares dropped a further 4% last week.

At this point, it might be interesting for the many new readers of this Blog (and particularly senior staff at the US Federal Drug Administration and Securities and Exchange Commission, Stanford University and Deutsche Bank) to take a look at some remarkable optical illusions which clearly demonstrate that the human mind can be easily deceived simply by changing the context in which we see things http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-11553099 .

A stalking-panther, when photographed in a jungle environment, is almost invisible to the human eye if shown only in black and white, but the same dangerous predator is immediately obvious to us, when shown in colour. 

Two rectangles of identical colour and shade, appear to be of different colour and shade when each one is surrounded by rectangles which alter the context in which our minds automatically see them. 

No free-thinking observer now seriously disputes that deluded, core-'MLM' adherents look at 'MLM income opportunity' frauds only in two dimensions, 'positive' and 'negative.' A growing mountain of quantifiable evidence proves that vast numbers of ill-informed victims have been deceived into entering this style of dissimulated cultic swindle, then, on the pretext that 'the duplication of a step-by-step positive plan will lead to success,' they have been intellectually-castrated (without their fully-informed consent) so that their minds will only accept what their leaders have arbitrarily defined as 'positive,' and to exclude what these same cultic charlatans have arbitrarily defined as 'negative.' 

When seen only in the fake 'positive' context of: 'Business', 'Independence', 'Financial Freedom' , 'Low Risk' , 'Direct Selling',  'High Quality, Good-Value, Scientifically-Proven Products', 'Research', 'Development', etc. 'MLM income opportunities' can appear to be authentic. This dangerous inversion of reality has been further confirmed by celebrity/political/scientific/corporate endorsements contained in glossy-advertising. Self-evidently, when the wider-picture is examined (by persons with fully-functioning critical and evaluative faculties), all of this propaganda forms a pattern of ongoing, major, racketeering activity, because these artificially-created, fake 'positive' contexts have actually been financed by the proceeds of crime in order to perpetrate further crime and avoid being held to account. 

It is only when you take 'MLM income opportunity' frauds out of their artificially-created, fake 'positive' contexts, that their true, predatory nature becomes immediately obvious.

David Brear (copyright 2012)