Herb Greenberg presents: 'Selling The American Dream.'

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

Self-appointed sovereign leadership. Pernicious cults are instigated and ruled by psychologically dominant individuals, and/or bodies of psychologically dominant individuals (often with impressive, made-up names, and/or ranks, and/or titles), who hold themselves accountable to no one. These individuals have severe and inflexible Narcissistic Personalities (i.e. they suffer from a chronic psychological disorder, especially when resulting in a grandiose sense of self-importance/ righteousness and the compulsion to take advantage of others and to control others’ views of, and behaviour towards, them).* They steadfastly pretend moral and intellectual authority whilst pursuing various, hidden, criminal objectives (fraudulent, and/or sexual, and/or violent, etc.). The admiration of their adherents only serves to confirm, and magnify, the leaders’ strong sense of self-entitlement and fantasies of unlimited success, power, brilliance, beauty, ideal love, etc.

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* ‘Narcissistic Personality Disorder,’ is a psychological term first used in 1971 by Dr. Heinz Kohut (1913-1981). It was recognised as the name for a form of pathological narcissism in ‘The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders 1980.’ Narcissistic traits (where a person talks highly of himself/herself to eliminate feelings of worthlessness) are common in, and considered ‘normal’ to, human psychological development. When these traits become accentuated by a failure of the social environment and persist into adulthood, they can intensify to the level of a severe mental disorder. Severe and inflexible NPD is thought to effect less than 1% of the general adult population. It occurs more frequently in men than women. In simple terms, NPD is reality-denying, total self-worship born of its sufferers’ unconscious belief that they are flawed in a way that makes them fundamentally unacceptable to others. In order to shield themselves from the intolerable rejection and isolation which they unconsciously believe would follow if others recognised their defective nature, NPD sufferers go to almost any lengths to control others’ view of, and behaviour towards, them. NPD sufferers often choose partners, and raise children, who exhibit ‘co-narcissism’ (a co-dependent personality disorder like co-alcoholism). Co-narcissists organize themselves around the needs of others (to whom they feel responsible), they accept blame easily, are eager to please, defer to others’ opinions and fear being seen as selfish if they act assertively. NPD was observed, and apparently well-understood, in ancient times. Self-evidently, the term, ‘narcissism,’ comes from the allegorical myth of Narcissus, the beautiful Greek youth who falls in love with his own reflection.

Currently, NPD has nine recognised diagnostic criteria (five of which are required for a diagnosis):

•       has a grandiose sense of self-importance.
•       is preoccupied with fantasies of unlimited success, power, brilliance, beauty, ideal love, etc.
•       believes that he/she is special and unique and can only be understood by other special people.
•       requires excessive admiration.
•       strong sense of self-entitlement.
•       takes advantage of others to achieve his/her own ends.
•       lacks empathy.
•       is often envious or believes that others are envious of him/her.
•       arrogant disposition.

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Bearing the above in mind, I invite the readers of 'MLM The American Dream Made Nightmare' to watch this latest CNBC video, entitled 'Selling The American Dream,' which is  presented by Herb Greenberg. 

http://www.cnbc.com/id/100359541

Robert FitzPatrick

Although it was clearly explained to Mr. Greenberg by Robert FitzPatrick that 'Herbalife' has an loss-rate of at least 99% amongst its never-ending chain of participants, it is far more accurate to say that:

Other than the insignificant minority of schills at the top of the 'Herbalife' pyramid, the hidden, overall, rolling churn/loss rate for the so-called 'Herbalife MLM Income Opportunity,' has always been 100%!

Narcissistic 'Herbalife' racketeer, Michael Johnson.

Perhaps Mr. Greenberg should have asked the following common-sense questions of Michael Johnson:

• Since your organization's instigation, exactly how many people around the world have signed-up with 'Herbalife' and exactly how many of these alleged 'Independent Business Owners' have got back more money than they paid in?

• What quantifiable evidence can you supply which would prove that the so-called 'Herbalife income opportunity' has had any significant and sustainable revenue other than that deriving from a never-ending chain of losing participants?

David Vladeck http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Vladeck

I have to say that I found David Vladeck's morally, and intellectually, bankrupt contribution to this recent CNBC documentary, to be almost as disturbing as that of Michael Johnson. 

When will these dunces with diplomas (who continue to infest the higher-echelons of the FTC) finally comprehend that the majority of 'MLM income opportunity' victims have not complained to regulators, because (due to previous decades of FTC incompetence and corruption) they have been led to believe that companies like 'Herbalife' act with the full-approval of regulators? 

I hasten to add that the ongoing, blame-the-victim cultic racket which has generally been referred to as 'MLM,' has precious little connection with business (in the traditional sense of the word). Consequently, it should never have been left to a bunch of ill-informed trade regulators to deal with this latter-day version of an age-old criminogenic phenomenon.

David Brear (copyright 2013)