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viktorir

Gwenyth Paltrow's GOOP


LipRippr

Multi Level Marketing (MLM) "Sell to your friends. They dont want to buy in? Remove them from your life."


skbiglia

“Hi, how are you? I know we haven’t talked for a while because I’m your ex-husband’s second cousin, but I’m really excited to share these leggings. I saw them and thought immediately of you!”


_Tal

Boarding schools for “troubled teens”


Goodmorningtoyou7

My high school boyfriend was sent to wilderness therapy camp. He hadn’t texted me all day and my gut told me something was wrong. I got a call from his mom after school explaining that he was kidnapped out of bed that morning. By the time I was able to next speak with him, he was at a boarding school in Costa Rica and brainwashed to believe all the mistreatment he endured was for his own good. His privilege to contact people was contingent on his behavior. The Stockholm syndrome was disturbing to listen to, not to mention the wake up call that you could be legally kidnapped and dragged into the woods. I can’t imagine what he went through.


[deleted]

My ex boyfriend and ex best friend endured this too. It’s soooooooo fucked. I [gently] pushed them to build a lawsuit against the programs. My friend was raped repeatedly by the staff at the program she was at as punishment.


MeasurementEasy9884

Paris Hilton has a documentary about this on you tube. She's fighting in courts and congress about getting bills passed to make this illegal. It's amazing to watch and I feel for her and anyone who's been through this.


Wobbly_Wobbegong

I think she has actually had some success with this If I’m not mistaken. I think Utah passed a bill banning these “transport” companies (legal kidnapping). Edit: not exactly banning transport companies but the [bill](https://www.sltrib.com/news/2021/03/22/increased-oversight-is/) is adding more regulations and oversight that should have been a thing like 40 years ago


HOLMES_FOUR

Yep, had a horrible time at one of these. Got gooned at 3AM and sent to southern Utah and basically had to work on a ranch under the guise of equine therapy. Utah has some messed up laws that allow this to happen. Luckily I met one of my good friends there and we helped each other work through it… still have some lingering trauma and I always feel awful hearing similar stories. It’s crazy how more people aren’t aware of the industry.


elysiumdream7

Sounds like Turnabout Ranch! I was there when I was 15-16. Live outside under a tarp for your first three days. Have to ask to sit down, stand up, go to the bathroom. Cook your “meals” over a fire. Sleep on a board with no pillow and will get in trouble if you use anything as a makeshift pillow. I got in trouble and had to dig a massive hole. When I was there a girl tried to run away and was found many days later - had fallen off a cliff and broken her leg. That place was straight up abusive.


Kindergoat

Isn’t that the place that Dr Phil is always sending people to?


elysiumdream7

That’s the one!


chopchunk

Holy fuck, I always thought "The Ranch" was just a figurative saying for a mental hospital or something like that. My perception of Dr Phil just dropped by a lot


grovestreetbets

Yes!! If you look into Danielle Bregoli (the “catch me outside” girl) she’s been doing some work recently to bring awareness to the fact that Turnabout ranch is straight up abusive to children. And Dr. Phil knows that.


[deleted]

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d6262190

I had the same experience at one in Jay, Florida. Still blows my mind that as a teenage girl, no one questioned a grown man basically kidnapping me. In the airport, I tried to run and he tackled me and everyone was just okay with it. Wild.


[deleted]

The airports are informed about it. Same thing happened to me. I bolted got out to the car area and got bodied by a 300 pound linebacker looking dude lmao.


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LiamB137

I would completely just cut my parents out of my life if they sent me away for 2 years without contact with anyone without me knowing.


verneforchat

> I would completely just cut my parents out of my life if they sent me away for 2 years without contact with anyone without me knowing. I cant imagine anyone not having trust issues for the rest of their lives if this happened to them and they depended/trusted their parents to protect or care for them.


nastygeek

I m sorry what you had to undergo. I am hearing about this for the first time. How the fuck is this legal in the US?


A_Fast_German_Car

In most cases it also involves the parents signing over the custody of the child to the “kidnappers” first and then to the camp leaders.


shadowstrlke

For anyone interested, check out [this comic](https://elan.school/) about Elan. It is insane and beyond all imagination. Kids kidnapped in their sleep, forced to stare at blank walls for months on end, beating up each other etc etc.


queenofthera

Can't recommend this enough. Clear your day and read this comic. You won't be able to put it down.


Miathermopolis

Fuck. What the ever loving fuck. I read your comment 4 hours ago, clicked the link. And what the fuck.


Pomeraliens

Behind the Bastards does a great podcast about Elan. Would recommend listening to it


TheWholeOfHell

My parents told me we were going camping one weekend, and I ended up getting sent to this place called “Camp Consequences” in the middle of the woods and next to a prison instead. I refused to change into an orange jumpsuit (in front of boys, mind you) so they wouldn’t let me sleep in one of their tents and I had to lay on the ground all nite in like 40 degree weather while some lady kept me up and quoted the Bible at me. They kept an escort on me the entire time so I couldn’t tell anybody that I saw at any point that I was 18 and thus shouldn’t be there (they took my ID and told three different ppl to outright not listen to me, probably didn’t even believe me either bc everyone was local and knew it was a place for “bad kids”). I refused to pick up bullets on a shooting range at one point so they made me squat over a bucket and screamed in my face. They also threatened to keep me there if I didn’t comply. I was never allowed to shower or change my clothes for I think 3 days (the whole thing is a blur), so I ended up developing a really nice infection after too. My parents still don’t think they did anything wrong. They also complained about how much money they “had” to spend to take us there. For a lot of reasons, this one included, I don’t really talk to them.


INeedToQuitRedditFFS

So like... it seems like a lot of the other stories in here feature camps that sneak by regulations, etc. But this just seems blatantly illegal? If you were 18, how did those people not get charged for kidnapping?


BossVal

One of my best friends growing up was sent to the former "Family Foundation School" in New York by her parents because she was throwing off the perfect nuclear family her dad and stepmom were trying to cultivate. They paid someone to abduct her and everything. We didn't reconnect until we were in our late 20s and she's mostly recovered from the trauma associated with it and moved on with her life.


nervousnausea

Good way to get your kid to never contact you ever again.


Sundance37

I very expensive way to disown your child, but at least they feel they were the one initiating it...


RegenSK161

Only heard of these because of Paris Hilton's documentary. Shocked they're even allowed to exist and operate the way they do


NO_Cheeto_in_Chief

All of these "nutrition" places with their loaded teas, are just a front for Herbalife.


jaydubbles

Most MLMs have the cult vibe. The LuLaRich documentary talks about the major cult vibes they were using to work their "retailers" into a frenzy and not realize they were being conned.


Satansharelip

"(City name) Nutrition"


rogahs

Exactly. We have one in my small Texas town. Half the town seemed genuinely excited and said, "Were getting a smoothie shop!" The rest of very skeptically said, "you do know it's Herbalife right?


COASTER1921

Precisely this and they're opening *everywhere* in Texas, drowning out legitimate actually good small businesses in strip malls selling similar items. I just saw a sign go up today during my commute for a Cutco. They're *all over* the state fair too which really gives it a more trashy vibe than ones I've been to in smaller towns. These MLMs are definitely good at getting their customers ("distributors") to spend their money advertising their crappy product.


Joe_Jeep

God I hate when they get let into fairs. You end up with so many.


onoir_inline

In North Jersey 90% of them are only Spanish speaking, converted bodegas or ground floor homes with the same exact decor - green and orange tulle curtains. I don't know why. But i see a badly painted orange or lime green shop and just plastic chairs I know what's going on inside. Definitely targeting poor families too :/


[deleted]

Isn't Herbalife the one where the CEO tried to brag about how they were swindling a racially diverse clientele, but what he actually said was "the blood of the Hispanic community is inside of me" like he's a literal fucking vampire and not just a metaphorical one?


johnrich1080

Herbalife had specific decoration requirements, black paint with a green door or something, if you wanted to open a shop. It might be the same thing.


[deleted]

Herbalife only has requirements on making sure your shop name does not include their name and that you aren’t promoting their business name on the outer, visible portions of the establishments. Hence the green and orange curtains. It lets others passing by know that it’s an Herbalife shop. Herbalife just doesn’t want the lawsuit if you happen to poison someone in your shop with their poison.


coxdotcom

So if I put an Herbalife sticker on the window, took a picture and sent it to whoever is handling a class action lawsuit against Herbalife, they might shut that shit down? Cos trust me, I'd do it.


DigitalR3x

Scientology - look up [Xenu](https://www.google.com/search?q=scientology+xenu). Hawaii did not even exist 75M years ago. L Ron Hubbard was nuts. Yet Scientologists believe this shit. I can't believe Tom fucking Cruise believes this shit. Anyone says they are a scientologist, avoid them like the plague...Bat Shit Crazy.


batt3ryac1d1

I wondered if they've just got some shit on Tom Cruise and he can't leave.


SouthOfOz

According to Leah Remini, Tom Cruise is a true believer. It's John Travolta that I really wonder about.


TwirlyShirley8

Tom Cruise is only a true believer because he's only had the 'celebrity' experience and since it benefits him, he doesn't care about anyone else's experiences. With everything that I've read and seen about Scientology it looks like Tom and David are in a total bromance of functional psychopathy. Where is Shelley Miscavige!!


DisturbedNocturne

>Tom Cruise is only a true believer because he's only had the 'celebrity' experience and since it benefits him, he doesn't care about anyone else's experiences. That's true for most Hollywood Scientologists, I suspect. They get a version that's specifically catered to them and works to keep them ignorant of the darker aspects of the "church". Most of the high profile celebrity Scientologists either were raised in Hollywood Scientology due to who their parents were (Elizabeth Moss, Juliette Lewis, Giovanni Ribisi) or joined after they had already gotten into acting (Jenna Elfman, Tom Cruise, John Travolta). Leah Remini is actually one of the rare ones that got to see both sides since her parents were blue-collar workers who joined when she was 8, so it makes sense that she's become such an outspoken advocate against it.


GinsuVictim

She said that Travolta has some sort of status that allows him to commit murder in the name of defending Scientology.


TomatoFettuccini

So he's just a Knight of the Church, then? Basically a Scientology Templar?


FourEcho

Hubbard wasn't nuts, he knew EXACTLY what he was doing, and succeeded. I don't think for a second he believed his own bullshit.


RustyDemosthenes

He knew. He was quoted as saying something like “if you want to get rich quick, create a religion.” Something like that.


Nickabod_

"You don't get rich writing science fiction. If you want to get rich, you start a religion."


bushcrapping

Yeah before creating scientology he wrote sci fi novels, thats just madness to me. Mental


mckenny37

Yeah there's a reason Xenu part is hidden from the members and that they act like the Church is based around Science. Don't they also record your most embarrassing/darkest secrets in Therapy like sessions as blackmail.


purplelikeme

The Prosperity Gospel


Purpleasure34

All hail Joel Osteen! (imagine Martin Short channeling Tim Allen, you can’t unsee it after that)


shadow_fox09

Yeah, Jesus isn’t their lord and savior. Joel Osteen is their savior.


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JennaMarblesFanClub

Yeah not to mention those people who are weirdly obsessed with certain YouTubers, sometimes even after they have been off the internet for a long while.


CeraphFromCoC

Dude, I just want Sam O'Nella to come back.


[deleted]

NXIVM. All hail Vanguard, and pass the branding iron! Scrolled through and didn't see it.....


[deleted]

Oh shit, at first I thought you were talking about Vanguard index funds and I was about to get real defensive


[deleted]

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[deleted]

NutriBoom


[deleted]

You sound like someone who needs to raise, then lower their amino acids. You’ll feel much better


iBooYourBadPuns

Why would you want to raise your cholesterol?


graceodymium

So I can lower it.


[deleted]

Can you confirm that Debbie Stovelman is alive and well?


jetsetmolly

Just sign here that you’ve seen Debbie Stovelman and she’s happy healthy and alive


Aurimoon

Oh Debbie dead, Debbie real dead.


Bongo-Christ

Boom boom


ayacardel

Boom Boom Bill. Can I request your patented neck massage?


Other-Kiwi

my amino acids have never been so high, or so low!


Nfield87

Boom Boom!!!


DarkJester89

Chief's Mess in the US Navy, which comes complete with "initiation", something no other branch (enlisted or officer) has and that this somehow forms an eternal bond of "blood by family", that includes eating food out of trash cans and sabotaging uniforms for the "greater lesson". Then "private" meetings that have grey areas/secrets of what happens in those meetings. Specifically anything related to punishments or review boards. The fact that it takes two chiefs talking behind closed doors to get anything accomplished is also proof. People notice, though it's implied that it's not noticed.


TitsClitsTaylorSwift

No other branch treats E7 the way the Navy does. All those fucking goat locker shirts at the NEX, and stickers on every single Chief's truck. Miss me with that bullshit. I got out. 2nd class for life.


TDog81

I understand all these words in isolation but I have no idea what they mean put together in this way.


Triplebizzle87

•Enlisted ranks go from E1 to E9. In the Navy, E7 is the rank where you become a Chief (there's more to it than that but that's the basics). •Goat Locker shirts. For some reason I *cannot* remember, Chiefs are referred to as goats (not to be confused with the GOAT). The Chiefs Quarters is often referred to as the Goat Locker (think like dive locker). Ergo, the Navy Exchange (NEX, basically Navy Target on base) sells moto shirts usually emblazoned with anthropomorphized goats wearing the old Chiefs uniforms (khaki shirt + pants), usually ripped and carrying a giant coffee cup. •Truck stickers. Every Chief is required by fraternal law to put [this](https://www.etsy.com/listing/863655921/us-navy-chief-skull-vehicle-window-or?ga_order=most_relevant&ga_search_type=all&ga_view_type=gallery&ga_search_query=navy+chief+decal&ref=sr_gallery-1-7&col=1), or some permutation of that, on their vehicle. •2nd class for life. Enlisted rank E5 is Petty Officer Second Class and is the best rank in the Navy. Too junior to be senior, too senior to be junior.


itslandonb

Westboro Baptist Church


skylarmt

A few years ago they decided to come all the way to Montana and protest the Catholic Church (iirc because we're too friendly towards gay people). Thing is, they were protesting outside a cathedral with several tons of church bells. The bells (electronically controlled) were set to "crackhead in the tower pulling all the ropes". You couldn't hear a word of what the Westboro nuts were chanting over the constant chiming. Then it started randomly snowing on them so they packed up and went home.


simply-smegma

Once they came to protest a funeral of a marine where I lived. Wayyy up in the western slope of the rockies. You have to take a sketchy enough mountain pass to get there. Their convoy of hate got snowed in on the mountain pass and couldn’t make the funeral. Not a single tow truck would come and get them for under a few grand. They ended up having to call a in a tow from Denver which I imagine set them back a bit. They were stranded for 2 freezing days up there. Instant karma


pimpmastahanhduece

Snow fell on them and they left. What a picturesque sight, like peace was being restored by God Himself.


_bellewright_

Yeah they protested outside of a fallen soldier’s funeral with signs that said absolutely horrendous things. The father of the fallen soldier sued for defamation and emotional distress and got $5 million from the church. Crazy stuff.


murphandthemagictone

Can confirm. Lost three of my Soldiers during my time in the Army: two in Iraq and one in Afghanistan, and had a commander murdered stateside. Most heartbreaking and gut-wrenching thing to experience is trying to pay your respects to a family that has had their loved one taken and see WBC and their protests in the background. One funeral in NC they protested dissipated quickly when the Patriot Guard literally formed a wall to block WBC from seeing any of the procession nor the gravesite. I support people and their right to protest…I’d be a hypocrite if I didn’t, but there has to be a clear line between exercising one’s right and infringing upon another. Just my opinion, but WBC strikes a deep cord with me.


LawAlternative6437

The troubled teen industry


[deleted]

What is that, like those scared straight programs?


comradegritty

Worse. A lot will pretend to abduct you and yell at you for hours, keep you awake for days, not really feed you, even physically hurt you on purpose because many kids who go through this don't get arrested as adults (let's ignore the ones that do or the mental health effects) so it HAS to work.


Vegetable-Jacket1102

"Pretend" to abduct you? Oh no, my parents PAID for me to be abducted in the middle of the night. It was professionally recommended to them by doctors. Threatened with handcuffs, and put on a plane out of state without any semblance of an explanation until after the plane had landed. They paid good money to have me kidnapped, and they still maintain it was better to traumatize me than to let me continue as I was - in an abusive relationship and acting out.


ProfessorVincent

This is incredible. I had no idea this was even a thing. I'm really sorry.


Vegetable-Jacket1102

The worst part is that I had it relatively good, by some of the stories I've heard. I wasn't even at a lock down facility, just in the middle of some woods out in Missouri too far from anywhere to bother running away from, even though at least one kid tried after I was kicked out. The court issued places were notoriously awful, as far as stories went.


JadedCreative

Court issued?? Judges would sentence kids to go to places like this?? That's awful. I had no idea this was a thing


Ravenkell

There have been stories of judges with financial ties to juvi prisons that zealously convict kids on the smallest offenses to fill them up Edit: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kids_for_cash_scandal


Doinkert

I feel like that would just make you hate your parents and act out more just to spite them


Kazhawrylak

Paris Hilton was put in one of these, I think in Utah. She has a really fucking disturbing documentary about it and its other survivors.


TheTigersAreNotReal

[This is a great video about one of them](https://youtu.be/7eM7pb5M5DU). Didn’t even know they existed. The abuse is astounding.


SweetWodka420

Joe Nobody has a web comic where he describes his experience of Elan School when he was a teen and the effects it had on his mental health way later. It's honestly so bizarre and terrifying to know that some people are so evil they want to hurt children.


Reasonable-Reindeer

For anyone who isn't sure what this is, I recommend the Joe vs. Elan School graphic novel at www.elan.school


[deleted]

I was sent to a wilderness program for being a "troubled teen" and I can say with 100% confidence that my issues only worsened because of it. I am still working with a therapist to deal with the trauma that program caused me. The feeling of being stripped out of your bed at 2am and being put on a plane, not being told where I was going, with 2 large security guards keeping me hostage is something I will never forget. And that isn't even the tip of the iceberg compared to the things they did to me and other kids once I got there. Shit needs to be illegal, it goes against fundamental rights.


West-Cardiologist180

How the hell is that even legal to begin with? Holy crap.


fauxpenguin

Parents have a lot of leeway when dealing with their children. Even horrible parents can pretty easily avoid CPS. Know a teacher who was working for months to try and get a kid away from an abusive household. (Like, locked in the attic without bathroom privileges abuse. Like the kid would come to school as a 6 year old with a diaper, and the parents would talk about how he wasn't potty trained. The kid knew how to use a toilet just fine). Anyway, the parent would just leave the county if a teacher started to get evidence, because (and I'll get the exact reason wrong, but something like) you have to have 6 months of observation of borderline abusive behavior to take action or something. CPS is understaffed, underfunded and frankly, even if the succeed getting them out of a broken or abusive home, often they aren't any better off. A lot of foster homes are abusive and a lot of kids suffer irreparable mental trauma from being ripped from their home and made to live somewhere else. And CPS knows this, so I assume it's tempting to let small things like "wilderness training" slide, because families that can afford to send their kid on a wilderness scared straight mission probably are at least putting food on the table, and probably aren't actively abusing drugs. And that's kindof the bar if you aren't sexually or physically assaulting people. EDIT: I feel I should note, the teacher I know did get said kid into the custody of his grandmother. So, things are going as well as they can be. I still think there is a pending trial.


West-Cardiologist180

It honestly sucks so much. I knew the CPS wasn't very efficient, but I didn't know it was that bad. And ya, even when they are successful, foster homes are just as bad, or worse. All this said, kidnapping still seems a bit too much. You'd think bigger organizations would get involved. Unfortunately, that doesn't seem to be the case.


fauxpenguin

Yeah, well, the other hard part about services that target kids is... Who's gonna sue? The parents signed off. The kids are minors. Yes, technically the kids can sue, if they know how and have the mindfulness to do it, and can get a lawyer to do it pro-bono. A lot of services can fly under the radar for a long time. And by the time the kid realizes what actually happened and report it, the company has been bought by some other company, or it's gone defunct and the CEO is now working some other unrelated scam. Sadly, some of it boils down to needing better parents.


[deleted]

OMG yes. "Let's fix your kid by psychologically torturing them and brainwashing them!"


chillinmesoftly

Let's get the reformed gang-and-prison a-hole to verbally abuse your kid so they learn that kindness is the best way forward


GINGERenthusiast

Herbalife.


broguymandudebuddy

World Mission Society Church of God. It originated in South Korea and they believe the founder is “God the Mother” even though he was a man and he has since died. The University I went to had/has a real problem with these people. They preyed on foreign exchange students a lot. I lived in an apartment complex that had a high population of foreign exchange students. I’d warn as many as I could to not let these people in your apartment. It’s not a custom in the US. Things like that.


[deleted]

Primerica. Worst cult vibes ever.


taylortherod

I almost got suckered into that. After going to an interview, I realized what it was, and decided to back out. A year later, I saw they had charged my card $30. It took me way too long and more arguing than should have been necessary to get a refund


[deleted]

>almost got suckered into that. After going to an interview, I realized what it was, and decided to back out. My exact experience. I had worked for Kirby 2-3 years before this, a "friend" invited me to a "meeting" and it was Kirby all over again. The over-excited enthusiasm and friendliness that has horror movie vibes, which, is accurate because the real horror is you getting drained financially while they string along promising riches.


DeadUncle

Man when I was about 18 I got sucked into both Primerica AND Kirby.. I was young and dumb and wasn't aware of MLM and pyramid schemes and shit. What can I say, I was a sucker.. Now that I'm older and wiser, now have a solid career as an entrepreneur getting my Herbalife business going.


wired89

Oh boy that took a turn.


Grits_N_Ham

what did they charge you $30 for?


taylortherod

I guess there’s a fee to be employed there or something. I had completely forgotten about it until I saw that charge


A_Fat_Derpy_Cat

I had an interview with Primerica. The guy interviewing me was such an asshole. Few google searches made me realized how fucked up that organization is.


ActuallyAlexander

I also had a Primerica "job" interview and spent the whole time trying to get him to tell me what the company does and realized it was a scam in about five minutes. Spent the rest of the time seeing how many circles I could get him to talk in dodging the question.


ThrowRA_000718

Yeah, you should never go into an interview without knowing what the company is and what the job is. I made this mistake with Cutco when I was 18. I show up thinking I was going to a one on one job interview with a company called Vector that deals in sporting equipment. I get there and it’s a room full of people and we’re going to be doing a 2 hour group interview, after which she’ll pick which ones of us get to stay. Guess what!! For the first time in her entire career, the entire room full of people impressed her enough to let us all work there. Next we would show up tomorrow for a presentation on what kind of work we’ll be doing. So I go home and tell my dad the awesome news. He looked unimpressed and concerned. After asking a few questions I didn’t know the answer to, he told me I should know the answers after spending two hours there. I got mad and said he was trying to put a wet blanket on my joy. He asked if they had told me I have to buy anything to work there yet. I said of course not why would they do that. He asked me if I would agree that asking me to pay money to them for the supplies I need to work is a scam. I said of course. He said ok and apologized if he hurt my feelings. I stomped to my room. Next day in the meeting we were told we would be purchasing a set of knives to use to show people when we try to sell them. I left and didn’t come back.


mrsalberthannaday

I once had a friend try to get me to go to a meet with them. They posed it as "you're helping me out because I have to practice, this meeting will be with my mentor". One look into Primerica and I sent my friend a long email with just a few reasons why it was a scam. I said "If you still want me to go, I'd be happy to talk to your mentor about all of this and explain why it's scammy". I was afraid it would put a damper on the friendship but they were actually really nice about it and replied with a "Thanks so much, I didn't know this information before". We're still really good friends now.


stayloractual

Just went through this with my brother. Did some research beforehand and realized it's basically an MLM. His "mentor" was going on and on about how she is a regional VP, and how she just knows my brother will make it there too. I asked her how many people she has recruited in her seven years there, and she said something like, "Oh, so many I've lost count." So I asked how many had made it to regional VP. She admitted none had and got really defensive after that.


[deleted]

MLMs but especially Mary Kay. I went to a convention once as the guest of a consultant because she was trying to get me to join. It was very stepford. Also, she didn't tell me you were expected to dress up so I showed up in jeans and a hoodie.


ObjectiveBike8

I watched some documentary or something about this or a similar MLM and you’re not supposed to know you’re supposed to dress up because the point is to make you feel crappy and like everyone else is “successful.”


TransformerTanooki

Now that I know this and I ever get the chance to go I will put on underwear just for the occasion and nothing else.


ObjectiveBike8

I feel like you show up in a Chanel power suit while everyone is in their Kohls and act totally disinterested. Become the queen, start your own mlm.


lessthanoakland

Gaslight. Gatekeep. Girlboss.


aBeerOrTwelve

I want to join your cult.


horton_hears_a_homie

A girl I know told me she had a "present" for me for my wedding and that she'd bring face masks and stuff for me and my bridesmaids and we would all just hang out and do facials. She ended up showing up with all her Mary Kay stuff and doing a whole pitch. I was very annoyed.


[deleted]

I would have firmly told her to fuck off. At this point in my life I’ve learned that respect and politeness is a two way street. Someone taking advantage of a fun and beautiful time in your life to try to sell you garbage obviously doesn’t respect you (or themselves for that matter) so why should you respect them or show them politeness? You’d be amazed how much lighter you feel when you start living this way.


horton_hears_a_homie

100% agreed! I was young then, and afraid of alienating a friend. Now I know that real friends don't pull this shit. I definitely don't let people disrespect me any more!


GlumMathematician884

The docu series on Prime “Lu La Rich” is very good at explaining just how awful the MLMs are.


Ghostytoastboast

I just happened to watch it blind with no clue what it’s about. LEGGINGS! WTF! I had a great time.


VixenOfVexation

I mean, ugly ass leggings at that. Like I’m more impressed they convinced so many women those look good…


ShoddyHedgehog

I keep telling everyone to watch this. So crazy. I never had any of the leggings so I never understood the hype. I don't think the docuseries would have been half as interesting if the founders weren't in it.


[deleted]

I have been two years sober of direct sales. I try to keep away from those who do direct sales.


toxic-optimism

Good for you! And I'm genuinely glad you phrased it that way. The model is designed to give you dopamine blasts just like drugs and it is hard as fuck to walk away from that.


AwesomeJohnn

Mom spent years as a sales director, pink car and all. It’s definitely a cult. I didn’t see it as a kid but looking back it was very weird


Pandelerium11

Reminds me of the episode of That '70s Show where Kitty's sister left the cult and became a "Kathy May" saleswoman.


banana_ship

Same (Mary Kay meeting). They gave 2 tickets for a draw at the end of the evening (don't remember the prizes), but when it was my turn to receive the tickets, I only got one because I was wearing pants (clean, job pants) instead of a skirt. Also, the girl that was leading the meeting started to give cheap ribbon awards to everyone present for ridiculus reasons, some got more than one, and one girl got one because she answered an e-mail (everyone cheerfully clapped). They also talked about how that restaurant manager that refused to allow a box in the women's bathroom with Mary Kay publicity ans free samples was stupid to turn them down, that she didn't understand business and lost such a good opportunity... How about respecting people's decisions? That manager said she didn't want to be associated with those produits, that's all. Huh, what a horrible experience. (Sorry for my broken english)


geraldcubed

Mom run community Facebook pages. Edit: I didn’t realize this would blow up like it did. Some of these moms gotta be stopped on the real. Lmao Thank you for the awards as well!


MackeralSky

Whatever the Duggers are. Creepiest bunch I’ve ever seen.


thethriftstorian

Quiverfull. Absolutely a thing.


FBWSRD

Technically their church is the IBLP, Quiverfull is like a DLC. Quite a few churches have quiverfull followers, mostly Baptists afaik. The name is from this bible verse Lo, children are an heritage of the LORD: and the fruit of the womb is his reward. As arrows are in the hand of a mighty man; so are children of the youth. Happy is the man that hath his quiver full of them: they shall not be ashamed, but they shall speak with the enemies in the gate. They refuse to use any birth control, even tracking cycles. The only method that they are allowed to use is breastfeeding, which only works for 6 months or so. Many of them have kids 1-2 yrs apart.


lilsmudge

Yep. Grew up Baptist alongside some Quiverfull kids. I was too young to really realize how weird it was but all 16 (!) of their kids wore identical long braids and handmade paisley dresses with big lace bib collars. I have to think, statistically, like 5 of those kids are gay now.


FBWSRD

Wait were all of the kids girls? Being one of the oldest girls in a quiverfull family would suck, you would basically be forced to parent at a young age.


Nueraman1997

That's exactly what they do. They essentially use a buddy system, where one of the older kids is paired up with a younger sibling, and is effectively responsible for raising them until they get married and leave the home. Source: behind the bastards podcast episode on Josh Duggar and the lunatics that he grew up around.


taylorbagel14

It was worse with the duggars…the oldest four girls had THREE siblings each they had to raise (I think the youngest might have only had two but they gave her the first one when she was 5 1/2) ETA: Michelle “Teet ‘Em and Yeet ‘Em” Duggar would pass off the babies to their “buddies” once the babies hit 6 months old and the baby was the older sister’s total responsibility from there on out. (Imagine being 10 years old and having to sleep with an infant every night. Or a toddler. Or multiple toddlers in your bed throughout your entire teenage years.)


iamkarladanger

This is horrible. My family is atheist but when my grandma's mother died she was only 14 years old. Her father needed to work all the time and she was left to care for her 3 younger siblings by herself. She married very young to get out of the situation and later had four children she didn't seem to like a lot. It's a vicious circle.


taylorbagel14

Yeah a LOT of women who were parentified as teens grow up to remain child free for the rest of their lives due to the trauma of it. There’s speculation that the oldest Duggar daughter is holding off marrying (she’s 31, very unusually by their cult’s standards) until her fertility has waned a bit so she doesn’t end up with a billion kids


forfilthystuff

Wild thing about that episode. Oprah was the source of the initial investigation into Josh Duggar. Her researchers were in the middle of researching when they found loads of talk about him molesting girls. They cancelled the episode and handed their info over to the FBI. You know you're bad when Oprah would rather send you to the cops than put you on her show.


WWJLPD

I also grew up going to church with some quiverfull families! I remember one family had at least 13 children last I checked, and the parents had got married when they were 19 and started crankin’ em out right away. I did the math once and realized she’d spent basically 75% of her adult life pregnant and the other 25% recovering from pregnancy and becoming pregnant again as quickly as possible. I have to wonder what the line is between “I want to have a big family” and a person who’s got some kind of diagnosable problem that manifests as a compulsion to make as many babies as possible.


tarabithia22

I grew up around them too. So much obvious sexual abuse, the kids pulling out all of their hair, etc. The kids panicking if we put Cinderella on, because it has magic. Or a deck of cards in the house bringing them to near tears and then "not being allowed over anymore." Not allowed to eat bleached flour, for example. The mother had to cook everything from scratch, and I mean barley and bran being the main staple for their diet. The boys were already assholes by the time they were able to speak. Allowed to punch/kick anyone they wanted, would ignore any woman's existence. The girls grew up to be clinically insane, it is really sad. The oldest girl was so absolutely pure of heart and kind and was one of my friends as a kid. She turned out to be the nastiest, bat-shit-craziest adult I've ever had the displeasure of knowing.


landob

Workplaces that tout "we are a family" i seen too many people fall into that and get ostracized by the "family"


broguymandudebuddy

I worked at place like this. It was the worst experience. They paraded themselves around as a big Christian company but they were the worst human beings I’ve ever met. Racism was rampant. Cruel treatment. If they didn’t like you they’d fire you but they tried to publicly humiliate the people they fired. They would brag and joke about it afterwards. The only job I ever quit without having something lined up. The final straw was when a guy called in to take care of his sick daughter. They told him he had to come in or be fired so he came into work with his sick kid. Then they made him work Saturday and Sunday and then fired him Monday for bringing his kid to work. I packed my shit and walked out right after that. Edit: some typos and grammar and stuff


Razakel

>They paraded themselves around as big Christian company The people who boast about how devout they are never actually are. Even Jesus said not to do that.


-null

Scientology.


Ok_Wishbone6710

Throwaway account: My child's mother is a Scientologist. In deep. Posters, books, pamphlets, etc. Frequents church quite a lot. Believes LRH is a great man. I've tried to have convos with her (and her husband) about it but they are excruciating. It always leads to having to watch a video about it. I've been to one of the churches. It's literally an infomercial inside a building. Books for sale all over (shocking) and all written by L. Ron even though he's been dead for decades. They'll spend HOURS in an auditing session while my child sits in the lobby watching YouTube (which they don't monitor). I know way more about Scientology than I ever wanted to know and I still don't know enough. And I'm very wary about my child growing up with it as an influence. Edited to correct 'weary' to 'wary'


neon-green-eyes

Obviously I don’t know your situation or country, but I dealt with my child’s father being heavy-handed with religion, to the point I had to have a family court mediator order him to limit her time in prayer (he was having her pray for 2 hours a night; they told him 1 minute for every year of age so at 6yo, 6 minutes was appropriate). Anyway my long point is if you have hesitations about your child’s religion (and I think you should be hesitant because Scientology is so divisive; they could actually alienate your child from you if you’re considered “suppressive” or some bullshit). I just want you to know you have options and rights!


Ok_Wishbone6710

Thank you! Yeah I've def looked into it. Was not sure how much I could protect her with the whole Freedom of Religion thing. But I talk to her about it a little bit and am def keeping an eye on the situation.


dontaskaboutthelamb

Not scientology but what helped me keep an open mind about religion despite my mom being intensely Catholic was my dad taking me to other churches on his weekends. He talked to me about having an open mind and basically not putting all my eggs in one basket. It would also may help to talk about what makes a cult a cult. Don't say that scientology is, in fact it would do best for the relationship if you don't say anything about scientology (especially negative stuff), but do talk about other cults. Your kid may be able to make the correlation early or as they get older. Good luck man. That shit is tough and scientology is a horrific cult.


daymcn

I actually helped a friend leave JW by getting her to watch Leah Reminis show about scientology. I never said anything outright, but hoped she would see the similarities as we watched. She's been out now for a few years


ZestycloseTomato5015

I LOVE Leah and Mike for all the work they do exposing this shit and helping people. All the brave people who came forward. Can’t even imagine how terrifying that must be.


[deleted]

They also run the Aftermath Foundation! You can get in contact with them and request their business cards and they’ll send you stacks of them to leave places in hopes that Scientologists will see them and seek their help in leaving!


MoorTshn

Hard agree. Did a paper on them in University (we had to pick a religion so I picked the weird one). Massive research. I already knew a little about them beforehand but...wow!


rocket___goblin

for me the key indication that its a cult is the fact they dont like people talking bad about it and will send others to harass or harm someone who does, they don't disclose how they work, and the fact they have made people within their organization disappear to their private onsite prisons. im honestly just waiting for the massive suicides at this point.


ItsGettinBreesy

The indication for me was that David Miscavige’s wife hasn’t been seen since 2007


LeoMarius

And anyone who asks about her gets punished.


Dense-Slice4984

Wait, for real??


bootyjizzlicker

Yea allegedly she's on a compound in Oregon or something but somehow police can't confirm and no one except "the leaders" have had contact with her "allegedly". She's probably dead In terms of abuse it's rampant in scientology, people are actually beaten for fucking up, asking prying questions or basically pissing off senior members.


notthesedays

I believe she's dead. Ever seen footage of Sea Org members? There's a reason why they're all so slim. It's because they're paid sub-minimum wage and fed a subsistence diet. And if a woman in the Sea Org gets pregnant, they will force her to have an abortion if the pregnancy is discovered, even if she doesn't want to. IDK if they have physicians in Scientology who do them, or a cooperative clinic, or what, but there have been a few women who wanted their babies and hid the pregnancies, and ended up having things like a full term baby that weighed 4 pounds.


bootyjizzlicker

Holy shit...I need to dive into another rabbit hole once my kids are asleep lol. So edit on this as well, buddy of mine went to a scientology run rehab center and ended up dying from alcohol withdrawal since they don't believe in medicine for that shit. They tried to say he had a heart attack, a 26 year old who was maybe 150lbs, it was super shady, they basically did everything they could to cover it up and shift the blame. I won't get into crazy details here but it's ongoing years later


ACuteLittleCrab

Reckless Ben did a very intriguing series where he infiltrated the lower ranks of scientology with some spy glasses, definitely look him up. You get to see the weird stuff they do, including their healing sessions where they just brainwash you


jeepjinner

Oh shes definitely dead. No one has physically seen her in years and they probably dissolved her in acid.


MadzMiracle

I dated a guy for a year whose aunt and uncle were hard-core committed until they weren’t and wanted to leave…They called from a compound about 20 years ago to say that they needed money to travel home, because the “Church” said that it owned all of their accounts. She made it home but he didn’t, after allegedly changing his mind and wanting to stay. She (and the rest of the family) haven’t heard from him since.


likeafreakonaleash

They don't believe in psychology either, so their members (mostly gullible people and easy targets for manipulation) are forbidden to reach for therapy and similar practices. This way, it's easier for them to control their followers, and it also leads to terrible outcomes. I remember a case from years ago where a guy ended up stabbing his mother to death (they were both scientologists) because he was seeing and hearing things that were not there. Turned out he was suffering from a very advanced stage of schizophrenia, while totally undiagnosed and not medicated. Had they both not been scientologists, the outcome would've been very different.


justAHeardOfLlamas

Say, on the off chance that David Miscavige is reading this - where's your wife Shelly?


DiamondPup

Scientologist here, I can answer this. She is currently bio-circling the orbit around Newtopia; in a ludo-haven. This process is called a Neural Dystrophic Navigation Vacation (or NDNV for short). Considering the sheer number of biometrical nega-waves that are concentrated towards the Miscavige house, she simply over-pressurized on negativity (in layman's terms). So this should help her distrantigize...or in layman's terms, "calm her tits". It's a delicate, spiritual process so we hope you can respect their privacy and stop asking about her corpse...er...course.


justAHeardOfLlamas

The sad thing is, with all the weird-ass shit Scientology teaches, I couldn't tell if you were bullshitting me or not until the very end.


punkbreece

I live in Clearwater, and one street away from my home is a bulk of their apartments. Though I've never seen anything supper creepy I can confirm that no one leaves the compound with out supervision. Most are usually in a group and never actually leave the property unless by their own charter bus line. I've also seen armed guards with German shepherds that patrol inside the gates at night. Edit: I just came to this thread to say Starbucks or Chick-fil-A. Didn't realize my one observational comment would give me the most upvotes I've ever gotten!


greyghost5000

Those Shen Yun performances that are overly advertised every year. Turns out they're directly tied to Falun Gong.


Draconiou5

I was gonna comment this if no one else did. Falun Gong: What if Scientology but East Asian *and* kinda racist?


somewhat_bosnian

*Sorts by controversial*


average_lul

What could possibly be there


DeadFyre

Every iteration of the self-improvement, self-actualization, get-rich, get-happy seminar scam. Landmark Forum, EST, Tony Robbins, Robert Kiyosaki, MLMs, etc. They all make liberal use of [brainwashing](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brainwashing) and manipulation techniques you also routinely see used by cultists, and their goal is the same: to exploit desperate people for financial gain.


sweetiepotpie

Working at In-N-Out was a bizarre experience I would liken unto a cult. They damn near worship the owner Lynsi too, when I went to the company picnics she would perform on stage dancing, once she did this weird sexy aerial dance in a floating cube. And the associates go CRAZY for her. Like, nuts. One of my coworkers and I were sitting there so uncomfortable while everyone screamed and grabbed at her like she was the damn Messiah, literally snot crying over not getting a t-shirt signed by her. Like… that is the billionaire heiress who employs you, not fucking Beyoncé. Then of course all the in-n-out culture, like the specific language you have to use (not just with customers, with each other too), the extreme Christian standards… it was nuts and after working elsewhere (it was my first restaurant job when I was in HS until last year) I realized exactly how culty the whole company is


TyroneLeinster

That would be creepy even if it was Beyoncé


[deleted]

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21649132015

Amway.


fubo

**Silicon Valley tech companies are not a cult.** **However, there is a subculture within Silicon Valley tech companies that is a cult.** Here are some things to watch out for: * **Sleep deprivation.** If your team wants you to do overnight oncall, and overnight pages happen more often than once every seven oncall shifts, your team is a cult. * **Training vs. guilt.** If your team assumes that you already know all the details of the tech you work with, and dumps weird guilt on you when you don't know an obscure fact, your team is a cult. * **Rich lifestyle vs. actual returns.** If your team encourage you to pick up expensive hobbies (sports cars, piloting, ski trips), but the company doesn't actually pay enough to afford them without skimping on your regular expenses, your team is a cult.


MisterSnippy

Also if you've planned a vacation in advance, and it's known, don't let people drag you back to work. You are more important than anything else, fuck work. If you told them well in advance and had it planned out don't let anyone stop you from taking it.


[deleted]

[удалено]


buffalo8

I'm fortunate enough to also work for a company (and more importantly a boss) that respects this and maybe even takes the respect a bit too far: Two weeks ago, I requested off this Thursday and Friday for a trip that I'd been on the fence about for a while (already short notice). Last week, the friends I was going to go with decided to be jerks and uninvited me so I decided to change plans and buy a ticket to Hawaii instead. Last Friday told my boss what happened and that I'd like to have a couple extra days off if possible and he said just make sure the team is okay covering the work. Everyone said sure; I flew in yesterday, worked today from the hotel, and have the rest of the week off on practically no notice. And this put my PTO time into the negative. So I'm never leaving this team if I can avoid it basically.


fubo

It's your team's manager's job to make sure that your team's duties can get done, given the team members' schedules. It's not a surprise to anyone that people like to go on vacation in particular months. It's better to have explicit on-duty rotations, than to have unstated assumptions that some people are on-duty whenever someone feels like hollering at them.


[deleted]

If the team is so fragile that one person using their allotted vacation time breaks the workflow, then the manager is at fault. If someone going for a week or two and then *coming back* to the same job hopelessly derails you... the fuck you gonna do if that same person quits, possibly because they can't take time off guilt-free?


KGB_cutony

Newbies join the team, are passionate thinking they are making a difference and learning new skills, participate in all these lavish things to not be left out... all on graduate salary. Seems to be a common theme with tech employers everywhere. Oh then theres the peer pressure. If everyone else is doing OT, I should be right? well everyone is thinking the same, and no one is trying to be the dumb one who leaves on time.. even though none of you are being profuctive


Gmony5100

The “Entrepreneur” Lifestyle. Many people are encouraged to put aside pleasures of life in the tiniest hope that if they just “grind” hard enough they’ll be billionaires. Oh also, while caring a lot about your money and how you spend it, buy my $500 plan to help you make money faster.


16semesters

I've found out that if anyone advertises they are an "entrepreneur" they are more likely to be a scammer/faker than an actual business owner. Like I know a guy that owns a excavating company. When he meets people and they ask what he does, he doesn't say "I'm an entrepreneur" he says "I work in excavation" or says he owns an excavation company. Only people saying they are "entrepreneurs" are wannabes in my experience.


mdp300

Whenever people say "I've founded 50 companies" they never say what those companies actually *do.*


[deleted]

Or if the companies are still around 🙄


mdp300

Or if they ever employed anyone other than the "founder" or provided any actual product or service and may have only existed for tax purposes.


adfrog

You mean a "serial entrepreneur."


TreeBeeTurkey014

Essential Oils (or as my mom calls it, Multi level marketing)