Amway Mail

Page 39

Subject:  Your Amway story (part 3)

Wed, 19 May 1999

Hullo,

I have read your story, beginning to end, and appreciated, and even
had a few chuckles over all the true, very true things you said. I am
an Amway Distributor, have been for a few months. My best friends Dad
got into it, and then my friend and me blah, blah, blah. The only
difference between me and you is that I stayed, but not as one of
them, as myself. The difference being that when I say oh yes, of
course to them, I am really saying"ya your a geek, screw off!". I hope
you see my point, I stay myself, unbrainwashed, and scamming them, the
losers, actually some of them are pretty cool, and even my direct is
skeptical, and seems to be playing the field like me. I am making just
as much as my gungho friend, and i have only listened to 3 of the
twenty or so he has given to me. So as long as I continue to be too
busy to go to all the meetings, but still sponsor the right people, I
will keep my own persona, and keep the blank Amway look off of my
face. Thanx

ps, please let me know what you think, good or bad  :)


Subject:  Re: Your Amway story (part 3)

Thu, 20 May 1999

> ps, please let me know what you think, good or bad  :)

Well, on the one hand, I think it's good that you aren't being sucked
in by The System.  On the other hand, I think it's highly unlikely
that you will get very far.  You see, part of my perspective on Amway
is that you don't make big money by selling the products, or even by
recruiting others to sell, but by selling the system itself to
recruits.  It's not uncommon to move ahead by favoritism, because you
have to be invited to be a speaker and to profit from tape sales.
Such favoritism is unlikely to be extended to someone who isn't
"plugged in".

I'm not saying that it's impossible to eventually sell the system even
if you don't believe in it.  However, if that opportunity should be
available then it becomes an ethical decision more than anything else.

I'll repeat the most serious issue at stake here, which is that barely
1% of distributors go direct, and less than 1% of those directs go
diamond.  The average is a few hundred dollars a year, is it worth it?
Despite the comparisons drawn to working a job, NO job offers you such
a bad deal as the price of not being top level.  Of course you can
always say "I'm obviously in the top tier that will make it, I'm
special."  So does everybody.  But at least own up to the fact that
you are over 99.9% likely not to be so special.

Subject:  finished your amway story...

Fri, 21 May 1999

        Thank-you for your informative article. A guy here at work has been
'threatening' to speak to me about Amway - but he couldn't make it (yet?). I
guess prayer works. Another collegue of mine was spoken to by him and said
he 'just had a bad  feeling' and never joined. Maybe I'm old fashioned, but
I think that there's no substitute for common old work.
        Thanks for the warnings

Subject:  My reply to your Amway page

Fri, 21 May 1999

Thank you for your page. I am a successful husband, father, employee,
and independent Amway Distributor. Your page provides an invaluable
service to me because is acts as automatic flushing system system for
all the weak ones and quitters. Because of this I can be more
productive will all of my time efforts and resources to keep my life
in balance. GOD, FAMILY, BUSINESS

I was approached with the Amway Opportunity at a very difficult time
in my life.  I was married only about 1 year when divorce was
eminent. All that was to do was sign on the dotted line. I was in the
military and a E-5 which only pays @$1,300 per month. I was getting up
at 5 a.m. and working until 5 p.m., then I would work in the kitchen
of the base officers club from 6 p.m. to usually 1 a.m.  and sometimes
3 a.m..  My wife would work as a server there too and deliver
newspapers after that for extra income. When I wasn't in the U.S. I
would be gone aboard a Naval ship for periods of time from 6-7 months.

Today, although I am not a "milllionare" I have restored my marriage.
Because of the success principles I learned from my upline I have been
able to create a business that supplements our income to the point
that my wife can stay home and care for our two small babies (18 mo. /
5 mo). In addition also I have been able to transition out of the
military into a position as a proffessional technical recruiter. I
have only a high school diploma (barely) and a applicable set success
standards that I have learned exclusively from my assocciation with my
upline.  Oddly in my day job I interview the best of the best that all
have atleast 4 yr. degrees, some masters and phd's and many double
phd's. In my experiences in this field all are frustrated with
corporate America, traffic, stress, anxiety and the like. None are
financial independent and all are fearful of how they are to
retire. In the event that they become unable to work, how will their
wife fill in their shoes ? They can't, and the next step is to go on
man-hunt out of plain fear in order to have the financial needs met.

I am 25 years old now in 1999. This year for Christmas I am giving my
family a very special gift. I am voluntarily reducing my committments
on my regular job to work 4 hours per day verses 12. They remainder of
the time I will spend being a good example of a child of God is
supposed to live "FREE". I say this to those self-righteous," Holier
than thou" Christians that curse Amway distributors yet refuse to
follow the Great Commision of God to "go yee therefore into ALL of the
world and preach the gospel". Why can't they? because they're in
cubicle and traffic. Anyhow I'm giving my family a HUSBAND AND A
FATHER because of GOD and AMWAY.


P.S.

For all you critics on the education status, writing competency, and
grammar skills of us Amway distributors - I challenge you to this.

Go and run the statistics on Fortune 500 CEO's, the 15 Internet
Billionares of '98-99 as well as the top 10 wealtiest in the U.S.

Most dropped out of college, the ones that did not are working in
different fields, and the baffoons are the billionares.

What would you rather have? Proper sentence structure or the ability
to pay for your children to be in private school where they will not
be gunned down by their classmates.

Grow up. When you face facts and look at reality of this world and
economy, what else provides time and money like the Amway business??
Nothing.

I would rather sell liverworst flavored toothpaste door to door for
$200 a tube for the mere chance of FREEDOM than to lazily float down
river with everyone else into the sea of mediocrity. I love GOD, my
family, and myself that much.

Be thankful people like me are producers / taxpayers (same thing) so
you can sit on your diploma in your lazy-boy collecting
"unemployement" after you are laid-off.

Let's take a look at this statement:

Go and run the statistics on Fortune 500 CEO's, the 15 Internet Billionares of '98-99 as well as the top 10 wealtiest in the U.S.

Most dropped out of college, the ones that did not are working in different fields, and the baffoons are the billionares.

It sounds totally fabricated to me. It actually sounds like a perfectly typical example of an unsupported "argument" from an Amway tape. So I've looked up a web site: http://cgi.pathfinder.com/fortune/fortune500/index.html where you can see a list of all the Fortune 500 companies for yourself. The first one is General Motors, and browsing their web site, I see this information on their CEO:
[John F. Smith, Jr] was born April 6, 1938, in Worcester, Massachusetts. He received his bachelor of business administration degree from the University of Massachusetts in 1960, and a master of business administration (MBA) degree from Boston University in 1965.
Number two is Ford Motor Company, and here I find:
Born Dec. 12, 1947, [Jacques] Nasser holds Australian citizenship. He received a degree in business studies from the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology.
Isn't this fun? Number three: Wal-Mart.
[John] Menzer holds bachelor's and master's degrees in business administration from Loyola University of Chicago, and is a certified public accountant. In March 1997, Loyola University named Menzer "Alumnus of the Year."
So far, I'm 3 for 3. Okay, I'm bored now. But if somebody would like to continue digging into the Fortune 500 list and these "15 internet billionaires", whoever they are, and find an honest sampling (with proper documentation) of uneducated Fortune 500 CEO's, please do send me whatever info you find! (Yes, I already knew that Bill Gates was a college dropout.)

What I love about these "tape arguments" is that the people who quote them never bother to double-check that they are true.

Subject:  Finished your Amway story...

Sat, 22 May 1999

Dear Russell,

I APPLAUD your very informative web page regarding Amway. Last night the
maintenance guy was here at my home and he gave my husband and I a sales
pitch that lasted for FOUR HOURS. In the middle of it my husband was about
to ask the guy if this was about "Amway" (the guy failed to mention that
one important aspect in his pitch). Indeed it was Amway. The guy left us a
folder full of info to look over. Needless to say, my husband and are are
proudly going to return his info to him and let him know how very
UNINTERESTED we are in this "CULT" because that is exactly what Amway is.
My stomach turned more than once when the guy was pitching this crap to us.
All he cared about was MONEY MONEY MONEY. I am not built that way. I am not
nor ever will be a money grubbing greedy materialistic a**hole. And if that
makes me a loser by Amway's standards, then I will consider it a compliment
coming from them.

Thank you so much for exposing these unfortunate brainwashed group of
people on the internet. You helped me to realize that the decision my
husband and I made NOT to get involved in Amway was the BEST decision.

Thanks again!!

Subject:  Your Amway page...

Sun, 23 May 1999

I like most people was incited by the thought of a quick $100,000.
I came home from the meeting all excited. I told my wife every detail
I could remember. She then proceeded to burst my bubble, It sounds like
a pyramid. I told her she didn't see the whole story and that I had
scheduled someone to come by the house and show her."Job" came by the
house and showed her the whole plan, she was skeptical. To make a long
story short, I dove head first into it, buying tapes, BOYO'S, and
Videos. I told her we where going to get 100PV every month at least or
else. It didn't take long for our money to drain away. We were fighting
about bills everyday. I asked a Ruby for help and he said, "Women can't
see to far into the future, so just keep doing what your doing and
you'll be rewarded." Before I quit my wife and I were on the verge of
splitting up. But after year of the right kind of work we are back on
the right path financially, and Amway is a distant memory. Thanks for
your article, and being honest. If Amway distributors would try being
honest and give up all this manipulation, they might make a decent
business out of if. ( But that will never happen! )

Subject:  Finished your Amway story...

Mon, 24 May 1999

I am so enlightened by your website, not because you have persuaded me
against Amway just confirmed the all my beliefs and hunches about it.
I'm just so glad that we have someone as intelligent and witty as you
to write the real truth about Amway, also the debating skills are a
bonus.

Please, please keep up the good work as I'm currently a distributor
living the nightmare which is working on my story to send to you.

P.S Do you know of any information on Network 21.

It's an AMO. Suggest you look at the FAQ page.

Subject:  Finished your Amway story...

Mon, 24 May 1999

I applaud your creativity and truthfulness.  Very good story-Bring us more.
Thanks again

Subject:  My Amway story

25 May 99 09:50:41

Hi Russell!  Great site!  I just wanted to let you know how accurately
and entertainingly you described the Amway recruiting process.  It's
too bad your website wasn't created back in 1993 when I was just
finishing college.  That's when I had my short (Thank God!) experience
with Amway: During summer break, I too was approached but unlike you,
I joined for two months.  The only reason I joined was because my
friends whom I trusted and known since childhood recommended it and
because I felt left out when all they did was go to Amway meetings.
During the next few weeks, I noticed a change in their personalities
especially in my supposedly friend and Amway sponsor, Dave, whom I've
known since grade school.  Before Amway, Dave was a fun-loving guy
with a penchant for telling dirty jokes and had a opinion about
everything.  After joining Amway, all he does was quote from his Amway
tapes and he seemed annoyed when I suggested that we skip a Amway
meeting and play some ball at the local park where the pre-Amway Dave
loves to do ever since I've known him.  Two months later, I decided to
quit because everytime I went to a meeting I felt like I was in a
masqarade party where the people never seem to be themselves.  I felt
queasy when some recruits that recently joined started to chant "fired
up" over and over in chorus and besides I hated wearing a suit on hot
summer days and I wasn't making a dime.  When I told Dave that I
intended to quit, he tried to persuade me with the same BS tactics
you're probably familiar with. After numerous phone calls, when he
realized that I was not going to change my mind, he outright told me
that I will be poor and a loser in life.  I was shocked and hurt at
these words coming from a friend I have shared good times with since
we were kids.  Setting aside my obvious anger and sense of betrayal, I
warned him about what Amway was doing to him and he just told me how
he will be driving a Benz while I will be riding my stupid bike.  I
slammed the phone down and from then on he stopped calling.  Well,
presently, I'm happy to say that I'm not poor and not a loser.  Since
then I've realized my dream of working on Wall Street and the bull
market have afforded me a very nice life-style.  I'm not filthy rich
but at least I make a HONEST living on MY terms.  As for Dave, the
last time I saw him was when I spotted him at a mall a few months ago.
When I tapped his shoulder, he was surprised to see me but was somehow
embarassed.  He started to apologize for what he said years ago and
explained how he quit Amway recently after six years of disappointing
results from the Amway biz.  He also related the number of close
friends and family that he alienated over the years.  I wanted give
him the old "I-told-you-so" line but instead, I just told him that I
am still up for playing some ball at our old neighborhood park.  He
said he'll be happy to and we parted ways.  I haven't heard from him
since.  I sometimes wonder how many friendships that are destroyed
because of Amway.  Anyway, thanks to people like you, hopefully fewer.
Good luck on your career and may you achieve your TRUE dreams and show
"Phil" what success really is! :)

Subject:  Your Amway story (part 3)

Wed, 26 May 1999

Thanks for the warning. I am sure the world will sleep from now on.

I am writing to you from Caracas-Venezuela and I recently heard from
AMWAY beginning activities in our country.
I'm not in anyway related to AMWAY but I want to hear from you how can
you support all the (facts) being told on your site?

As a psychologist I must tell you that your site seems to be a typical
manifesto of delusion. Anyway, it is not my business to check if your
affair with Amway is true or false.

I'll be doing my homework by having a look on Amway and checking with
the members of the "cult" in our country. Maybe I have found a very good
subject for my doctoral thesis.

Thank you


Subject:  Re: Your Amway story (part 3)

Wed, 26 May 1999

> Thanks for the warning. I am sure the world will sleep from now on.

I expect they'll continue to sleep about 33% of the time, just as they
always have.  We'd be in trouble if everybody slept from now on.

> I am writing to you from Caracas-Venezuela and I recently heard from
> AMWAY beginning activities in our country.
> I'm not in anyway related to AMWAY but I want to hear from you how can
> you support all the (facts) being told on your site?
>

I would say that the best verification I could offer is my mail page.
Amway is, after all, a different personal experience for each person;
thus its merit should be viewed as identical to the sum of all
experiences with it.  I have received a tremendous number of
responses, some critical of me and some agreeing.  The very large
number of people with similar experiences seems to be my best base of
support.

> As a psychologist I must tell you that your site seems to be a typical
> manifesto of delusion. Anyway, it is not my business to check if your
> affair with Amway is true or false.

Ah, then it's not your business to back up your statement that I'm
delusional.  In any case, I'll further strengthen your conclusion by
showing more symptoms: denial.

I AM NOT DELUSIONAL!  THEY ARE ALL OUT TO GET ME!  AIEEEE!  :)

> I'll be doing my homework by having a look on Amway and checking with
> the members of the "cult" in our country. Maybe I have found a very good
> subject for my doctoral thesis.

Of course that leads me to wonder whether you will write your thesis on MLM
business scams, or whether you will write it on lunatics who write web
pages.

> Thank you

You're welcome, I'm sure.

Subject:  Amway website

Thu, 27 May 1999

Bravo, Bravo, Bravo

What a great website, alas, it is too late for my girlfriend and her
family.  The monsterous Amway swallowed her parents up a few months
ago, and about two weeks ago they actually pulled in there own 18 year
old daughter into the biggest scan in American history that I can
thank of.

I found your website only after she paid her money, I don't know if
you know this, but to start it now cost her $268.00. No small figure
for a waittress, and in two weeks she's spent $30.00 more on only two
meetings.

I attempted to save her as well with your information, she only became
angry at me and insulted me at not supporting her 100%, Amway really
does a lot for relationships you know. We've been going out over two
years, and after two weeks of Amway she almost dropped me on the spot
for it.

Well, I apologized, as well I should have, I guess, and she's
better. In fact, she even is going to allow me to help her out. I get
to learn Amway also, which I already know, and show the plan for her
to friends, because a man should show the plan, she's already learned,
no sexism there.

Her mother and step-father showed me the plan again that day, to help
convince me it worked. I pointed out a few flaws, they listned, said
uh-huh, you know the drill. They kept talking to me about getting
rich, and about God, and about getting rich again, and about God
again.

I asked them if Christ had said that money was the root of all evil.

They squirmed a little bit, stressed that Amway was about people not
money, money was a perk, not a reason. I told them that I had lots of
friends already, I know lots of people, well, I guess they didn't
think I knew enough, I should join Amway to work on business and
personal skills.

I'm not trying to toot my own horn hear, but I've already got
those. In fact, last August, about a month after they joined Amway, I
started my own online business of selling movie posters from a very
cheap dealer I know. My initial investment $60 for about 200 different
items. My profit margin, typically from 200%-1000% per item, sometimes
more., one item purchased for $.50 sold for about $150. Movie
collectibles are a very lucritive market, and my dealer is very cheap,
I know not everyone can find oppurtunities like this, but I did this
at 17, I now have a space in a prominent shopping center, two
employees, and make a very healthy amount of money, and I'm still only
18, but if you don't join Amway you'll never make it to the top,
right?

Anyways, they asked me my dreams. My only real dream is that I want to
be able take care of my parents in there advanced years. They sort of
laughed and asked me my dreams, I repeated that they were for my
parents, they stressed that I should think of myself.

I told them I didn't and stressed I didn't feel that was a Christian ideal.

They told me that this was business and I wouldn't make it in business
if I thought it was Church, I said that's why I'm not going to be a
pastor. I also told them that if it's business and not church I didn't
feel they should mention God so much.

They showed me a video, and the two of them got very excited. I
thought it was silly, some "diamond" spent about 45 minutes telling us
some sure fire plan, which they had tried twice and failed both
times. What did they give for a reason for there failur, it was there
fault, not the systems. In fact on the video it specified that if
these "ad-packs" did not work it was you didn't present them
correctly, they were proven to be successful, though most of them
didn't excede, oh well, logic just doesn't work well with Amway.

I do want to stress that my girlfriend is not a moron, and she is
deeply regretting joining Amway, but she's in it now, and doesn't want
to offend her parents by getting out. So I'm in it to, she means more
to me than a dozen Amways.

Anways, so now I'm going to see it as the scam it is from the inside,
who knows, maybe you could gather groups of people who have entered
with bad results, produce tapes and distribute them online to be given
to people who do Amway, I doubt it would turn anyone away, but it
could be fun.

I also have the Lone Ranger syndrome, but I see it will most likely do
me no good, oh well, I figure my girlfriend will give up in a few
months, accept her financial loss, and we'll go on living our merry
lives.

Her step-father asked me where I saw myself three to five years from
now, I told them I pictured myself with a college degree happily
teaching high school government. They asked if I would really be happy
on a teachers salary. I reminded them of my poster store and
successful internet business, they seemed to smirk about those kind of
things not lasting forever.

I told them that I knew those things would not last forever, but that
neither would anything else. I said that I enjoy learning, I enjoy
government, and I enjoy talking to others about government, and that I
could see no job more fulfilling to my desires. They quickly brought
up the point that my idea was somewhat selfish, and that I should be
helping other acquire the type of money I was with my business, which,
incidentally, only took me a couple of hours a week, as Amway claims.

I said that my idea's were not simply selfish. I have seen a lot of
teachers who just sit there and pass out worksheets and don't really
teach, they just test students. The students who already know the
information, pass, those who don't, fail, and that it was my goal to
make school mean something to students. To make them enjoy government
and education so that they might actually be interested in going on to
college, even if it was only our local community college which is
free, so that they might make successes of themselves and advance to
levels beyond there expectations so that they could them use there
money to help friends and family who need it because they did not have
a teacher encourage further education.

I stressed that the blanket affect of what I would do could be huge, I
even joked about the fact Amway claims this whole 5% success on
drawing people into the business on the tape they showed me. I spoke
of how many students I would have a semester, it worked out to about
180, two times a year, 360 a year total. If I helped 5%, I would help
72 people a year directly, if they all helped 5% of the same number a
massive amount of people would be brought to greater wealth, and the
only people who would benefit from it would be themselves, not me at
all.

They told me I just didn't understand the business world because I was
still so young. I told them that they were probably right in a lot of
ways, but that I wanted to learn for myself, I don't want the answers
spoon-fed to me, I want to learn for myself, and to place that desire
of learning into others.  But I guess I'll be miserable for the rest
of my life because I'm not gung-ho Amway, oh well, misery over Amway
for me.

Subject:  Finished your Amway story...

Thu, 27 May 1999

dear russell, i really enjoyed your web page. and yes i read it all the way
through, i have insomnia tonight, take care.

Subject:  Quixtar.com

Thu, 27 May 1999

Have you heard anything about Quixtar.com? Just had a conversation
with a guy last night. I'm not interested, for a number of
Amway-unrelated reasons. But I'm curious if you've heard of this
project.

Subject:  Finished your Amway story...

Fri, 28 May 1999

Russ:
    Ginny's story sounds like most major and minor religions of the
world! All this bullshit is just manipulation of basic human emotions
and desires, nothing more. And that goes for Amway, Christianity, Islam,
Racism, and every other cult which has cursed the human mind  forever.
Those who understand these weaknesses cynicaly or ernestly profit from
this knowledge. Ginny's story is important and need telling and
retelling a thousand times. Good on ya!

This one is hilarious.

Subject:  Just Another Great Letter

Sat, 29 May 1999

I really enjoyed your website. While I have never become involved in MLM
as a participant I have several experiences where people have tried to
recruit me. It's hilarious...having been a commercial banker I approach
business opportunities with clear cut rational analysis just as any
person with my background would and I have yet to have any individual
who has attempted to recruit me provide a logical, factual defined
answer to any of my exploratory questions! No surprises here!

Having spent the last eleven years as an exotic car salesman (Porsche 4
years...Mercedes-Benz 7 years)I am constantly bombarded by glassy eyed
individuals on Saturday afternoons, dressed in newly purchased Wal-Mart
suits carting around thick day timers...some with the price tags still
hanging off the ends!!!!!!!!!!! Obviously having just attended one of
the revival meetings held by the local shuckster (sorry that should be
"Diamond Distributor") they are on a "dream building exercise", sitting
inside the $120,000 SL500 convertible and asking for (but not receiving)
test drives. Yes...I too can retire in two years for the rest of my
life...but having sold high end cars for eleven years I have yet to sell
one (even a used car for $25,000) to ANY multi-level
marketer...especially those from Amway.

Now there's a testimonial for you. If their SHIT really worked...I'd
have retired from all the Porsche and Mercedes-Benz sales to mlmer's
about nine years ago.

Keep up the GOOD WORK!!!

Subject:  Your Amway story (part 3)

Sat, 29 May 1999

GREAT STORY, MY SISTER AND BROTHER INLAW INTRODUCED ME TO AMWAY 5 YEARS AGO
AND BELIEVE IT OR NOT, THEY ARE POORER THEN EVER BUT STILL THINK AMWAY IS
GREAT.  I GAVE UP TRYING TO CONVINCE THEM BECUASE EACH TIME I SAY SOMETHING
I GET THE DISTINCT IMPRESSION THAT IF I DON'T SHUT UP THEY'LL DISOWN ME.

I LOVE READING STORIES LIKE YOURS BECAUSE IT'S EXACTLY THE SAME PROCESS I'VE
BEEN THROUGH. WHAT IS SO INCREDIBLY AMAZING IS HOW MANY STUPID PEOPLE THERE
ARE.  THEY ARE ABSOLUTELY CONVINCED THAT WE ARE NUTS.

ANYWAY, I WAS SURPRISED THAT I COULD STILL FIND SOME NEGATIVE INFO. AS YOU
WELL KNOW, AMWAY HAS BEEN USING EVERY LEGAL (I CONSIDER IT ILLEGAL) MEANS TO
SHUT DOWN THE BAD INFO ON THE INTERNET. HAVEN'T THEY TRIED TO NAIL YOU YET?
ANYHOW, YOU'RE TO BE COMMENDED FOR YOUR ACTIONS. I FOUND ABOUT THE NEGATIVE
AMWAY INFORMATION ON THE INTERNET ABOUT 18 MONTHS AGO AND I WAS ONE OF THE
FIRST THINGS TO COME UP. NOW YOU HAVE TO LOOK HARDER AND HARDER. I QUESS
AMWAYS METHODS ARE WORKING AFTER ALL.

ANYWAY, GOOD LUCK.

Subject:  Your highly succesful page

Sun, 30 May 1999

Russel,
I remember your page from 3 years ago.  Actually I dropped an E-mail in
there. (I actually found it)  I have to give you credit.  Single handedly
you have created a wellspring of response with your page.  On every side
possible.  I give you credit for that, your opinion has created an almost
science-project like environment to study people.  Seeing the amroids, the
anti-amroid-roids, and everyone in between.  The "Flame me know" thing still
cracks me up.  Congratulations on proving that people are their own worst
enemys, and the semi-patial view of the horror story.  I'll keep an eye on
your site from now on....

Subject:  Your Amway story (part 3)

Sun, 30 May 1999

Thanks for taking the time and effort to educate those of us who were
"thinking" about becoming distributors....I'm returning my
"introductory" package this week.  (I think I'll leave it on the
doorstep of my 'upliner' with a 'Dear John' letter.  Incidententally, I
have two phone lines at home, and she only has the number I never pick
up!)

Thanks once again for your website.  I found it very interesting,
educational, and scary!

Best regards

Subject:  YourAmwaypage...

Sun, 30 May 1999

Some time ago, either 60 Minutes or 20/20 did a piece on Amway (more of
an expose)...do you happen to have a copy?

Subject:  Your Amway page...

Mon, 31 May 1999

Mr. Glasser,

I have a site which is decidedly "Amway-Objective" as opposed to
PRO or CON.  My policy is that any Amway direct or above can post
opinions and experiences, FOR or AGAINST, and do so ANONYMOUSLY
or WITH DISCLOSURE of identity.

I invite you to link to it.  Address is:

http://207.201.180.19/amway/

Thanks,

Perry Sink
Webmaster
The Diamond Challenge

Subject:  YourAmwaypage...

Tue, 1 Jun 1999

have you ever heard of Quixstar?

Subject:  Great Job!

Mon, 31 May 1999

I enjoyed your site which I checked out after a dear friend became
involved in Quixtar, which is a spin off from Amway, right?
What do you know about this Quixtar business, seems like the same deal
but praying in cyberspace, right?
Any info, links etc would be greatly apprciated

Subject:  Ginny'sAmwaystory(part3)

Tue, 1 Jun 1999

I was shocked reading your story.  I'm being prospected now for a
related company called Quixtar. Have you heard anything about it?

The answer to the preceding three letters is the same: look at the FAQ page.

Subject:  Finished your Amway story...

Tue, 1 Jun 1999

Russell:

Nice job! I'm thinking about publishing my own experiences as an Ambot on
the web soon.

Subject:  Your Amway story (part 3)

Tue, 1 Jun 1999

Very interesting story.  I've have just recently signed on...oh, not to be
an Amway Distributor, but to be grandfathered in for Quixstar.  I'm sure
you've heard of it.  I have been doing some research and came across you're
(and others) comments, etc..  So far my research is...well...not so good,
amount Amway that is.  I'm confused because I really believe my sponsors are
great people (husband and wife).  I do believe that Internet shopping will
be big. I just can't fit all the pieces together.  I'm wondering how "the
tools, tapes, books, etc.." will play a part.  Any ideas?  So far I've been
told the line  "all you have to do is buy from yourself about $200.00 a
month worth of products, find six other people who will find others, and
they all buy $200.00 worth a month".  No mention of books, tapes,....
software? (may be a thought).  Although, I have been given tapes, which I've
had for sometime and haven't yet listened to.  Not enough time in my
day....and I'm beginning to wonder if there is enough time for this mess I
may be creating.
  I've shared with my sponsor many times that I'm not too willing to ask
anyone to come on board until I've had a chance to view Quixstar, experience
it, make money...whatever....then I'd be more willing to recruit.  He seems
very understanding and willing to wait.  If you have any feedback for
me...it will be welcomed.  Thanks for listening!

Subject:  Thank you for your information about Amway!!!

Wed, 02 Jun 1999

Dear Anti-Amway person,

Obviously you have been assimilated to the systems of your broke mentally,
outside and inside your personal social circle(which must be pitiful).

I am also a computer science major, more into java and internet based
programming like Visual J++ and Visual Basic...

but I understand that your views are yours and yours alone, and you as well
as I, know that information received on the Internet is biased and most of
time, untrue.

I will explain to you why most people do not get into the Amway business...
They listen to "gossip" from people who failed... people who had to
compromise their dreams ..i.e.  "Why should i get a Ferrari... a Toyota is
much cheaper"..  people who have meager goals attuned to their own self
worth, who are making a living doing something they hate, that gives them no
life... people who are merely existing. . .

people like you.

and for that... I thank you.

Thank you for deciding to be broke... because we rich people need broke
people like you to serve us.

have a nice day.

Sincerely,
Amway/Quixtar Distributor "X"

ps
stealing my dreams indirectly through your in"experience" with the Amway
distributor just makes me want to kick your sorry broke ass...
but i was "brainwashed to be nice" so i'll gently connect my foot to your
gluteus maximus. >=)


Subject:  Re: Thank you for your information about Amway!!!

Wed, 02 Jun 1999

So on one end you write:

> Thank you for deciding to be broke... because we rich people need broke
> people like you to serve us.

...then on the other, I see:

> stealing my dreams indirectly through your in"experience" with the Amway
> distributor just makes me want to kick your sorry broke ass...

Gee, that's a lot of hostility for someone so grateful.  If you're so
happy with me then why do you want to kick my ass?  You should want to
kiss it.

Subject:  Re: Thank you for your information about Amway!!!

Wed, 02 Jun 1999

dreams are never granted, without the means to make them come true...

being time broke is just as bad as being money broke...

i know you don't have all the time in the world..

i do..

and the money's very very very good also.

have a nice day.

ps
sorry... i don't have a (JOB) mentality... so kissing ass is for those who
want to move up their (JOB)s... or to please the higher ups...

pps
you should wipe your nose... brown noses make people pathetic.

"i know you don't have all the time in the world.. i do.."

There you have it, folks! Being in Amway will not only make you rich, it will make you immortal!

Subject:  FinishedyourAmwaystory...

Wed, 2 Jun 1999

It is a good thing you are doing!!!!!!!

Subject:  Ginny'sAmwaystory(part3)

Wed, 2 Jun 1999

GREAT PAGE!EMAIL ME IF YOU WANT TO HEAR MY STORY(NIGHTMARE).

Subject:  Amway/Quixtar

Wed, 2 Jun 1999

Just wanted to say thanks very much Russell for your website on Amway
experiences.  I, too, was asked to attend one of those so-called "business
opportunity" meetings on the pretense that I would be learning about
e-commerce.
I had a bad feeling in my stomach almost from the beginning of the meeting.
People were just TOO friendly, helpful, and ferverently excited over the
message being delivered by the speaker (which was pretty much fluff
anyways).  I kept thinking to myself that this seemed almost like a cult
atmosphere (not that I've been in a cult - but I do recognize the factors).
Apparently in Sept. 1999, a new "Amway" will be starting up under the name
of "Quixtar" which is "so exciting" because "it will give people a whole new
opportunity to maximize on the success of the Amway concept".  SCARY!
Anyways, thanks again!

Subject:  Finished your Amway story...

Thu, 03 Jun 1999

Actually read the whole thing, word for word!  The reason: One of my
sons is involved with a company named "Prepaid Legal Services" that is
organized exactly like Amway.  It's traded on the NYSE under the symbol
PPD.

What was most fascinating in your story was the reference to fear.  Greg
flat out said that he couldn't listen to me because if he lost his
enthusiasm he would fail.  Amway redux!

Prepaid Legal is effectively selling an insurance policy and they're
affiliated with top notch, legitimate law firms around the country.
Sounds good, right?  The small problem, though, is that their premiums
are based on actuarial tables showing that $0.32 of every dollar will
eventually be paid out to lawyers.  The other $0.68 goes to commissions,
overhead and profit.  Not bad, huh?  And like Amway the people signing
up "downline" pay $127 for the privilege plus they have to buy the
insurance for themselves - $25/month.  More?  The company is setting up
booths in malls and the salesmen pay $15 for the privilege of manning
one of those booths for a few hours.  I don't know if they have
motivational materials for sale or if the dumb kid has to pay to go to
sales meetings but none of this would surprise me.

Why am I writing this?  Just to thank you for your web page and to let
you know - in case you're interested - that there's another "Amway"
working!  I guess that as long as there are people to be scammed, scams
will be with us!

Subject:  Your Amway story (part 3)

Thu, 3 Jun 1999

I feel you have totally misrepresented and misinterpreted the "Amway"
opportunity. It is impossible to debate a knowitall anyway. I failed once at
Amway, but a kid I knew remembered the opportunity was approached by someone
else and today he is a Diamond? I have been in his motorcoach and in his
house that has been purchased totally with the money he made in the Amway
business. There is some people out there with little or no education and
maybe the only opportunity for them is through the business. I think you are
right, there would be less need for books and tapes if there weren't jerks
who would try to sabotage another persons
life simply because someone (not some corporation) was a little strong in
his approach to them. Do some more research, ask someone who knows not
someone who has a theory.  Jim Harden

Subject:  Re: Amway

Thu, 3 Jun 1999

Hi Russel,
I read your Amway page.  It was quite interesting...been there, done that.
I
feel similarly towards Amway, however, I'm not completely opposed to Network
Marketing in general.  In the last six months I've spent nearly all my free
and not so free time researching several network marketing opportunities and
am still learning.  There is no reference to network marketing in your Amway
report.  Attached are a couple of free Affiliate programs I'm signed up with
for you to take a look at.

[OBNOXIOUS SELF-PROMOTION DELETED]

 I haven't done much with either of them as yet, because I lack
the technical savvy I need to do list my with the search engines, and
do buttons, banners, etc.  I've spent most of my time educating myself
about Wave 3 network marketing.  Amway is definitely old school.  I
hate it whenever I try to describe what I'm into and the Amway
reference comes up, because that's all people know.

I'm sure you're quite busy, but thanks for taking the time to read
this mail, and checking out my sites..  You can catch me online at aol
instant messenger almost anytime at ***** also try
*****, e-mail address is *****.

Your comments are welcome.

Thank you.

Subject:  Finished your Amway story...

Thu, 3 Jun 1999

Dear Mr. Glasser,

     Just a letter to let you know I have been approched to join a
group of people who have what it takes to suceed in business. This
smells like a amway fishing tournerment. The young fellow said I could
save 30% on things I normaly use. The meeting is this Friday. I'm
taking my wife to dinner instead.

Thankyou for your informative story

Subject:  Your Amway story (part 3)

Sat, 5 Jun 1999

I love Amway and you cant take that from me. I'm looking forward the
opening in Sweden. Sorry you did'nt succeed.

Subject:  Finished your Amway story...

Sun, 6 Jun 1999

Thanx!

I'm glad I took the time to research this thing before I "let them see the
money"... Thank you for sharing your story with me. Now back to work...
(wouldn't it be great if all of this crap were true and these suits were
real people?)

Subject: Your Amway page...

Sun, 6 Jun 1999

wake up to life's real statistics and smell the roses.
you are typical of life's critics offering no alternative just hot air

Subject:  Amway

Mon, 7 Jun 1999

Hi Russell

What a site,  I laughed, I squirmed, I gasped but mostly I laughed.  In case
you are wondering, I'm with you 110%.  I was involved with the big A for 15
months and I found some very true and lasting friends there.  There is
nothing quite like a friend with whom you have had a near broke experience!
No but seriously, I saw so much of  myself as I used to be in some of the
letters that you have posted that it was frightening.  The well drilled
arguments of the Amway distributor that just slip of the tongue.  The
put-downs, the come-backs and subject evasion, all neatly bundled into neat
little brain numbing sentences that they really do believe to be true.
These guys and gals speak from the heart. (sad!)

 Trouble is, it is only in embarrassed retrospect that the absurdity of the
Amway arguments are apparent.  I cringe at the sight of clich� after clich�
in the knowledge that I once said exactly the same thing to 'negative'
people.  But when you are hooked, nothing but nothing will convince you of
the stupidity of it all. I will say that Amway is the best 'social club' in
the world.  The social life is truly fantastic (but dam expensive)  But it
all has nothing to do with business!!  The minds that have thought up the
various 'systems' that the various Amway organisations employ are brilliant
in the extreme.  The arguments cover all the bases and the distributor is
drilled in counter arguments for every occasion.  Here are a couple of
goodies:

Q.  So, how much money are you making?

A1. You wouldn't believe it!  (yes I would :-)  )

A2. Can you keep a secret?.....So can I.

A3. My income has gone up by 200%   ($1 - $3 )

Another goodie is the concept of 'delayed gratification' .  In essence this
is a good concept promoting saving and working towards a goal but when you
put it into the Amway context, it is a tool to keep distributors going while
they are loosing month after month in the sure knowledge that the work they
put in now will pay huge rewards at some fictitious point in the future.

Good job Russell,  but why the hell did the guy that contacted you not do it
a couple of years earlier.   If you had put the site up then,  I would now
be happier, wiser and a dam sight richer without my Amway experience :-)

Thanks for a good evenings entertainment.

PS  Please do reply if you have a second even if it's only to confirm
receipt.  Bye.

Subject:  Re: Amway

Mon, 07 Jun 1999

> Kevin Tomlinson wrote:
>
> Hi Russell
>
> Another goodie is the concept of 'delayed gratification' .  In essence
this
> is a good concept promoting saving and working towards a goal but when you
> put it into the Amway context, it is a tool to keep distributors going
while
> they are loosing month after month in the sure knowledge that the work
they
> put in now will pay huge rewards at some fictitious point in the future.
>

It is true, Amway offers some actual good financial advice (put away your
credit cards, put some money away every month, etc... but as you say, if all
of the extra money goes into Amway, you're not gonna come out ahead.

> Good job Russell,  but why the hell did the guy that contacted you not do
it
> a couple of years earlier.   If you had put the site up then,  I would now
> be happier, wiser and a dam sight richer without my Amway experience :-)
>

Well, because if he had went for me when I was 19, I wouldn't have had any
money.  Plus, I didn't even know what the internet was until that year.

Subject:  A considered response.

Mon, 7 Jun 1999

Russel,
            You are obviously a "dickhead" of the highest order with minimal
understanding of how business of any type ( conventional or otherwise )
works.Get a life and use your obvious intellect and energies in a more
purposeful manner.

Subject:  Your Amway page...

Mon, 07 Jun 1999

SNITCH ON AMWAY�S MEMBERS!   E-mail the following to abuse@amway.com and
abuse@quixtar.com

Dear Sirs:

The following people may be violating Rules #3, 5, 6, 7, 8 & 9 (as well as
your new "Zero-Tolerance Policy"):

freemillennium.com
Ken Harris (605) 343-7884

q-star.net
Eric Grant (612) 721-0024,  IBO# 2312824

aboutquixtar.com
Jack Howell (520) 744-9561

dillotech.com
Preston Nichols or Joyce Gross (512) 249-1258

quixtar2000.net
J. Fenalson (561) 223-5290

quixtar411.com
(NAME UNKNOWN) - (305) 787-5482

showtheplan.com
wherestheparty.com
Jeremiah Price (248) 262-5246

friendlycomputer.com
Glenn W. Herlinger (303) 660-1257

gauthiergroup.com
Peter Gauthier (410) 531-2054

quixtar4u2.com
David Harris (610) 779-2977

ebizhere.com
John Thelen (602) 420-1405
  (he e-mails you the "Access number" of 1636158)

OTHER: These Amway IBO/distributor numbers were found on an INFOSEEK.COM
search under the keywork "QUIXTAR":
2129603
1344004

ALSO:
wspears@conninc.com
S&W Enterprises
http://www4.bcity.com/s_wenterprises/info.html

ALSO:
Free Trial Membership
Virtual.Mall@usa.net
http://members.delphi.com/virtualmall/index.html

The rules I'm referring to are:

Rule number three - Prior to the Quixtar launch date of September 1, 1999,
IBOs may not sponsor, register, or pre-register people into the Quixtar
business, because that business does not exist until September 1. However,
you may sponsor people as Amway IBOs who can then designate Quixtar as their
primary business on September 1.

Rule number five - Only Amway-approved product information may be used on
IBO Web sites.

Rule number six - The contents of an IBO site and any revisions, must be
reviewed by Business Conduct & Rules at Amway.

Rule number seven - IBO Web sites must comply with all the Amway Rules of
Conduct.

Rule number eight - Under no circumstances may IBOs use Quixtar, Amway, or
any other name, trademark or service mark that is owned by Amway or Quixtar
in their Web address - which is the www.something or other .com, you have to
type in to go to a Web site. Also, no variations in the spelling of those
names - such as spelling Quixtar in a different way - can be used either.

Rule number nine - All rules for BSM's, trademarks, and copyrights must be
followed for any materials that contain information about Amway or Quixtar.

Thank you

Subject:  My reply to your Amway page

Mon, 7 Jun 1999

I enjoyed reading your amway story. I work with a gentleman that always
tells me to join his "business" I think its a part of amway the name is
Quickstar. Just wondering if you might have heard of it?

Subject:  Your Amway story (part 2)

Tue, 8 Jun 1999

Dear Anti-Amway Scum,

You rock!  In my life I have been approached by over 30 people want to get
me involved in a business franchise, and all I had to do was change my
buying habits, hehe.  I must of had MLM written on my forehead.  I never
join, but new that this was a cult.  Especially how they try to mix religion
with their program.  I'm a christian, and I know why they target christians
especially.  Most Christian go to church where there is a huge chance of
recruitment because of the sheer number of people there.  I find this
especially devious, because your freinds at church trust each other, but
that bond of trust is broken quickly, because the person involved in Amway
stop looking at their fellow church member as brother and sister but their
potential downline.

To all who shall read this, remember, even Jesus said that you cannot love
both God and money, and for them to make everyone feel ok about what they do
to their trusting friends they have to put God in it to sooth their
consciences.

Good job on the web site

Subject:  Your Amway page...

Tue, 08 Jun 1999

Russell,where the hell have you gone to?Please don't tell me the Amway
internet juggernaut has got you too!I need my "Perils" fix and I need it
now!I don't want to go into withdrawal.Also what happened        to Jenny's
Epilogue?I need closure!Good God man...get back on line.         P.S.In
case you are wondering I do have a life but I do enjoy yours and
Probandts sites.Thank you.

Subject:  Your Amway story (part 2)

Tue, 08 Jun 1999

Thank you for creating this web site. My best friend is already signed
up for Quixstar,
and he invited me to a meeting last night. Clearly it is a cult and a
rip-off.

Subject:  Re: Your Amway page...

Tue, 08 Jun 1999

Sorry I've been so unattentive to my web site in the last year.  Updating my
Amway stuff lately has bored me, although if you want to see what I have done
that's amusing, check out
Amway Mad Libs ...

I've just recently been contemplating doing a tremendous batch of mail, but
after so much time the workload involved is pretty heavy.  I'll get to it.
I'm also going to add a FAQ page with some stuff about Quixtar, probably.

As far as GINny's closure... well, I don't think she has much more to say, so
maybe I should take that teaser out altogether.  In any case, we're engaged
and living in Austin, TX now, where I'm working at IBM these past few weeks.

So there you go.

Subject:  Your Amway page...

Wed, 9 Jun 1999

Dear Russell:
Thank you for helping me avoid a costly mistake.  My guts warned about
Amway; your web site confirmed it.
Sincerely.

Subject:  REAmway

Wed, 9 Jun 1999

Dear Russell,
 I have recently been approached by an Amway representative. She seemed to
be a very engaging woman who actually cared. It was funny(to me) that I'm
the one who brought up Amway! She was trying to interest me in on-line
selling(E-Marketing). I do admit to being interested at the prospect. I am
new to computers and am self taught. I find the internet a fascinating
medium with tremendous growth potentials. Question #1: Are you familiar with
Quixtar(their online marketing co)? Q.#2: Are you allowed to bye into the
company without all of the "Motivational" tools(I watched 2 tapes and felt
like I was at a sleep-over at Tony Roberts house!)
 I realize this rambles. I've spent the last 2 days researching both sides
of the Amway coin. While I am intrigued with the online marketing aspect, I
can make just as big as horse's patoot out of my self and my life without
help.

Subject:  Your Amway page...

Wed, 09 Jun 1999

You need to link to another search word:  Quixtar.  The sneaky bastards
are at it again.

Today, a barely known neighbor acquaintance called, ostensibly to thank
me for riding her kids home from the storm beaten bus stop one day, and
by the way invited me to a "makeover" party (gag) at her house.  We
talked about our livelihoods, and I mentioned graphic design, and
working from home, and she said, well, not to be pushy, but...  if you
want to work from home...  this is such a wonderful way, and there's a
meeting tomorrow night.

I told her there were too many "give us money so you can make some"
scams out there, and I wasn't a salesman, and not interested, and they
were all frighteningly Amway-like in their tactics... she still
encouraged me to go to the makeover party or the meeting, which was
invitation only but she had an invitation she could give me...  My
derogatorily mentioning the word Amway didn't cause her to bring up the
fact that anything she talked about had to do with that scorned (by me)
company.  She talked of videotapes, and meetings, and how it didn't take
that much time and effort but could be given a try easily enough...

She told of an ISP start upcoming 9/1/99 that would have so many
wonderful vendors in its online shopping mall (read the names off the
list you probably got at a meeting with the big "A") and encouraged me
to get involved in this business, which had been in existence 70 years
via catalog sales, and its name was "Quickstar" or so I thought... did a
search on Quickstar, saw that some hits listed said "not affiliated with
Quixtar" so searched "Quixtar" and noticed one page on direct hit that
came up "This site taken off the Internet by order of Amway" -- some of
the newsgroup sites referred to Amway/Quixtar and the 9/1 startup...
and vehemently reprimanded people from mentioning Quixtar as it was
"forbidden"...  until the proper time.  ( was the big giant head going
to give them the all clear signal or something?)

Your site came up on Direct Hit's search for Amway.  Thanks for
verifying my impressions of the company, and just think what mind
controlling substances they might add to the makeup (yes, it is the
brand listed on the Amway site! although she only told me the brand, not
any affiliations)at their makeovers (horrors!) not to mention the
subliminal mind control messages in their tapes.  I feel saved!!

Please don't publish my email address...  and here's the Quixtar
homepage for your perusal.

http://www.quixtar.com/edefaultnoanim.html

Subject:  Your%20Amway%20page...

Wed, 9 Jun 1999

Hi Russ,
        Brand new Amway distributor here with just one question.  What if I
didn't attend any meetings or buy any tapes and told everyone I approached
to
do the same thing.  What if instead of tricking people into hearing "the
plan"  I just told them I was in Amway and asked if they were interested.
This is the way I plan on doing business.  If the Amway products aren't good
enough to sell on their merits (and as a user I believe they are) then they
shouldn't be sold.  Maybe the business can be changed just a little from the
bottom.  Maybe I'll email you in a year or so and let you know how my little
experiment worked.  If I fail maybe you'll offer me a JOB.  At least I'm
honest.

Subject:  Your Amway page...

Thu, 10 Jun 1999

   Hello Russell

     I have been looking at information on the "real" Amway for the past 2
days, and I just wanted to let you know that I really enjoyed looking at
your
site.

     I find it very disturbing that the Amway Corporation has made so much
progress in preventing this information from leaking out.  In fact, when I
did a search for sites that tell the full story of Amway, about 40% of them
were "unavailable" for one reason or another.  Surely this is more than mere
coincidence.

    I too was never involved with Amway, although I was prospected, and
listened to the whole presentation, including the tapes, videos, etc.  The
sad part is, I was prospected by a former co-worker...a man for whom I had
great respect, and whose judgment and opinion I valued.... until I
discovered
he was foolish enough to fall into the Amway "trap".  His credibility with
me
was instantly shattered.

    I'm no math guru, but as you mentioned in part one of your site, I was
told that not only could I save money on things I use everyday, but if I
sponsored people, and they sponsored people, and so on, I could make money
on
things they sold as well.  Now as I said, I'm no math guru, but it was quite
clear that there are not enough slices in the pie to go around.  I find it
simply incredible that people would fall for this!

    My wife and I have an acquaintence who is involved with Amway (although
she denies it vehemently...she sells "Artistry" cosmetics.... not Amway!)
and
I am taking the liberty of giving her your web address, as well as one
other.
 I ask your forgiveness in advance in case she sends you any vicious e-mail
berating you and/or your site.  I just want her to have all the information
before she wastes more of her time and money in her "business".

    You have a great site, and I'd like to say thanks for being brave enough
to expose the truth.  You are providing a valuable public service for those
astute enough to get the whole story before jumping into a wild venture!

Subject:  Take a look at Usana:

Thu, 10 Jun 1999

Hi Russell:
My name is *****.  I am honered to be in network marketing,
with a company called Usana.  These products have changed my life.
This is in my opinion the best company in the world. For two years I've
tried to find flaws in this company.  There aren't any, I promise. Take a
look at the web page at   www.usana.com  (also publicly traded on
NASDAQ    USNA).   Any questions or comments.  usanamoose@aol.com

Subject:  Re: Take a look at Usana:

Thu, 10 Jun 1999

Well, here's the standard formal reply I give to ALL MLMers who can't
take a hint from my web page:

                ***Take a hike.***

Subject:  Finished your Amway story...

Fri, 11 Jun 1999

Dear Mr. Glasser,
Thank you. You've made my suspicions ever more clearer. Amway is fighting
back in another direction now. They are using Quixtar software to do the
talking now. I work for Fed Ex here in Chattanooga, Tennessee and our
maintenance mechanic is truly brainwashed in believing he'll be rich using
the Amway skills. My thoughts were,"You are a mechanic for Federal Express.
You have excellent perks. You have one of the greatest retirement plans a
employer can offer and you want to throw it all away for Amway".This guy can
be the next president. Not.
Anyway, you have open the door on the truth from the insiders perspective.
That's enough for me. I've been to many sights, but yours is most
compelling. The only thing Amway can fire back on is if they ask for you to
prove the lies of deception. And I've found out that, they are practicing
very hard, to prevent the truth from being told, by refusing to present the
facts on many great questions. One major question is," Is the revenue of the
company based on your product sales or the books, tapes and inspiration
merchandise, presented to the downline?"
Well, I better being going. I have a route to drive. I hope to hear from you
soon.

Subject:  Your Amway story (part 1)

Sun, 13 Jun 1999

You attended meetings and listened to tapes for 3 weeks - with that kind of
in-depth   first hand personal knowledge of the Amway business, you surely
are an expert in this business. I actually read most of your story about 2
years ago when I was researching the Amway business & it almost made me
quit.
But for some reason I completely forgot about your website & under the
guidance of an "18 percenter" began building my Amway distributorship. I am
now a qualified Emerald with 5 direct legs. My wife gave up work 8 months
after we started with Amway & I retired 2 months ago. I'm not sure who you
got involved with in Amway but you sure got the wrong idea. Lucky I didn't
listen to you. I can't believe you wasted so much time on this page trying
to
discourage others with your ill informed views on Amway. We now have a new
home(fully paid for) and enjoy magnificent holidays - because we had the
guts
to go out & do things other people weren't prepared to do - but the best
thing of all we have got out of this business so far is our freedom. I can't
describe what that is like. I wish you all the best & hope that in the
future
you can really check a subject out THOROUGHLY before you start sharing your
views on it. I'll leave you with one thought - when people look at things
and
are afraid of failure or think it might require a bit to much work and
they're not really up to it themselves they will usually criticise and
ridicule the opportunity. It happens all the time in life. Goodbye & I know
I
won't see You on the beaches.

Subject:  Your Amway Story...

Sun, 13 Jun 1999

Russell....you rule, kid!  I am in my early forties, but for the last twenty
years I have been a magnet for every Amway rep in the state....must look
gullible.
Your story made me laugh out loud....terrific writing skills and
grammar....I'd like to talk to you over lunch about  your future hopes
and....just kidding.

Subject:  scamway site

Mon, 14 Jun 1999

Russel,

apologies for addressing you by your first name when i don't even know you,
but i'm certain you'll forgive...

just wanted to tell you how very much i enjoyed your story regarding your
brush with (sc)amway.  it made me laugh, made me think, and even made me
feel a bit of sympathy for you.  not pity, mind you, but sympathy.  i spent
eight years in the army as an intelligence analyst, the last station being
fort hood, texas (from 1994-1996).  those two years would have been a lot
more difficult if it hadn't been for one very annoying but slightly humorous
thing.  (sc)amway clones.  (perhaps i should have that phrase copyrighted?
ha)  many a time was i forced to endure their popular chantings...

"how'd you like to increase your annual income?"
"how'd you like to be retired in five years?"
"tell me about your dreams"
"how'd you like to be able to own your own business?"
etc... etc... etc... each worse than the last...  they're like buzzwords in
business.  a sinister kind of doublespeak that gets worse and worse, vaguer
and vaguer (shoot, is "vaguer" a word?  you know what i mean...  more and
more vague) with each passing iteration...  even had someone try approaching
me with God on his side...  ugh...  ridiculous nonsense...  the way i looked
at it was: if a bunch of (obviously) idiots were doing it, why should i?
one of my relatively close friends was into it, and seemed to be doing
fairly well, but he was one of the fortunate few who got in on the ground
floor...

gosh, i'm rambling...  i'll cut this short.  Great site and Godspeed.

Subject:  Your Amway story (part 3)

Mon, 14 Jun 1999

Hi Russell;

I'm a close freind of Curt Smith who just e-mailed you recently and probably
mentioned his strange capacity for being an Amway sales pitch magnet for a
long time much to the amusement of his friends, myself included.  I've
worked as a chistian cult enounter/deprogramer for quite a few years on
attempting to help people insnared in the Jehovahs Witness movement which is
a counterfeit christianity and replete with all kinds of mind control
gimmicks to keep their members in line.  I don't want to toss a bunch of
theology at you here, that's not the point, but what's facinating is the
strong parallels between Amway and the JW's and many other mind control.
There's a newsletter I used to subscribe to called "The Free Minds Journal"
that had a lot of  good info in it on mind control and good books by various
reputable authors on the subject and lists many of the earmarks of this sort
of cult-like mentality, which as you mentioned in your writings, need not be
religious but can be political, business oriented or whatever.
Interestingly enough I've seen the same FEAR thing hold a lot of JW"s in
bondage to the group that you mentioned.  What really scares them for
example is if they are percieved by having doubts about the "mother
organization"  (no kidding that's really their termonology) and they have an
elder or two or even a circuit overseer come over and makes sure they aren't
about to bolt and run.  These guys show up in suits and trench coats
sometimes almost like a bad X-files episode. Bbbrrrr.  They'll use lines
like "you don't think you know more than the enlightened anointed men in the
top of Jehovah's organization do you?"  (often called the governing body)
or, "nobody else has this truth but us, there is no place that you can go,"
or, "Have you been listening to the lies of "apostates" (ex-JW's) and don't
you know that they are used by the devil and that reading their literature
is like reading pornography?"  and so forth.  It all sounds so familiar.
"you must read the watchtower and awake magazines every week", "No one can
understand the Bible but us and you have to buy and read all our books in
order to do so.' "you must attend as many meetings as you can", (often 3 to
5 a week,) "you must get in your hours of door to door ministry or you might
not escape Armageddon", "don't listen to your friends and family, they will
try to get you out of this wonderful group", and so on. Even higher
education is discouraged for the "sake of the kingdom ministry work". Many
JW's are led to make friends only within the watchtower so what happens with
time is after they buy into it, all of their friends and all of their family
are in it so that if they want to leave they don't dare for the fear of
being shunned and never getting to see their family members after a
disfellowhipping or a resignation.  Anyway I could go onand on, but I think
you see the picture.  It's an insidious organization.  One of the more
succesful ways of getting them out of it (now for the good stuff, ) is
asking questions that force them to think a bit about cultic organizatons
and to agree with you before old photocopies of the watchtowers false
prophecys and other damning evidence is brought out and the really heavy
evidence that really freaks a JW.  There is a little pamphlet that Randal
Watters (an ex-JW who is the editor of the free minds journal I mentioned
earlier,) wrote about opening the closed mind on dealing with mind control
that is really good that I'll send you if you want to have one. No strings
attached.  (really) Its quite good though and I think you would appreciate
it because it has a really successful tactic of rather than taking a cultist
(or amway person) head on and watching them either laugh or rage about the
disquiting evidence about their group,  you get them to think about earmarks
of false groups that they can agree with before you make the painful
application and bring out the literature that they don't want to look
at.It's a really successful technique that workd far better than butting
heads with them and getting them angry and defensive right off the bat which
I've done many a time unfortunately.   Essentially you begin to get them to
think rationally and sow seeds of doubt about the organization that they
will often pursue after they leave you.  This doesn't work on everybody but
it doeson a lot of people, especially if they have been in an organization
for a while without all the delivered promises.  I'm rambling too much here
but anyway let me know if you want one. It's quite good and is highly
applicable to other cultic thinking.  Your Amway adventure was a delight to
read and informative.  (no I'm not buttering you up, it's really what I
think.!)  Keep up the good work kiddo, you'll go far.

Subject:  My reply to your Amway page

Mon, 14 Jun 1999

Hi. I found your page by accident. I was really looking up on the search
engines for actual amway products. I have had 2 meetings with an Amway rep,
in 2 days. I have heard negative things about Amway in the past. The thing
that bothered me was that the pitch at first was about how much of a
discount the products would be (compared to everyday retail prices), on
products I had to buy anyway. I figured, if that was true, why wouldnt
everybody want to do this? So, I asked her to bring along a catalogue of the
products so that I could compare prices. (Just so happened she didnt have a
catalogue the first time around). The second visit (tonight) also was not
able to see the catalogue either. And when I asked her about the supposed
discounts, suddenly there wasnt much hype about it this time. Just "wouldn't
I want to buy the products, even for the same price as retail, because other
people are going to buy them, and you will make money off those
sales".....at that point I knew I could never sell this program to someone
else, because it is basically a lie, and will cost my friends more just to
be "in the club". Also there was mention of a big meeting in 3 weeks, and it
would cost me 130/ticket, and i would have to split the other costs as well
(example: hotel room for 3 nights, transportation, meals, spending money,
etc). So, in 2 meetings, I would have to spend 105.00 to join, then
addtional money for catalogues, cd roms, tapes, books, meeting (105.00
ticket plus). This was really adding up.

Bottom line is, the money has to come from somewhere to go in all these rich
people's pockets. Doesnt take a rocket scientist to figure out who is paying
for it.

Thanks for your page, it helped me to confirm my suspicions. :)

Subject:  Love your net site.

Tue, 15 Jun 1999

Very enlightening.

Subject:  Your Amway story (part 3)

Tue, 15 Jun 1999

great page I just recently had the same type of encounter, My problem is i
joined and then did the research on amway/quixtar. It took me about three
months to relize that I was being scammed and want no part of it. Me and my
family have been called losers and everything else in the book. I am
building my web site now. I want to if it is ok to link to your page. The
more people know the better.

Thank you

Subject:  Finished your Amway story...

Wed, 16 Jun 1999

Dear Russell,

That was quite a story !  Tell you frankly, Amway has been involved in my
country the Philippines since 1997 through a group called "Network 21"
(website is www.network21.com, password is "achieve" and
www.countdown9199.com ) founded by Jim Dornan an American.  I'm still
skeptical about the group while I'm trying to experience this organization
here sort of "getting my feet wet."

They've got basically the same meetings here (ran by locals & a couple of
Americans) and cost from $1.50 (open seminar) to $65 (Weekend Seminar) which
newcomers like me find a little bit expensive.

They've the same tapes we're told to listen to everyday (didn't listen much
to the hype but got the gist of certain tapes).

They've the same books such as the Network of Champions and Power of
Partnership by Jim Dornan.

I've signed up since a couple months back but have not really been working
on it till a few days ago.

Some initial observations:

o  there's no sign of coercions here but definitely they try to persuade you
o  there were several Filipino Executive Directs who felt doing this
business really allowed them to help others free themselves financially
o  they've not been able yet to give me concrete information about the the
number of people involved here (I'd estimate it at about 2,000-3,000
to-date), no financial information (though I'll check out our SEC office)
o  I feel some tinges of secrecy among the oldtimers (2 yrs max)
o  several oldtimers were American immigrants now staying here
o  there's even an Iranian Executive Direct named Ali Ghannadan working with
also with the main office

An American guy seems to be involve quite regularly named John Herren from
California also involve in real estate.  He's Diamond Direct.

Quite surprisingly an Indonesian named Robert Angkasa is an Executive
Diamond Direct in a much troubled country.

Thanks a lot to you Russell for a very informative narrative.  I'm doing my
own little research here too specially how Network 21 is twined with Amway.

Will be in touch.

Regards.

Subject:  My reply to your Amway page

Mon, 6 Jul 1998

Dear Russell,
Really enjoyed your Amway page, and yes, I read the whole thing despite your
inviting links to jump around.
About fifteen years ago, I received a phone call from an old friend who
offered, in an alarmingly vague way, to share an opportunity with me. I was
wary, having been roped into introductory meetings for both Shaklee and est
(from which I managed to wriggle free), but agreed to let him come over one
evening and make his presentation.
At the appointed time he arrived, wearing a tie (a first) and began by
asking what I hoped to accomplish in my life. I countered by attempting to
pin him down as to the exact nature of this business, and said " I just want
to make sure that this is not est, or Shaklee, or Amway, or something
horrible like that, because I have been assailed before". He replied that
his business was not Amway, no sirree, nothing like it, it was "Executives
Unlimited", which distributes Amway products! I told him as plainly as I
could that I was not the least bit interested, but wished him every
success.
We have stayed in touch over the years, and I have kept tabs on his various
business ventures. He left Amw...er, Executives Unlimited a year or so after
he pitched me, and has tried other part time businesses since then, most
recently supplying plastic tubing to veterinary clinics for their anesthesia
apparatus. Oh well.
Sad thing is, my friend is truly gifted in his main career, has a fine
reputation, and has enjoyed considerable success. He (and other friends who
I have known to enjoy brief careers pestering everyone in their life to
purchase some new wonderful crap) fell for the central argument of the
scamsters; that to work a regular job, have a normal career is to be a sap a
sucker, a victim, a loser. This ultra-cynical view really sucks the big one,
yet it is encountered in every pyramid come on , real estate infomercial,
etc. etc.
Ultimately, we should pity the poor shmoes who succumb, despite their
deceptions,as they waste their precious lives chasing empty dreams instead
of savoring the many quiet satisfactions of simply doing what they do well
and enjoying each day. To me, this is a better working definition of true
wealth than that offered by the Grand Imperial Wizard Double Diamonds of the
world.
Thanks, Russell, for a great site

Subject:  SORRY YOU FEEL THIS WAY

Wed, 16 Jun 1999

I READ SOME OF YOUR INFO ON AMWAY AND AM TRUELY SORRY YOU FEL THAT WAY.
THERE ARE SOME OF US THAT WOULD NOT KNOW WHAT TO DO WITHOUT IT...I MUST
SAY IT HAS BEEN A GREAT EXPERIENCE FOR MY SON TO BE AROUND OTHER KIDS
WHO HAVE A POSITIVE OUTLOOK ON LIFE AND THE FUTURE...IT IS GREAT TO SEE
PARENTS WORKING TOGETHER AS A TEAM...MOST PARENTS TODAY WORK AND GO
THEIR SEPERATE WAY..THIS IS A GOOD SIGHT FOR KIDS TO SEE..WE HAVE BEEN
INVOLVED FOR SEVERAL YEARS...THE FIRST SIX MONTHS WE MADE OVER $800 A
MONTH AND HAVE ALWAYS INCREASED FROM THERE...ALSO, I HAVE TRUELY MET
SOME GREAT FRIENDS...THE OTHERS I THOUGHT WERE MY FRIENDS TURNED THEIR
BACK WHEN THEY FOUND OUT I WAS DOING THIS...WHEN MY SISTER DIED THE OLD
FRIENDS DID NOT EVEN BOTHER TO SEND CARDS..BUT MY NEW FRIENDS IN THE
BUSINESS TOOK UP A COLLECTION TO HELP US WITH OUR FINANCES GO HOME TO
HER FUNERAL...I REALLY DON'T KNOW WHAT I WOULD HAVE DONE WITHOUT THEM...
I HOPE ONE DAY YOU WILL REALIZE THAT THIS IS NOT FOR EVERY ONE AND FOR
THOSE WHO STICK IT OUT...IT WILL EITHER INRICH THEM WITH MONEY OR WITH
A POSTIVE CHANGE IN THEIR LIFE....I HAVE LIVED OT S.C AND FT.WORTH,,BUT
WAS NOT CONTACTED ABOUT THIS UNTIL I CAME TO MICHIGAN..P.S IF YOU HAVE
NOT CHECK OUT QUIXSTAR THE NEW WEB SITE...WELL THIS WILL TOTALLY CHANGE
THE WAY WE DO BUSINESS....TEMP SITE  COUNTDOWN9199.COM

DO NOT E-MAIL ME HERE I AM AT WORK THE BOSS IS GONE....BUT IF YOU DO
CHECK THE WEB SITE OUT...

Subject:  Your Amway story (part 2)

Wed, 16 Jun 1999

I am not an Amway rep.  I am a curious individual who accidentally found
your site by typing "Dexter Yager" into a search engine.  I have been told
about a new online business opportunity called Debiz.  It is as you describe
Amway - vague.  You read that you will become successful selling online
products, but no specifics.  That comes from getting together with a
sponsor.  Anyway, as I read the different pages on the site, I finally found
a list of leadership, with Dexter Yager appearing to be the top dog.  I
wondered how this could be a "new" opportunity that begins September 1999 if
Dexter joined in 1964.  That's when I searched his name on the search
engine.  I discovered he joined Amway in 1964.  Then I found your site.  Do
you know if Debiz is online Amway sales, or is it perhaps another separate
business that Dexter is breaking away to start on his own?

I would appreciate any information you could provide.  Thank you for all the
lowdown on Amway's recruitment procedures.

Subject:  Your Amway page...

Wed, 16 Jun 1999

Hey Russell,

     Owe you an apology...read your website about 2 years ago and
thought you were a whiny, complaining, punk...I was hardcore into
Amway...now i know everything on your website is true.  I am a Captain
in the military (yes, i have a life) and was turned on to Amway by other
officers...attracted to the God and Country, thought it was a very
honorable and noble purpose...turned out it was all lies and deception.
      I try to talk to some of those guys now and it is impossible...I
mean they are so brainwashed, it is incredible...cannot get a straight
answer about anything.  It's amazing, that when i read e-mail on your
site, the critics can sum it up in a few sentences...the pro-amway go on
and on and on...you can never get a straight answer.
      i think amway could have been a good idea, if the corporation
would stand up to the book and tape kings and get the religion and
politics out of the business...
      Anyway, good luck with your pursuits in the computer world.  I
wish there was a way all of us anti-amway people could get together to
talk intelligently about it...it was like living a nightmare for 2-3
years, and this website is like therapy.
      Life is a joy now, we have savings, stocks, 3 IRA's and savings
bonds.  Money isn't everything, but Amway used to drain everyting.
Sorry for being so longwinded..Take care, and let me know if you need
any information about amway and the military. MPH

Subject:  thank you

Thu, 17 Jun 1999

thank you for a different view. I had a amway man visit me.All he could do
was rant and rave about it but when I asked questions he was unwilling to
answer them. Then when I declined his offer he told me how he didn't care
anyway then went into detail as to why. Why tell me if he didn't care?? Here
he is telling me how he'd love to work with me 10 minutes before. Pretty
poor really. So I understand what your saying and it's great to hear a
differen't viewpoint. Again thank you for your wisdom
Regards

Subject:  Ginny's Amway story (part 3)

Fri, 18 Jun 1999

Hi Ginny,

Just wanted to say thanks so much for sharing your story.  I can't
believe how much of it was familiar to me.  My husband and I thankfully
have quit the business and although no one has ever come on to him, we
did fight terribly about the same thing you and your ex did.  I never
thought he was the man he should be and if he really loved me he would
go out and contact as many people as possible and show the plan.  The
poor guy almost had an ulcer.  He never believed in the business, he
always thought it was a deception and therefore had a problem contacting
people about it.
I'm so sorry you went thru what you did.  First of all, Amway is always
saying how they are such a family oriented business but yet they don't
allow babies at functions.  And they won't accept any excuse for you not
to be there.  I always wondered why they put new mothers in such a
horrible situation.  I can't even imagine the fear you went thru leaving
your baby girl with a practical stranger and being so far away.
And another thing......current news reports are saying that driving
while drowsy is just as if not more dangerous that driving drunk.
(obviously, your story supports this)  So why does upline continue to
encourage it??  It would be like someone forcing alcohol down your
throat until you were totally intoxicated and then telling you to go for
a drive.  Amazing!
I've already taken up too much of your time, but I just wanted to thank
you for sharing your story.  I know it's going to help so many people
out there.
Thanks and Good Luck!

Subject:  finished your amway story...

Fri, 18 Jun 1999

Mr. Glasser,

        Very interesting experience.  I have recently been approached by a
fellow graduate of Kellogg (Top 5 business school) "to get in on the ground
floor of an exciting opportunity!"  In a nutshell, Amway has gone to
e-commerce and are directing all their IBO's (independent business owners)
that way.  When I asked him (again, a fellow top business school graduate)
how they can offer lower prices than Wal-mart and still pay out to
everybody, he said he would get back to me.  He had to talk to his sponsor,
a lawyer ("so it must be legal" - his exact words).  Also, he was pushing
hard and I said I would be out of town for the next few weeks.  "Can I talk
with your wife about this opportunity?"  Well, I spoke with my wife about
it, and she (God bless her wisdom) said that when she "wants toilet paper
and diapers, she's not waiting two days for it!"  Anyway, I'm feeling a bit
of the "Glasser" syndrome myself.  I want to purge this blasphemer
(especially if he is hounding other Kellogg grads, and giving the Kellogg
name a black eye)!  Thanks again for the great story.

Subject:  Cult of amway

Fri, 18 Jun 1999

Russell,

Thank you for a tremendous web site!!

I recently met this nice girl and we're hitting it
off... EXCEPT you-know-what-I'm-about-to-say.. she's
indoctrinated into the amway cult.  And from reading
plenty of web sites culminating in your excellent
analysis i am convinced it IS a cult.

I am a Virgo - and one of the most analytical and
logical minds you'd ever meet!  These people though
dressed up the argument so well that even i had my
guard down... i never had the intention of joining
amway but as research i attended a weekly meeting and
next day volunteered myself to be offered the plan by
this girl's sister and brother-in-law.  These people
are quite intelligent and clever - or so i thought.

In the end i think there's 3 kinds of people that are
canvassed - those that sign up right away, those that
aren't sure and topple eventually either way, and
those that see it as an INSULT to their INTELLIGENCE.
I fall into the latter... fortunately i am very polite
which prevented me from making a real scene when i was
fed all the nonsense... even in presentation of the
plan half the time was in "dream building" - i CANNOT
believe why so many people don't realise that ASKING
for others to BUILD their dreams for them, ASKING for
a carrot to be dangled in front of them, leads to
BLIND FAITH, and that leads to people doing Stupid
Things.

Nevertheless i borrowed their Profiles of Success
book, and read about morally reprehnsible and wanton
greed and avarice to the 10th degree - money all made
on sucking others in - the book itself is a tool!  And
i also listened to a tape recommended to me... a
complete waste of time - someone telling me how rich
he is from amway and about all the places he's been to
and things his family has done.  It simply takes a
WEAK mind to be motivated by all of this.  My Golden
Rule is to be self motivated, that way what i do is
for MY goals.

To cut a long story short, i saw a lot of things that
you experienced.. and they now make me sick.  It's
unfortunate for me because i like this girl... but
involvement in amway tells a lot about a person i've
realised.. you can chalk this one up as STALLING a
relationship before there's a chance for it to break
up because of amway!

"There's a sucker born every minute, but only every
hundred years one dies"

Subject:  Amway

Fri, 18 Jun 1999

Hi Russel,

My name is *****, and I live in South Africa. I stumbled onto your
webpage and read your story and comments on the Amway corporation and their
business.

First I would like to say that I am involved in a venture through Network
21. I also have a few people that got involved in the same venture working
with me, and once again through Network 21. Amway has only entered the South
African market about 2 years ago, and is not well known in South Africa.
Your story and experience with Amway seems to have been an unpleasant
experience for you, if I understood your story correctly.

I can very well understand your concerns about the Amway concept being a
so-called "scam", and would respect your right to freedom of speech on the
subject. The reason I took the time to write to you is give you an Amway
story of a completely different kind. You may, if you wish, publish this
story together with all the others on your webpage, but I would ask of you
to publish the whole story, exactly as it is.

In February 1999 I was approached by a good friend at work who introduced me
to Network 21 and the Amway business. I was interrested in the concept,
partly due to my curious nature, but attracted by the prospect of earning
extra money. I sat down with my friend and asked all the questions I could
think of. I was not once deceived in any way, pressured or "conned" into
signing up. I was told about Amway's involvement right from the start. The
concept was explained to me a number of times, and it seemed like an
attractive proposition to me. I took the information home and read all of it
carefully, listened to the tapes I was given, and also did a little research
of my own on the Internet. Based on that I made my own decision to take the
chance and became a distributor. I was not once phoned, visited or contacted
by anyone to urge me to make a decision. I made the decision on my own.

I decided to contact a few friends and I asked them if they are interrested
to become "Amway Distributors". That is how I got the few people working
with me. They use the same method of getting the people  to work with them.
We concentrate on selling the products and generating profit through the
sales thereof, together with building the business network. The point I am
trying to make is that we are honest and open about what the Amway concept
is.

A number of the people that is part of our group has come from very poor
families. Most of them have been deprived of most of life's little luxuries
like growing up in a decent house, instead of a small one-roomed "hut". Or
having two or three fairly decent meals a day, instead of a bowl of porriage
every 2 days. Or even the basic things like having shoes to wear to school
or warm clothes during winter. These people took the Amway option, simply
because it offered them a possibility of making some money to feed their
families, or buy some warm clothes for their children. These are the real
down-to-earth people of South Africa that would want nothing more than to
have ANY kind of job to earn money to survive. They found that in the Amway
concept. Not because they wanted to become rich or successfull. Purely to be
able to look after their families and make life just a little more
wonderfull for themselves.

I joined Network 21 to make lots of money - that was my only goal. I then
realised what Amway can mean to many people in South Africa. I admit, I am
making money out of it, but so do they - more than they would otherwise have
made. They understand how the concept works, and they are happy with it.
Some have even bought their own cars, may it be old second-hand cars, but
they are smiling all the way. You see, in South Africa having a job is a big
luxury for most of the population. Due to the education levels and the high
unemployment level, finding a job, any job, is very difficult. This concept
is an answer to those people here in South Africa. The men and women that
work with me in my group consider each of their ventures to be their own
little business and they manage them like serious businesses. For them Amway
means the difference between having an income and begging.

It may be so that in other parts of the world Amway is not seen in the same
light. It may also be that Amway seems like a system that will make some
people very wealthy, some not. All I want to ask you, is if it would be fair
to shoot Amway down because it does not seem to work for you or other people
like you. Would it not be fair to give people the choice, people like the
ones that is in my group. Since I started this venture in February, I had
the pleasure of seeing many little faces light up when mom or dad comes home
with a box of candy or a new toy. That is what gives me faith in Amway and
similar ventures. It may seem lucrative for some people, but for these
people it means a fair chance to have a decent life by their own standards.

I would say let people make up their own minds, like you have, about taking
a chance on Amway or not. Just keep in mind that the way of life in other
countries is different than what you are used to in your country. For that
reason something like Amway can truly make a difference, no matter how big
or small. These are the people whose dreams you have no right to steal.

Regards.

Subject:  Your Amway page...

Fri, 18 Jun 1999

Hi Russell & Ginny,
      Oh how I can relate your site!!  My boyfriend Dave at the time
brought me into Amway because his upline which was his older brother
kept pressuring him to do so.  Dave was very reluctant to have me join
because he wanted our relationship to grow and become possibly "One"
someday.

     I joined Amway August 1992 and what a nightmare my life had become
after a few months being with Amway.   Dave & I broke up a few months
later because I couldn't take his "constant" pressure to sell, set-up
meetings, make sure that I attended those monthly Saturday Rallies,
etc.... We fought constantly!  After being convinced by Dave's brother
to stay in the Amway business, I left Dave's line & went under his
brother Michael & his sister-in-law Heather's line.

    November I had attended a "Fall Rally" (can't remember the exact
name of it) which I thought was a total bore & was just amazed at how
many people were being brainwashed!  That following summer Labor Day
weekend, Dave & I drove down together (we were set up per Mike to drive
together) to Atlanta GA from ME to the big "Convention" at the Super
Dome.  All of the other up-lines flew down since they could afford it.
9 of us shared a 1 bedroom hotel room.  It was fun at first but by the
time Monday morning rolled around we were all fighting with each other!
Nightmare!!

    The Atlanta GA convention was crazy!!
I slept thru a good part of Saturday night & Sunday night.  I got up &
walked a lot...
Needless to say it was NOT a fun weekend!

    Our trip home was just as bad, Dave was driving, refusing to let me
drive, kept falling asleep at the wheel, missed being in 2 car
accidents.  We had a 21 hour drive with only 3-4 stops the entire way!

   I left Amway January 1994 & have been much happier since!   I cringe
everytime I hear that Amway name!   I never did have any downlines but
that is ok..didn't buy much either, a major friction between my lines &
myself....

   Thank you for creating a great e-mail page.   Thought I would share
my Amway nightmare with you.

   Take care

Subject:  Your Home Page--What A Wonderful World!

Fri, 18 Jun 1999

Dear Russell:

I ran upon your homepage as I was searching the net for totalitarian
schemes,
in an attempt to determine the one that has grabbed hold of my life (going
on
about 7 to 10 years, now). (I still cannot fully quantify it, determine its
source or discover why I, a 45 year old student, mom, wife and writer have
been targeted by it.)

I am currently a communication student at the University of Houston-Clear
Lake, home of NASA experimentitis. They are working on cities in space, now,
air quality and pollution control. It is very interesting.

I will be taking a Macromedia course in the fall, and an internet course for
web-page design in HTML format. I am currently taking a poetry workshop and
a
photography class, to have some wonderful and original items to add to my
work next semester.

I enjoyed your writing and am going to download as many of your projects as
possible. Being your mom's age and all, I have not played many games. I am
very impressed with your informational technique as your present your
products to the internet browser. Your humility, and obvious love for fun
shine through, and make even ancients like me want to know and learn about
game programming, and enjoying games as a sideline to the work we do.

I also have a Gateway pentium, and love it a lot.

I will finally graduate from college in December, after working towards that
goal over the last 25 years. My husband, Tom, has three degrees, two in
civil
engineering and one in math, and I have always let him know that when it was
my turn, I would not hesitate to take it. I ride my bike every day to and
from classes, and am thoroughly enjoying interacting and becoming good
buddies with my own age group peers, as well as those in your peer-group. I
have an 18 year old daughter that is leaving for Pomona, Ca. to attend
college in the fall. She is fabulous, but I am so scared for her because of
all the nuts in California. She is very intelligent, and well-versed in the
culture, however, she is so susceptible to some of  these mind-control
freaks
that you mentioned on your home page.

Your information about Amway was extremely insightful, cogent, helpful and
real and understandable. Emphasis on real. Often I cannot relate to people
who attempt to do good on these informational sites, because their sites
need
an interpretor to help the unknowing understand even the most basic terms of
these cults, totalitarian take-over orgs, elitist mind-control clicks, etc.,
etc., etc. Take the Scientology sites, for example. So many terms for one
person to absorb, then quickly analyze to determine if this might be the
ones
that have been involved in harassing me.

I discovered Lifton's Eight Methods of Mind Control about three years ago,
and these are the tacks that these totalists have used on me for over four
years now. The mystical manipulation, the facts they have about my life
before I even utter the first word of introduction to them about myself, and
certainly about my life and all its personal content. I trust few with the
precious details of my life anyway, but these people already have knowledge
of me before I have even met them.

I live in the Clear Lake City area of Houston, close to NASA, and for a very
long time I have considred that this is such a Defense-oriented community,
that every new inhabitant of the area is scrutinized with totalist
methodologies, unaware to the casual residential inhabitant.

Anyway, I am still pondering it all. You've helped me to see Amway for what
it really is, and I appreciate that. I haven't fully crossed them off, but I
think they are a little too openly deceptive and manipulative to be the
regime that has me surrounded. I am surrounded by the infernal BEAST
himself.
You never know, however. As technologies become more advanced, totalists
will
only consider the latest and greatest tools for them to learn in order to
control and manipulate the masses.

"Weird and wild stuff!"  -- Johnny Carson

--indeed--