I’ve since heard that Anthem is actually the one worthwhile Rand book, but I have a stack of other unread books I’ll probably tackle first.
It’s ok and like much of Rand’s work I found myself saying “That isn’t how science works! Much less invention!”
It also has far less violent kinky S&M sex then the other books.
It also has the virtue of being short which is unusual for her books.
“…the account that ends in 8424 please.”
Wait, how did Youngevity get my account number?
I remember an MLM coming up on a different message board I used to frequent. There was a guy defending the MLM and invoking the name of a future (now current) presidential candidate in the process (who apparently endorsed the scheme). I remember kind of re-writing his posts and substituting “panhandling” for “MLM.” I guess I was living a sheltered life because it was the first context in which I’d seen someone admonish others to “man up” (repeatedly, at that).
ETA: I really should eat lunch before typing my thoughts
Immediately after the spiel, I would have inquired about the inventory of charcoal filters in the back of his Ferrari, and is his Ferrari big enough to meet the needs of selling said charcoal filters. 
I didn’t think much of Anthem, and I was ignoring my aversion to Objectivism while reading it.
Also, Lexus RC F or GTFO… 
So. I love LWT and John Oliver. However. Not all MLM business models are bad or leacherous. Pampered chef and creative memories are two inpersonally experienced that were about their distributors buying what they needed to sell and getting discounts on things for themselves. There was never a push for those I knew involved to recruit others. while not profitable unless you went nuts on selling, there wasn’t a corporate stance on “buying product”.
Two people I know have each fallen for a different MLM scheme despite both of them being relatively high in the hierarchy in financial services. In other words, they should have known better within 5 seconds. Which makes me wonder if there’s something else drawing people to these schemes, since it doesn’t seem to be about money.
Spotted this on Reddit a little while ago. "Found in kids Halloween candy:"
Ugh.
Towards the end of high school, it was Cutco/“Vector Marketing” spreading the misery in my day. I think their business model pretty much relies on people’s increased willingness to spend money to help out desperate students – making them a little notch above those unspeakably horrible magazine sales. I’m so glad my family was there to make it perfectly obvious what a terrible, terrible idea it was.
I used to work for a company that did data processing for MLM companies back in the 80s. I was exposed to a number of mid-level MLM companies.
They are driven by greed and hope. If you want to see what kind of madness that sort of greed causes, go to a sales meeting of an MLM which wants to be Amway or Herbalife. You will see madness run rampant.
Are they pyramids? They try very hard to appear as they are not, but they are close enough to be for all practical purposes. If you think that your MLM is one of “the good ones”, you just don’t know enough about it yet.
Once I wrote a bogus MLM sales plan, with as much impossible or impractical features as possible. Within a year over half of the MLMs I worked with proposed a sales plan feature that was on that list. They deal in hope and absurdity without an understanding of math.
The video covered just about everything, except how they tend to pray on certain parts of the Christian community. I watches many people get burned because they were sold on the MLM as a faith based way to make money. They pray on gullibility and trust. They use that belief in God to say that your faith will help you prosper. It does nothing of the sort.
My friend just posted this to FB today under the guise of “Rodan + Fields isn’t a pyramid scheme”.
I’m not sure it helps her cause -
Quote - “If you see the power of owning your own social commerce business with unlimited earning potential that you can do whenever-- and from wherever you have wi-fi–we should chat!”
Whenever someone says “unlimited earning potential” run for the hills.
Yep Oliver shreds them unless he’s doing hit pieces on third parties because his master’s at time Warner want their favorite copyright maximalist oligarch elected.
He’s lost all credibility with me since he went in to full shill mode.
Thank God time Warner isn’t a MLM right?
I’d say that one on Stein and Johnson were pretty tame - they could have hit them much harder because both of them are insane and not even close to being fit to serve as Prez.
I’m not Hillary’s biggest fan, but the idea that we can even come close to putting that orange abomination close to the white house is beyond ludicrous.
Bernie was clearly the best choice, but that time is gone. Trump must be defeated.
Let’s explore that… other than it came from the Clinton pr machine what makes Jill unfit for the job?
Not having murdered innocent civilians? Not having one position for your oligarch friends and one for the voters?
Let’s not hear that oft repeated but untrue antivax bull pucky either. not trusting the FDA’s industry revolving door is not the same as being anti Vax.
I know this tangent doesn’t seem relevant to the post but I’m going with it because Oliver sells himself as a social commentator and is nothing but a time Warner shill.
Too bad Oliver saves his "journalistic rigor"or soft corporate safe targets like Avon and the like.
I’m glad to see John Oliver’s crew knows the difference between a pyramid and a triangle. So many charts out there with triangles.
/pedant
Wow, that was essentially the whole episode right there on YouTube. Credit to HBO I guess.
…and I can’t view it in Australia, which makes it pretty hard to share.
Just like how Doctors get involved with Pyramids. They can use their position to scam others based on trust and the pretense that they’re successful so other persons conflate their other success with the MLM.
He’s done more for America than any Greens, that’s got to sting.
