One of our readers shares their story:
Back in 1970, when my cousin had roped me into going to one of his Amway meetings, I had a similar experience.
The meeting was held in the back room of some crummy restaurant. Those present were IBOs (called “Amway distributors” back then), and they were a sorry crew of bedraggled housewives, overweight schlubs, unemployed laborers, and a few glassy-eyed young jerks just out of high school. They looked like the kind of lower-middle-class losers you’d meet at a Bingo hall on Friday night.
Anyway, there was all the usual rah-rah cheering about the great opportunity of the Amway “plan,” and how we were all supposed to go out and be “movers and shakers.”
There was one guy running the show who was either the Platinum, or just some big pin. He didn’t look any more impressive than the rest of the crew. Towards the end of the meeting, he insisted on asking each person present what their “dreams” were. Most people gave the predictable answers about what they would buy.
When he came to me, I said “I’m not in Amway -- I’m just here to listen.” He said “Well, if you were to join, what would you want to get out of it?”
I thought for a moment, and replied as honestly as I could: “My own desire would be to earn enough money so that I wouldn’t have to think about money at all.”
All the IBOs there cheered and smiled, and said that I had given a great answer. But the Platinum asshole was pissed off. He said “That’s NOT a dream! A dream has to be specific! Tell us what your dream for your Amway business is!”
I replied “I’m not in Amway. I’m here with my cousin to listen. Didn’t you understand that?”
The Platinum asshole then said “Well, I can see that you’re not the right type for Amway.” He was very angry.
My cousin was annoyed, and when we left he complained that I had said the wrong thing. I answered “What do you mean, the wrong thing? I said what I honestly thought. Is this Amway a fucking totalitarian society where I can only say what is approved?”
My cousin couldn’t answer me. And for a very long time after that, he did not speak to me.
By the way, my cousin failed completely in the Amway business. But the real tragedy is this: ever since then he’s gone from one dopey unprofitable “scheme” after another. His experience with Amway poisoned him forever.