One of the really weird things I experienced in Amway was this concept of checking upline. Sure as a newbie your upline will be reasonable and flexible but once you start to get committed to the system, it starts to become cult like in some ways. Many former IBOS have confirmed this experience and it seems pretty common. It sounds strange to a passer by but thus really goes on in the world of Amway.
I recall being an up and coming IBO and I was getting accolades and getting some time to spend with the upline diamond. It seemed cool but as I look back I think WTH? My upline sponsor started to teach about submission to upline and that any life or business decision should first be consulted with up line. I thought why should I ask permission to buy a new car or to get married as if upline were my parents who were still supporting me or something.
But when I figured out the scam it made sense. Upline very likely wanted to make sure that you had enough cash flow to buy standing orders and function tickers because that was their livelihood. If you bought a new car, you might not be able to afford functions. If you had a child, maybe you couldn’t attend functions. It’s scary to think that the trusted upline would be so insidious but that because crystal clear to me eventually.
So you see folks, upline might verbally say they care about you and want your success but what they really want is to ensure that their income from standing orders and functions keeps flowing without interruption. Think about it and do the math. I can’t see any other reasonable conclusion.
In Amway, down-line exists solely as a source of income for up-line. Nothing else.
ReplyDeleteYou might say, "But that's also true about customers who go to a traditional store to buy things. They are just income sources for the storekeeper."
True. But the storekeeper isn't trying to control what his customers do outside of his store. He isn't prohibiting them from having children, or from buying a car. He isn't demanding that they attend some stupid "function." He isn't forcing them to buy tapes and CDs.
Amway is a vicious little cult that does everything it can to control the lives and behavior of its IBOs.