One of the things I often thought odd as an Amway IBO was how our upline would keep teaching us that the Amway business was all about "helping people". Somehow, our upline felt that showing someone the plan or talking to them about the business was helping someone. That is because our upline felt that everyone was doomed for financial failure if they didn't join Amway. Of course, nothing could be further from the truth now that I am looking back. In fact, I would have to say that building the business and purchasing tools was the CAUSE of financial disaster for some of my fellow IBOs. I remember reading about more than one home foreclosure and a couple of bankruptcies.
It's like IBOs held some dark secret and they could save the world by sharing this secret with prospects. So the theme of many voicemails (Amvox at the time) was about how IBOs in the group were saving the world by helping people. I used to wonder how we were helping people when we basically only "helped" IBOs who wanted to build the business. If someone declined to join, they were forgotten. Our upline said we threw them a life preserver, but they rejected it, so we are moving on. it was often compared to a church activity where IBOs are saving souls. I actually found this extra weird because we were often taught that we could give the church money in the future ($10,000 checks) and we could serve in ministry after we were "free". I find this ludicrous now, but at the time, we were told that this was delayed gratification. After I left Amway, I spoke to the senior pastor of the church, and he opined that Amway was harmful to many because it simply held too many empty promises. In other words, they promote big dreams and wealth, but very few ever attain any success, for whatever reason. The pastor said the reason for the low success was not relevant. The fact that it was rare to see success was enough to conclude that Amway was not a good opportunity.In fact, some diamonds can be seen as prosperity preachers. They speak about wealth attained through Amway when in reality their wealth may come from other sources, such as tools income, yet they falsely promote Amway as their primary source of success. Then they bait and switch IBOs and tell them that the tools system is the only way to succeed, all the while profiting handsomely from the tools. They then justify their conflict if interest by claiming that IBOs are helping people and/or doing God's work by joining Amway. I believe many IBOs are giving false hope and promises to prospects as taught by upline leaders. All the while they themselves are losing money while thinking they are supporting a noble cause. I hope they awaken before it's too late.
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See my March 5 comment at Anna Banana's website about the Dutch Calvinist basis of the entire Amway culture. It's under the thread titled "Amway Treats Its Employees Like Shit."
The Dutch Calvinism of De Vos and Van Andel was deeply ingrained in their character and world-view. It makes a sundering separation of the "saved" from the "damned." And the saved are always successful and prosperous, while all the damned are always financially broke.
My whole life of having been member of the Dutch Reformed Church, I don't remember being taught that "damned" corresponds to being financially broke, or that saved equated to being financially prosperous. And certainly not flashy displays of wealth, whether fake or authentic. John Calvin himself was not wealthy.
Neither were my recent ancestors all of whom were Dutch Reformed and lived rather simple lives. Prosperity preaching in the reformed (or Calvinist) tradition as with most Christian denominations, is regarded as the hallmarks of a sect.
Back to Amway. The problem with Amway is not any particular dogma of it's founders, but the same as with MLMs generally. The design of the system means majority failure, which creates a challenge to keep the business builders subscribed, in spite of the inevitable lack of success for most.
The groups address this by creating a hype, which includes spreading the message that being in Amway is connected to virtues in the society where it operates, like saying being in Amway is the authentic expression of Christianity, or American free enterprise, or caring about loved ones, or assertiveness in taking control of one's own destiny. It is very possible, since Amway has a sizeable footprint in a country like India, that the groups there use the principles of say Hinduism to show that they are somehow close to that.
However, the activities to recruit more members, to follow the plan and work out without results is definitely not the result of any of these world views, it uses world views and perceived virtues to say being in Amway is the personification of these.
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