
Does a teacher of ethics who has destroyed the lives of many – in particular his former students, girlfriends, employees, and those who trusted him – deserve mercy?
This question cropped up when a reader, having read my post, “RANIERE IS NOT EVIL; HE IS A FRIGHTENED CHILD”, wrote as follows:
“I wouldn’t give this guy [Raniere] any excuses, or any leeway to be interpreted as such. The fact of the matter is, he chooses to behave the way he does. His behavior displays all the signs of sociopathy. Despite being described as highly intelligent, he’s manipulative and uses people; despite being a 50-plus year old man, he’s an immature baby and bully; and despite claiming to be an ethical person in the likes of say a Buddha, he’s a moral imbecile.”
In the post referred to I suggested Raniere was frightened and so he acted as he does.
For that we should feel sympathy.
We all know frightened people act in ways that they would not if they were brave. Compare the lion and the fox.
Of course I realize that what keeps Raniere from being identified (by his own followers) as a cowardly soul is the Bronfman millions.
$100 million in the hands of a sociopath can wreak havoc and hide a multitude of sins.
But, upon discovering the hypocrite (with $100 million), a man who pretends to teach compassion but is hateful, does he deserve compassion?
From his days at Consumer Buy Line, to his rape of underage women, to his planned adultery, and lies to women about his monogamy, to his torment of Toni Natalie, to his scams with commodities and real estate and preying upon the pathetic weaknesses of the affection-starved and childlike Bronfman sisters, to his serial tormenting of women who he once promised to love such as Svetlana Kotlin, Barbara Bouchey and the mother of his child, Kristin Keeffe, to the terrorizing attacks on women who devoted their business lives to him like Susan Dones and Kim Woolhouse, and others he threatened and intimidated, to the imprisonment of Daniela Fernandez and her mother, and worse – the abuse, denial and wickedness displayed toward his infant son –Raniere has added to the misery and sorrow of the world.
There are many whom he touched who felt his ugliness.
And Raniere smiled to the delight and mystery of causing pain to people he once promised to cherish.
He has – to use his own terminology- “taken the fall.”
It is only by perpetuating that which people say is sociopathic – can he continue to maintain operations.
NIXVM and hence Raniere are forced to continue hurting people to survive.
He must continue to sue, must find ethically challenged lawyers to seek indictments of enemies and use the color of law to hunt people and wreak havoc in their lives.
Take any one of scores of people.
Poor Barbara Bouchey. All she did was want to leave and get some of the money Raniere took from her. She did not get the money, plus he made her spend her last dime defending herself.
Consider, she went on a NXIM password-protected website for 15 minutes going only on the social media section – using Svetlana Kotlin’s password – and what did this man of compassion do?
He spent $100’s of thousands of dollars with lawyers to “purchase” her indictment.
He wanted her in a prison for going on a website for 15 minutes.
This for the woman he once said would bear his child.
And let us not speak of his attempt to get her and others lured to Mexico and have them arrested.
Who wants to imprison ex-lovers – unless they have blood lust?
This was not an eye for an eye.
This was a life for a pinprick.
The Dalai Lama said to Nancy Salzman in Dharmasala, “if what your critics are saying is true about (Raniere and) you than you must admit, apologize and change.”
Raniere did not want the Dalai Lama’s wisdom. He wanted his endorsement so he could better (dishonestly) pose as a teacher of love and ethics.
It worked terribly for him.
Instead of getting the adulation he craved, he committed crimes and punished people who did not worship him.
And the press exposed him.
He who could have had everything chose to trade it for sex, warped devotion from a group of scared devotees who follow him in bunker mentality and no peace anywhere.
Everywhere critics of NXIVM are howling, some in pain, some in derision.
His reputation is shattered. He can never be trusted.
His organization is falling apart.
Egoism, arrogance, conceit, selfishness, greed, lust, intolerance, anger, lying, cheating, gossiping and slandering and sex was the consolation he had because he could not love.
Who cannot feel sympathy for a tormented man such as Keith Raniere?
Pray for the man who took the fall.
————–
For those who want to read some choice selections on Raniere, try these:
1992 05 21 Discount service target of probe pyramid scheme alleged
2010 11 Press The Heiresses and the Cult _ Vanity Fair
2003 10 19 The Saratogian self improvement group draws mixed reviews
2010 01 31 Press Brfnm Times Union – Court documents claim NXIVM is ‘a cult’
2010 10 22 Press NY Post ‘Cult’ leader Keith Rani..
2009 01 05 Metroland_ Holy Dalai Lama!
2010 08 12 Village Voice critic of the The New York Observer vs NY $100 cult
2010 06 28 … And yet more from the Nxivm follies — Metroland2010 Metroland Online – Newsfront
2010 09 07 Ex-NXIVM student_ ‘I think it’s a cult’ – Times Union
2010 03 23 Metroland_ Thumbing through the Nxivm patent
2006 08 06 Fear and tears after Nxivm class
2010 11 Vanity Fair – The Heiresses and the Cult
2010 11 22 Ex-NXIVM trainer_ Students are prey – Times Union
2010 03 30 Niagara Falls Reporter Conman Plyam cons New York Post
2003 08 18 Cult News Goldie Hawn to appear at cult leader’s birthday bash
2010 02 22 Metroland_ Ex-NXIVM associate Barbara Bouchey and the private investigator
2009 03 11 Cult deprogramer faces defamtion claim Courthouse News Service
2009 03 29 Op-ed column_ Dalai Lama’s visit to Albany sponsored by cult-like group
2015 09 18 Judge tosses NXIVM hacking lawsuit – Times Union
2012 02 22 In Raniere’s shadows – Times Union
2012 02 24 Secrets of NXIVM – Times Union pt 1
2013 03 13 ‘NXIVM is a litigation machine’ – Times Union
2012 02 20 ‘Ample evidence’ to justify investigation – Times Union
2012 11 16 Cult NewsExecutive Success Programs (ESP) Archives – Cult News
2014 11 26 Brf Press Politco Journalist on leave afte..
2014 11 18 Press Nation NXIVM wages war
2012 02 22 NXIVM courts rich, powerful and influential – Times Union
2012 02 28 NXIVM foe indicted in Texas – Times Union
2012 02 22 ‘The girls’ back NXIVM with millions – Times Union
2012 02 16 Ex-NXIVM aide takes NXIVM to federal court – Times Union
2012 03 06 NXIVM pressed district attorney – Times Union
2012 02 28 Probe of DA sought by foe – Times Union
2012 02 20 NXIVM leader urges going ‘off the grid’ – Times Union
2014 11 18 Press Nation NXIVM wages war-2
2012 02 20 what is NXIVM- Times Union
2012 02 24 NXIVM – Times Union Secrets of NXIVM cover page
2013 07 09 Courthouse News Service Ross Interfor
2011 06 06 NXIVM flexes legal muscle – Times Union

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