This is a Guest View:
by Jane Smith
I’ve been closely following NXIVM for years, as they tried to recruit me at one of their creepy a Cappella weekends back in (I think?) ’08. I immediately knew it was all pure bullshit as soon as the brainwashed women started up with their pseudo-intellectual nonsense about ‘rational inquiry’, etc., etc.
The actresses Raniere recruited are not the brightest bulbs, yet they seemed to think of themselves as on some sort of ‘intellectual journey’ by way of reading Ayn Rand, and listening to ‘Vanguard’, the ‘genius’…
No psychologically normal/highly intelligent individual would be able to last any length of time as a NXIVM cultist. Raniere’s just a pseudo-intellectual loser and criminal who targets lost/brain-dead women. Women, such as myself, could tell just upon meeting him that he was a lying little creep.
Just wanted to let you know also that the branding and sex slave stuff also happened in the ’70s to the women of Jim Jones’ harem.
And thank you for your tireless reportage – I love your site.
I think post like this have to be written;
1. By Vanguard himself to shame and punish woman who are with him or who have left
2. Women and or men who are not educated in the sophistication of mind control. They believe that just because they came to an event such as A Capella and saw right though it that everyone who ever took a training where everything seem normal on the outside and Raniere is no where around, that one would catch the subtleties of the mind control can take place over a five or sixteen day training.
Would they be so quick to blame and shame a friend who got date raped by someone they’d seen for weeks or months and were slowly set up for that rape to take place?
Would they be so heartless about a friend who was in an abusive relationship that felt trapped and it took her awhile to finally say enough is enough and find it within her self to leave after months or years of her self esteem being destroyed?
If the answer is yes, than Jane Smith, you need to educate yourself before you make such posts. Your part of the problem and your opinion is hurtful to those working to recover.
Maybe your really not Jane and just someone from Raniere’s camp continuing the cycle of abuse.
I agree with the guest writer Jane Smith. While I’m a person with empathy, at what point do we realize this goes beyond “tricking” people into believing this is an ethical organization, and having the common sense to realize that holding someone down and burning a pedophile’s initials into their flesh is unequivocally WRONG. Think about it. Would you ever do that? Would you even be able to do that?
I realize the some of the women were tricked into participating in this, but think of the people who weren’t tricked into it. The doctor who KNEW exactly what she was going to do to these people beforehand . How evil does someone have to be to agree to do that?
Pure BS. Lame report.
You sound really unintelligent Luke….you say the same thing over and over, and yet you never give any reasons for your opinions.
Luke you are a true stromtrooper in my fight to be oppressive towards women . You make your Vandaddy very proud. Your biological mom must be very proud of you also as I’m sure this is how she wants you to behave towards women in general. Your ultimate test if you go home for the holidays is to recruit your mother into DOS.
You are right about that. Getting sucked into a cult is not about being dumb but about being vulnerable or accessible. If someone close asks you to go somewhere with friends you could end in some special circle.
And leaving is harder than most might emagine. Those who have ever heard the term condirmation bias might understand that. I mean there is a Mr. President around who claims lots of things and just go here https://www.reddit.com/r/The_Donald/ and you will see what I mean. That is a cult as well. Try to place something that is true and makes Trump look slightly bad. Good luck.
Whoever wrote this clearly does not understand cults and how intelligent, normal people can and do get sucked in. Please stop shaming the victims and educate yourself before you go about judging everyone. You sound extremely arrogant.
Amen!