In Defense of Allison Mack

Whether some readers like it or not, Allison Mack is the poster girl for Nxivm.

Some readers think Frank Report publishes too many stories about her. She had it all, was a star and, as much or more than anybody in Nxivm, she threw it all away. She contrasts very interestingly to her co-star, Kristin Kreuk, who recruited her and yet managed to escape pretty much unscathed – while Allison fell to total destruction.

This is why Allison is so much more fascinating as a case study than Lauren Salzman or Kathy Russell, women who also destroyed themselves for Raniere. The difference is they were obscure; they never rose higher than their jobs at Nxivm.

But Mack had risen to fame and fortune before she joined. She had made success on her own.  She was not an heiress or trust fund baby.

She got her fame and money herself through her own talent, looks and hard work.  She was beloved by hundreds of thousands – maybe millions –  of fans – and as a nice girl – a beloved star. And she eagerly gave it all up.

What is it in the human mind or spirit that can take success and crush it like that – to go from success to failure – by following a persuasive psychopath?

Could there be some lessons in this?

Like it or not, Mack is the one we use to learn about the human mind and perhaps its spirit. For with the possible exception of the odious and ugly-spirited Clare Bronfman – she had the most and threw away the most.

Clare, however, seems to have been a “born -ugly” spirit. Maybe Allison is too – but with Allison there is doubt.

Maybe she is not ugly inside but was somehow corrupted.  If she was good and became enslaved, then corrupted, then the scope of our study is greater. If good can be converted to evil – – by evil [Raniere] – then we should study Allison to understand how it happened.

And if good was turned to doing evil – while keeping some of the good – or even most of the good, then we need to consider that also.

If, like most people, Allison was a mixture of good intentions and selfishness – of love, as well as greed – then it’s fascinating to consider how an average person was turned by Raniere into one who did harm while thinking she was doing good.

Was this error merely a product of being stupid and weak? Basically uneducated? Essentially unsure of herself and willing to be dependent on another to guide her and, by some bad fortune, she picked the worst possible guru?

She seems to have, at times, absolute faith that she was doing good and that the crazy and dishonest means she employed at his behest – always at his behest – were justified for the great and noble ends she thought she was working towards – for the Nxivm mission and her master, Raniere.

In this performance of seemingly crazy deeds, we should not forget how Raniere’s women reinforced his methods – also at his behest.

How Allison was recruited and then kept in line by other Raniere women and how she in time kept other women in line. Did all of them think they were working for a great mission?

Did Nancy Salzman know she was doing evil? Or was she thinking there was some evil in every good and great mission? If this is true of Nancy, the president of Nxivm, then is it true also of Allison Mack?

Of course, Allison may have been all-bad, as some readers think. And there are others who believe she might be all victim – despite her foul deeds.

As one of them writes, “Raniere had collateral on her too” and so everything she did after he had collateral was coercive – as much as any DOS slave.

There may be truth in that. We never heard Allison’s side other than her allocution before Judge Garaufis when she pleaded guilty to racketeering and racketeering conspiracy and avoided sex trafficking charges.

She said, in part, [in Brooklyn federal court, on April 8, 2019 {she was arrested on April 20, 2018}]:

“This past year has been one of introspection and self-examination, but, also, a year of understanding and acceptance. It has been a year of looking at what I had done for the past ten years, looking at my relationships with other members of NXIVM, friends, family, and associates, looking closely at the decisions I made, the people I trusted, and, more importantly, those who placed their trust in me. And having done so, I am prepared to take responsibility for acts in which I was involved, some of which I now recognize were wrong.

“…  I dedicated years of my life to an organization in which I and others truly believed, NXIVM. In the course of my time with NXIVM, I became close with many individuals, many of whom are wonderful people, and some of whom I now realize are not.

“But relevant here, I became close with Keith Raniere. I joined NXIVM first to find purpose. I was lost and I wanted to find a place, a community in which I would feel comfortable. Over time, I truly believed that I had found a group of individuals who believed, as I did, and who were interested in trying to become better people and in doing so make those around them better. And when I came to that realization, misguided though it was, my purpose shifted from trying to help myself to helping other people. Through it all, I believed that Keith Raniere’s intentions were to help people, and that my adherence to his system of beliefs would help empower others and help them.

“I was wrong. And I now realize that I and others engaged in criminal conduct. My misguided beliefs and dedication of what I believed were the principles underlying NXIVM, Keith Raniere’s teachings, resulted in my agreeing to support the criminal enterprise….”

She goes on to admit the facts of her crimes, of how she joined DOS, a “secret society founded by, developed by, and ultimately led by Raniere.”

And that, “At Raniere’s direction, I and other women sought to recruit other women to join DOS.”

She admitted she took collateral, “which could have been embarrassing and personally damaging to [the women] or others, if released.”

She admitted she “knowingly and intentionally obtained the labor and services” from two women who were her “slaves.”

She admitted she “worked with others and devised a scheme to …. [conceal] Keith Raniere’s role as the head of DOS and characterized DOS as a women’s only organization, knowing that Keith Raniere was the head of the organization.”

She concluded with an apology:

“I am very sorry for the victims of this case. I am also very sorry for the harm that I caused to my family. They are good people who I have hurt through my misguided adherence to Keith Raniere’s teachings. I apologize to them from the bottom of my heart, and I am truly very sorry for what I have done. Through this plea and the help of others, I have begun the process of healing and repairing the relationships in my life.

“I wish to thank the Court, Your Honor, the prosecutors, my lawyers, and, most importantly, my family for their role in this process. I know that I am and will be a better person as a result of this.”

Based on her allocution, if we take her at her word, it is possible to conclude that she is not just a criminal, but a victim.

Suppose that, like she said in her allocution, she actually meant to do good and threw away her acting career – not for solely selfish reasons – but because she thought that this was her chance to do good – to go beyond the shallow life she thought she led – of seeking fame and money — and do something worthy – something historic, and perhaps immortal – like Raniere claimed?

Suppose she was swept away by Raniere and he fooled her. To the extent that she actually believed, was not her intention good?  And to the extent that she had human emotions like jealousy and greed – – perhaps because she was personally enamored of Raniere and wanted him more for herself – was she not just a fallible human?

Did she exhibit normal, human faults like jealousy and selfishness, within the context of trying to do good?

Because she believed in DOS [because she believed in Raniere] she was cruel to her “slaves” – women she thought she was trying to help. She might have thought her cruelty was “tough love” – that they needed discipline for their sake. She may not have enjoyed it.

Perhaps she enjoyed it a little, but still, did she only enjoy it in the context of that it was done for the women’s own good?

Would she not have enjoyed the power, if she were not a true believer in the worthiness of the mission and Raniere’s greatness – constantly reinforced by the other women – whenever she had doubts?

Because she is human and imperfect, the results of her intention was checkered – like most people in the world.  The difference is she followed a psychopath and, perhaps, it is likely, she did not know it.

If she had followed a good man with the same intentions she had in Nxivm might she have done good in the world?

Could she have been a force for good, if Raniere was good? That same obedience, that same willingness to help and put her energy and devotion into a cause – could that have led to good instead of harm – if Raniere had been good?

Is it possible that, just the opposite of Raniere’s pronouncement that, “there are no ultimate victims”, that all who followed him were ultimately victims and he was the only true criminal in Nxivm? [I might have to add with the possible exception of Clare Bronfman, who seems to, like Raniere, enjoy hurting people.]

Maybe Allison enjoyed hurting others. Maybe she enjoyed being called “Pimp Mack”. Maybe she thought it was funny or a sign that she was serving Raniere well.

We know Raniere is evil.  But we do not really know – at least I do not know – if Mack is evil. She might be pure victim and, if she is, she must be exonerated.

And, if she is part victim and part perpetrator, then she, like the others of Nxivm, must come to learn – as she claims she has – and, hopefully, become a better person – like she said she hoped to become.

For there will be life after Nxivm for Allison Mack and Lauren Salzman and Kathy Russell – and everyone, it seems, except Raniere [who will likely be caged for the rest of his days].  And there is justice in that. That he alone will spend most, or all of the rest of his life in prison.

And, if there is life renewed for those who have been caught and will be punished, then people of good conscience would want their lives to be one of healing and second chances.

Finally, for those who do not wish to read about Allison Mack, I try to make it simple. I put her name in the headline. This way, those who do not want to read about her can easily avoid it. Of course, there are many who want to read about her. Her name in a headline ensures a large audience and new readers too. Some of them stick around to read other stories on Frank Report.

In one respect, Allison Mack is doing a little good for Frank Report, growing the audience. And it is ironic: The very blog that exposed her first in DOS and, as some think, helped get her out of Nxivm, she is helping a little in return.

It’s fair. Why, but for the Frank Report, Mack might still be in Nxivm, following Raniere, doing his evil and perhaps thinking she is doing good in the world.

If she goes to prison even for five years [and hopefully, she won’t go that long], it is still better than her spending 10 or 20 years in Nxivm and harming the world and herself for decades, even if she thought she was actually doing good.

Frank Parlato