Are MLMs Considered Cults?

Question

I have heard descriptions of MLMs being akin to that of a cult and this amazes me. Is there any truth in this, and if there is truth, what is the cause of this?

Answer 1

MLMs like some organizations can be regarded as operating in a cult-like manner when the BITE model, which refers to behavior, information, thought, and emotional control, is drawn upon. There are some MLMs for instance that set certain parameters and boundaries, regulate the information shared by, or expose their members to, or even relegate rational reasoning and emotions to reign the member's fidelity. In as much as it may not be possible to define every MLM as a cult maybe because not every MLM meets this threshold, the amount of power and authority such undertakings have on their members is on all fours with that of a cult.

Comments

These are a disaster for friendships because you end up turning friends into customers.  The relationship is  changed - damaged- sometimes irreparably.

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THANK YOU FOR PUTTING THIS TOGETHER - THANK YOU!  I am so sick and tired of Christian women who reach out of the blue to "get together" and it's clear I'm just a marketing scheme for them.  It's demeaning when you thought it was going to be about our mutual relationship in Jesus.  It's wrong.  At the least ladies, please tell people UPFRONT why you are reaching out to them.  STOP FAKING IT just to get a meeting.  Secondly, so many MLM's are New Age schemes. You are so spot on with the other issues.  The core issue I have is how it changes their view of people - especially at church.  They no longer see people as a fellow follower of Christ but as a "business opportunity".  If you are in a MLM - PLEASE BE CAREFUL IN HOW YOU START TREATING OTHER LADIES!!!

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Excellent, Melissa! One of my very first experiences with an MLM – and there have been many – was at a Mary Kay meeting. I was duped into thinking I was going to get a free facial, but didn’t realize I had to do the facial myself! I also went to a Mary Kay meeting for sales consultants, and I will never forget everyone danced in a circle to the song Pink Cadillac before the meeting even got started.  There were also tearful testimonies. The saddest thing for me about MLM’s is how they’ve ruined  social constructs. It’s impossible to tell when you meet someone new if they genuinely want to be your friend, or if they see you as their future downline.

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Look at the mind control in our media, and how we were shamed if we researched the jab the last few years. Like, how DARE we think for ourselves or ask questions. It’s not just a problem among MLM, but in our society as a whole. We’ve been trained to trust the ‘experts’.

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I can't wait to watch this! I was telling my best friend the other day that one of the most disheartening things about MLMs is the way they're used to "look down on" other Christian women. I see so much content on social media about "I bought our new car/our fridge of groceries/our trip to the Maldives/my husband's retirement all from sitting on my couch and selling shampoo. I'M a good wife because I never left the house." and it makes me feel like I can't feel proud of having a freezer full good groceries that I bought by having a standard part time job....because I didn't do it "from my couch"

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If you are offered a "business opportunity" and it goes way beyond "business", something is wrong.

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Part 2 and 3 were exactly correct, part 3 really resonated with me because, yes, you were not allowed to talk about your uplink or the company, and if you did your a negative person etc. same thing in word of faith prosperity gospel circles were they say “don’t touch gods anointed” which is just a silence tactic to not talk about the bishop/pastor or the church or your higher uplink that your tithing up to, same things!!! Great content Melissa

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Kind of off topic, but I feel like when atheists think of Christians, they're thinking of people in MLMs. It's this caricature of not thinking critically and just accepting any feel good positive messages. I love this in depth digging on mlms and it's something I've been craving for a while!

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When you went through the BITE acronym, all I could think of was my brother’s Mormon experience. He drifted off from a lot of his family for a while because of the isolation and information control

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I love hearing all this from a Christian. I've been getting into anti mlm content and some I've heard use the anti mlm platform to attack Christians, conservatives, and people with traditional values. I appreciate all your research and efforts that went into making this content.

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Also, it’s shame based.  Quitting the MLM because you are losing money or spending too much time away from family is heavily shamed. So awful of those up line “boss babes” to treat people like that.