Greetings to all.

I try not to post to ARS unless I have something useful to add. But today I just wanted to share something that happened to me last night.

Perhaps some of you can relate.

Upon returning home from work a young man approached my car in the driveway. He was one of those 19 year-olds that go around neighborhoods selling magazine subscriptions. Being polite I listened to his spiel, thanked him and politely declined the offer. However, something in his demeanor resonated with a familiar overtone to the things I've read here on ARS and elsewhere.

The kid, whose name was "Steve," seemed exhausted, so I invited him in for a soda and snacks. You wouldn't believe how grateful he was for this simple gesture. So we got to talking and probably killed the better part of 2 hours. Nice kid. But I had to ask him some very pointed questions about the organization he was working for. His answers shocked even me.

They "recruit" people fresh out of high school by painting a wonderful picture of $$$, traveling the country, making new friends... the usual shtick. But the reality is he's now out of state, away from his family, fiancé and newborn daughter, and making next to nothing for his exhaustive efforts. Sound familiar?

His day starts before 7:00 AM. He and several others are taken by van, dropped off in a strange neighborhood, and told to be at a specific point for pick-up at 9:00 PM that evening. He then gets dumped off at a fleabag motel for the night to catch whatever sleep he can until the next morning where it starts all over again.

I then asked him about any "group mentality" things, which is characteristic of cultish organizations. He proceeded to tell me how every morning and every evening their "crew" gets together for a "pep rally thing" for lack of a better term. It's during these meetings that the sales crew, as I understood him, establish their pecking order based on subscriptions sold. OK, a lot of companies do that, but this next part is appalling.

During their morning meeting each member is required to "announce" how many subscriptions he/she will sell that day in front of the others.

My first thought was simple motivational tactics until I asked a few more questions... It becomes like a "bidding war" to see who has the biggest balls... "I'll sell 8"... Next guy: "Oh yeah, well I'll sell 9!" Nobody wants to be the guy with the least confidence. That last sentence sums up the whole of their motivation.

If they don't make their quota for that day, they make NO commissions.

Even if they promised 8 new subscriptions and only did 7, they make nothing for the day. This kinda reminded me of the "Stats" system in Scientology.

He (Steve) is 19, fresh out of the ARMY boot camp, smart, polite, a devoted father, etc. Even my wife Cindy thought he was a great guy.

He'd been doing this for about 2 to 3 weeks... not sure because he'd lost track of time. As far as the money goes he didn't have a dime on him; couldn't afford toothpaste, cigarettes, etc. So I freely gave him whatever I could afford. He seemed shocked that someone cared enough, but that's my nature. When he asked me about that I told him of an old man I knew years ago named Raymond. Raymond's motto was "Do good and show love." Doesn't get any simpler than that, but the wisdom in it could fill the Library Of Congress.

The story gets stranger... Watching the clock, Steve and I parted company hastily because he had to be on his designated street corner at exactly 9:00 PM if he wanted a ride to his motel room. I wanted to exchange phone numbers and email addresses but time escaped us and he made a mad dash across our yard on his way to his pick-up point. He did however say that he'd be here for 2 days and that he'd like very much if he could talk with me again tomorrow. Well it's now "tomorrow"

and I've kept my porch light on all night. No word yet.

There's a lot more to this story, but the bottom line is, I wonder if he confided in someone in his "group" about our conversation. Has he been conveniently reassigned to a different neighborhood? I don't know. All I do know is here's a great kid that's been "bait-and-switched," working impossible hours, making nothing, separated from his family, realizes he's been duped, and has no way to get back home. He's totally and completely dependent on, and at the mercy of, his superiors right now for everything including shampoo.

I was really hoping he'd come by tonight because Cindy and I made a bed up for him, and were willing to drive him back to Ohio to be with his family tonight if he wanted. All I can do is hope that our conversation about cult-like companies has planted the seed. I shared my knowledge of cults with him; the similarities to his organization were nearly verbatim.

Whether we ever cross paths again or not is academic. The point is I was given the unique opportunity to share what I knew with one single person. 20 Years from now I hope Steve looks back on his experience and remembers me as a positive figure in his life.

The best to you all.

Respectfully, Brian James

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