Primericult
I should preface this by saying that C and I actually have our retirement savings (such as they are) invested through Primer*ica and we have nothing but praise for the company from a client service perspective. However Primer*ica functions both as a financial service company and as a huge pyramid scheme: the employees make money not from the products they sell but from the products sold by people "down-line" from them, the people that they convert to the 'cult'
We have a friend, R, who decided to become a Primer*ica financial planner/mutual fund hawker/insurance dude. Quit his job last fall, convinced another of our friends (M) to quit his job and join too. And hey, great for them! They convinced both of their girlfriends to sign up too, as well as R's mom and a load of their other friends. Bully for all of them, if they enjoy it that's fab. Praise the lawwwwd for Primer*ica. When R came back from his first "convention" last fall he literally drove directly to our house to try to get us to sign up too. We declined (nicely of course) because frankly with 3 kids, two full time jobs and bills out the wahoo we're not in a position to a: take the leap of faith required to quit one or more decent jobs with benefits for a "maybe" job and b: we certainly can't spare the ridiculous amount of money needed for all of the courses and licensing exams to become financial planning peeps. At the time R said to me "well I really wish you'd reconsider because I don't want to lose you as friends once I'm rich and you're not". Mmmm.... yeah. So we haven't seen much of R or his common-law-spouse C (last time we saw them was January, and we were again inundated with Primerichat at that time).
Thursday night the phone rings at 6:10pm. It's C, She has a "huge favour" to ask of me. She's going to a Primer*ica cult meeting that evening and really, really wants me to come along "for moral support". I apologise profusely (and, I think, quite convincingly) but James had cadets and I knew that I'd be alone with the two wee babes most of the evening. There's a pause and muffled discussion on the other end of the line. "Well how about if R's mom comes over and babysits for you? At least you'd get to escape from the kids for a couple of hours".
Where do I even begin with this? I've been flat on my back sick for nearly a week (not that she'd know of course but by way of partially explaining my reluctance to go), anyone who knows me knows that saying "escape from my kids" is going to right away rub me wrong, and I thought that we were clear with the whole gang that we're just not interested in being baptised into the primericult?
I hate the thought that we're going to lose friends over this religious difference but I just can't bow to the Primerigods, nor to the almighty dollar for that matter. What is it about these cults that brainwashes their members into forgetting that not everyone wants to be part of the sect? Sure I'd like to have more money (wouldn't everyone?) but not like this. Not by harassing my friends and acquanitances into joining me, not by alienating everyone who doesn't share my vision.
It's a shame. I'll miss the people they used to be before they were converted. Can you say halleluiah.
We have a friend, R, who decided to become a Primer*ica financial planner/mutual fund hawker/insurance dude. Quit his job last fall, convinced another of our friends (M) to quit his job and join too. And hey, great for them! They convinced both of their girlfriends to sign up too, as well as R's mom and a load of their other friends. Bully for all of them, if they enjoy it that's fab. Praise the lawwwwd for Primer*ica. When R came back from his first "convention" last fall he literally drove directly to our house to try to get us to sign up too. We declined (nicely of course) because frankly with 3 kids, two full time jobs and bills out the wahoo we're not in a position to a: take the leap of faith required to quit one or more decent jobs with benefits for a "maybe" job and b: we certainly can't spare the ridiculous amount of money needed for all of the courses and licensing exams to become financial planning peeps. At the time R said to me "well I really wish you'd reconsider because I don't want to lose you as friends once I'm rich and you're not". Mmmm.... yeah. So we haven't seen much of R or his common-law-spouse C (last time we saw them was January, and we were again inundated with Primerichat at that time).
Thursday night the phone rings at 6:10pm. It's C, She has a "huge favour" to ask of me. She's going to a Primer*ica cult meeting that evening and really, really wants me to come along "for moral support". I apologise profusely (and, I think, quite convincingly) but James had cadets and I knew that I'd be alone with the two wee babes most of the evening. There's a pause and muffled discussion on the other end of the line. "Well how about if R's mom comes over and babysits for you? At least you'd get to escape from the kids for a couple of hours".
Where do I even begin with this? I've been flat on my back sick for nearly a week (not that she'd know of course but by way of partially explaining my reluctance to go), anyone who knows me knows that saying "escape from my kids" is going to right away rub me wrong, and I thought that we were clear with the whole gang that we're just not interested in being baptised into the primericult?
I hate the thought that we're going to lose friends over this religious difference but I just can't bow to the Primerigods, nor to the almighty dollar for that matter. What is it about these cults that brainwashes their members into forgetting that not everyone wants to be part of the sect? Sure I'd like to have more money (wouldn't everyone?) but not like this. Not by harassing my friends and acquanitances into joining me, not by alienating everyone who doesn't share my vision.
It's a shame. I'll miss the people they used to be before they were converted. Can you say halleluiah.
1 Comments:
You have soooooo hit the nail right on the head. If you look up the def of a cult and practices of a cult, Primeric"ult"a suits every word
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