Talking on the Cult in LuLaCULTure
Often, you hear a comment about "LuLaRoe Culture", jokes about "that's not our culture", and the like. The ownership mentions in conference calls to feel free to report individuals to compliance that go against LuLaCulture. A person of sound thought would go back and think about the culture they reference. The ideal that all bodies are beautiful, that kindness is best, and the famous "Bless and Release" phrase. (Which is LuLaSpeak for- you can't change it, wish them the best and send them on their way!) After all, it's this set of ideals that draws women in. It's what got me. Once you're in though, it's a bit different. On an individual level, I have seen reps absolutely live this to the "T". Harm ye none, they go through life really disinterested in the meanness that others get wrapped up in. After all- DeAnne does say- Focus on YOUR business. Which is sage advice, really. But then Mark says to report the heathens. So... you know... I can see the disconnect in the understanding because of all the contradiction. A cult is often referred or thought of as having some sort of religious entanglement. Certainly with "bless and release" as their no drama tagline, there's definitely room to make the argument for religion as an influencer. Couple that with the clothing design being modest because of the creator's religious affiliation, and there's a little more heft to the religious portion of the debate. All that being said, up to here, LuLaRoe hasn't really done anything more than push some to be tattling little compliance hounds- and others to pull far away in hopes to stay under the radar. But inside the culture, there's an all out witch hunt brewing. And if you think it's not- pop into any LuLaRoe related group on facebook and wait 12 seconds. There will be a new post about someone ratting someone out to compliance for one thing or another. I, myself was tattled on for this blog endorsing an online consignment shop that carried LuLaRoe merchandise bought from consultants going out of business. Funny thing is, when compliance sent me my feared email, I pointed them in the direction of my hindquarters. You see, I built the consignment page. I founded it. It didn't carry LuLaRoe originally either. I built it after I announced my leaving LuLaRoe, and I also sold the rights to it to someone else. Sure, I founded it. I built it. But that's it. Sure didn't stop the nosy little busybody who jumped to conclusions ON MY PERSONAL PAGE from screen shots and compliance emails about the heathen rep pissing all over our contract. So... when compliance called... I told them to kick rocks. It sure didn't stop them from trying to scare me about procedure. Funny- as soon as I told them I'd file harassment charges, the emails stopped. MommyGyver:1, Cult Dramatists: 0 So now you've got this group of fiercely loyal women with a dream and a box full of lies with a free pass to tattle. (By the way, if anyone questions why most of my friends are in fact male- please cite this post. This line. Right here.) And a'tattlin' they are. Tattling-ass-tattle-babies. Yep. And I'll put gum in your hair too. Nyeah nyeah. I feel like all of these "entrepreneurs" are missing the big part of being an entrepreneur. You kind of have to start your own thing. You aren't an entrepreneur because DeAnneJesus told you you are. You are a minion in her army. A legging drone. Because when her juice runs dry- you, my dear, are up Mormon's shit's creek with no paddle- and no boat. Just a box full of duplicate holey leggings, and a bunch of debt. Cults cultivate a belief that there is nothing past what they show you. There is no more outside of here. Be here and it will all magically unfurl just for you. Be one of us. One of us. You're either all in- or you are most certainly out. "A CULT is most commonly thought of as a religious or utopian group with a charismatic leader, though not all cult leaders are charismatic. Such groups can do a lot of damage causing anything from the breaking up of families to horrific acts of ritual murder, mass suicide and terrorist acts (Jonestown … Waco … 9/11). Some cult members exhibit obviously bizarre behaviour and wear strange clothes. Yet most cult behaviour is only a slightly more extreme form of the normal cultural behaviour that we are steeped in from childhood — for example, peer group pressure to conform." Charismatic leader, you say?
I've mentioned peer pressure to conform before. I'm going to post a screenshot from one of my uplines when I challenged a direction from a big lady in the company. I'm going to block her name- because I believe she's on her way out soon. (Just a feeling) And I don't wish to cause her any undue grief. My end of the pressure is low- mostly because it is well known that I don't flee a fight. I roar in the face of my opponent. No one wants to be yelled at...lol Here's me challenging a direction to stay completely out of BST pages- and I was told if Stacy said not to- don't because she's directly connected to DeAnne. Well, bully for her.
So, after hearing this crap, I went right to Stacy. I know. Bad sheep. Baaaaaaaad sheep. What did I get? A whole lot more misinformation. The P+P does NOT say anything about being IN a BST, or buying in a BST (Buy, Sell, Trade Page) because last I checked, this is America, and I shop where I want. But that didn't stop this mentor from trying to make me feel like I was doing something wrong by even shopping in it.
I also don't appreciate the misrepresentation of the "clause" in the P+P that states the company can change policy with 30 days notice. That clause referred to pricing and product availability. Any idiot with any understanding of the definition of the word "contract" understands that the only way to LEGALLY amend an agreed and executed contract (which I have for a term of ONE YEAR from execution) is to send a proposed amendment, request party agreement, both parties sign, and file. OTHERWISE, you've still got your original that you're grandfathered into. I know this. Stacy- not so much. But ok. (I think the recordings I sent in the last shot there was me telling her this wasn't communist Russia, and me laughing heartedly at the claim that LuLaRoe can change whenever and I have to comply. Silly isn't it? How many of you fell for that one?) But again... cult leaders lead their flocks often with fear. Fear of failure, defeat, less self worth, or plain old getting in trouble. Nope. Not me. "Cults: Their effect in our daily lives can be shockingly similar to the effect they have within the most bizarre cults, propelling people to take self destructive paths toward the security they seek, to fail to think realistically, suppress healthy dissent and autonomy, devalue outsiders and accept authoritarianism... The price of cult behaviour is diminished realism." Diminished realism. Like the crap they tried to spoon feed me above? "“Cults form and thrive,” says Deikman, “not because people are crazy, but because they have two kinds of wishes. They want a meaningful life, to serve God or humanity; and they want to be taken care of, to feel protected and secure, to find a home. The first motives may be laudable and constructive, but the latter exert a corrupting effect, enabling cult leaders to elicit behaviour directly opposite to the idealistic vision with which members entered the group.“Usually, in psychiatry and psychology, the wish to be taken care of (to find a home, a parent) is called dependency and this is a rather damning label when applied to adults. Adults are not supposed to be dependent in that way, relying on another as a child would rely on a mother or father. We are supposed to be autonomous, self-sustaining, with the capacity to go it alone. We do recognise that adults need each other for emotional support, for giving and receiving affection, for validation; that is acceptable and sanctioned. But underlying such mature interdependency is the longing of the child, a yearning that is never completely outgrown. This covert dependency — the wish to have parents and the parallel wish to be loved, admired and sheltered by one's group — continues throughout life in everyone. These wishes generate a hidden fantasy or dream that can transform a leader into a strong, wise, protective parent and a group into a close, accepting family. Within that dream we feel secure.” Four points that are characteristic of a cult: -compliance with the group
-dependence on a leader -avoidance of dissent -devaluation of outsiders Think about that for a minute. Think about yourself, LuLaLovely. Your friends. Your family that questioned this decision. Come back to me when you're ready. ... "Most of us probably think that, unlike members of cults, we think for ourselves and act on our own volition. This is in fact far from the case. Not only does much of our behaviour derive from (post hypnotic) conditioning, but as social beings we easily become subject to automatic group behaviour.Group behaviour pattern is established very early on — in the family. We comply with the way the family operates because, to survive, we have to. Our parents are our first 'leaders'. We compete with our siblings within the family groups, exhibiting jealousies and rivalries. When we grow up, we become independent in some ways, but, unless we are weaned from it, the primitive pattern remains, largely unperceived. As adults, much more than we usually realise, we still depend on leaders — parent figures — to look after us and take decisions. The excuse, “I was only following-orders!” is the adult equivalent of “Mummy told me to do it”. (Social psychologist Stanley Milgram famously showed in his experiments on obedience that, when we obey authority, we do not see ourselves as responsible for our actions, however cruel.)" "Cult leaders demand loyalty and suppress criticism. For them, power must be absolute. Authoritarianism takes precedence over anything else. They often claim that 'special' knowledge, secret ancient doctrines or divine revelation is guiding them." "Cults use various methods of indoctrination to keep cult members committed: alternative information about other ideas are banned and denigrated; cult ideals are endlessly promoted; and members are kept busy, thus distracting them from observing their changing state and what’s really going on. But the cult message massively distorts that survival template to, essentially, “we're safe and everyone else is damned!” So, the logic goes, if you are in the cult, you must be superior to outsiders. Is not your 'superiority' the basic reason for your being in the cult in the first place? This view can harden even further to, “Outsiders are evil, we are right!” Everything is seen in black and white. No successful cult ever proclaimed, “Maybe we're wrong!” By now, you're wondering what's with all these quotes. I found a really comprehensive article on cults and cult mentality (Written by Ivan Tyrell, published to the Human Givens Institute's web page) to better understand them before I felt comfortable proclaiming that LuLaRoe is, in fact a cult in my opinion. Rest assured, I am now comfortable. This article can be found HERE. I also like how it goes into depth outlining how a cult can be harmful- pointing out that it could be used to siphon off the members' wealth. $5000 enrollment, ya say? Have to be totally compliant? Nah. Totally legit. No cult here... Here's your homework assignment. Look through that article and make a list of some of the behaviors you have seen with LuLaRoe, and decide for yourself. You don't need me to tell you what to think. You aren't in a cult. Do this on your own. I think you'll be surprised at what you realize.