Hurray for Dateline!

Because there's so much negativity out there, I need to bring this up.

Dateline NBC has done up a wonderful job of a mock "investigation" on the company Quixtar. Quixtar is an incredibly huge network-marketing business that has been doing very well since 99. In this "investigation" Dateline interviewed a few people who tried the business and didn't make money. These people, rather than putting money into their business, gave it to people who were not Quixtar officials in a blind and sheepish pursuit of riches. And when it bit them in the rear, rather than blame themselves, they blamed Quixtar. They blamed the independents who gladly took their money (and rightfully so) but they also blamed a very innocent company. So Dateline got a few people who had the time to moan and groan about how it "wasn't their fault," and then, to back those complaints up, they interviewed and/or sourced two upstanding individuals. Those individuals were Scott Larsen and Bo Short and both had horrible things to say about Quixtar. Of course, Dateline had nothing but GOOD to say about Short and Larsen. They're saints, after all. By the end of the article, one thing was clear: Quixtar bad. But then again, that was pretty much clear from the beginning, so was this really an investigation? Or was it a vile and biased piece of garbage written by a bitter activist in a position to write it? Bad news is good news, right? And if you settle a score, grind an axe, why, all the better!

There are a few things to cover here, and I'll touch up on each of them in the order that they first appeared.

First off, the "investigation" starts out at this incredibly outrageous meeting where people are insanely fervent and zealously against corporate America. DITCH YOUR JOB! BE A GOD! MAKE ALL THE MONEY YOU EVER WANTED AND ALL WITH THE RUB OF A MAGIC TOOTER! This, of course, is Quixtar's message. This is what was said, preached and indoctrinated at the meeting. 1500 People attended, but not before dishing out loads of cash to the Quixtar organization for books and CDs on how to get rich quick. Now, hundreds of dollars and countless hours wasted later, everyone's broke, sore and in desperate need of divine intervention in their financial life. Having not fulfilled its promise of unadulterated wealth, Quixtar has transformed many healthy families in to horrible, horrible slime houses of despair and torment. Why, those despicable tyrants! And so the story goes and that's pretty much the tune from start to finish.

That's their story. Here's the truth: That's not Quixtar. That's some schmuck who bought a number just like everyone else, and formulated a scam independent of the corporation in which people sign up under him BUT they also pay out oodles and oodles of money to the organization for "tools" which the victims claim they were "pressured" into buying in the first place. Now, here's the way I see it: If you want something, you pay for it. If you want financial freedom, you're going to have to pay for more than a couple of CDs and some books. Try real world experience in the corporate sector. Try hanging out with successful business people. Join Bill Gate's night club and talk to the sleeze balls inside. They'll get you there, I'm sure. But don't go out and buy a bunch of CDs and expect to be financially free in the next three years. It won't happen. And if you thought it did, well then the joke's on you, dumb ass. So, while what the independent schmuck did is downright wrong and he should be slapped, so should the idiot sheeple who followed up to the wolves. Cuff the guy and beat him with a stick, but leave Quixtar out of it.

And why leave Quixtar out of it? Because the dialogue that this guy preaches is not the dialogue that is on the Quixtar site, or anywhere in their literature. Sure, it is conceivable that you can become this super rich person through their business model and I'd like to try it out to that extent because, hey, why not? But that does not mean you WILL achieve that sort of level of income. Quixtar started out as a business to achieve two things: 1) Sell goods and 2) Help someone make a little money on the side. Now I have been an IBO for a little while. Not long enough to make anything substantial, but I have gotten two things from Quixtar: 1) Goods and 2) A little side money. More than once, that side money has saved me a LOT of trouble. But even if it didn't save me anything, even if it came when I didn't need it, Quixtar fulfilled its end of the bargain and has done so for the better part of 5 years with everyone else. It's a simple system. You get people to shop on their website and they'll give you a small percentage of what those people spend on their goods. It's a good system. The people get the stuff they want. The company gets the money from sales and I get some pocket change for referring the people to the site. Everybody wins. Where's the problem?

I won't get into the problem. That's a story for another day. But I will say that it includes, Quixtar's sister company, plenty of people to relinquish their personal responsibility and an eager Dateline-esque media to get out a big story.

Ok, so the first thing down, now to the second: Scott Larsen and Bo Short. These are the primary sources for Dateline's "investigation." When Bo Short wasn't talking, Scott Larsen was citing and when Scott Larsen wasn't citing, Bo Short was talking. These two guys DOMINATED the article with Larsen behind the scenes and Short in front and if I didn't know any better, I'd say this whole "investigation" was a PAID FOR smear campaign by the two of these schmucks.

And why do I say that? Because I know them. I know them and I've spoken to them and I know people who know them. Through the course of my activity in Quixtar, I have dug myself a comfy little social nest of people in the business and outside the business who are looking in. I've got a wonderful little network going and that network has allowed me to see the true nature of many of the people involved. And two of those people are Bo Short and Scott Larsen. Here's the truth: Bo Short is a business man. He's a clever fellow and I respect him for his accomplishments. But that, however, does not subtract from the fact that he is living a questionable lifestyle by slamming and ridiculing Quixtar WHILE founding and operating a Quixtar clone. Bo Short may be a nice guy, I might be able to have a cup of coffee with him on an off business day. But he is still a hypocrite and a self-righteous one at that. He has led many campaigns against Quixtar, spread many rumors and told many half truths with the intention of driving people away from Quixtar and to his own Shortstar. This whole Dateline business is nothing but great PR for him and I see it as free advertisement. I also see why Dateline was more prone to take his stance on Quixtar, rather than Quixtar's stance on Passport. Bo Short is "just one man." People can associate with that. They can not associate with a large company and with the latest thread of Liberal mumbojumbo that has always been against "big business" along with the fact that Dateline is an offspring of the Liberal Media NBC, it's perfectly understandable as to why they would take this angle. But taking a step back, let's see the forest for the trees. Pot, meet Kettle. Kettle, meet Pot. Both of you shut up.

Third up is Scott Larsen. I don't know what there is to say about the man that hasn't been said about Howard Dean. He's arrogant. He's loud. He's vicious and he's angry. Scott is a man who's got waaaaaaaay too much time on his hands. He's got his own website dedicated to smashing Amway and Quixtar. If you have a vendetta against either company, he's the guy to go to. I swear, the guy could form a church, a religion, and it wouldn't surprise me if he already has. With all the time and effort he's put into destroying both of these companies (failing to do so to either, by the way) he probably could have started up his own Network Marketing business, like Bo Short, and made tons of money by now. But alas, his life has been wasted away on his fruitless campaign of hate-Amstar. When he's not updating his website on why Quixtar is the anti-Christ's tool for world domination, he's spamming IBO inboxes with seething hate mail. He's harassed my friend's wife on more than one occasion and left grotesque voicemails on their phone. I honestly have no clue what has him so enraged, so hell-bent on making everyone's life as miserable as he's made his out to be, maybe Quixtar killed his cat or something, but it's no excuse for his behavior. In summary: Scott Larsen is a vile man.

So, when an article is released with a solid message from start to finish with the two most radical individuals as their primary sources, you know something's up. But what is it? I don't know. I haven't gotten that far, but I have concluded that Dateline has brought themselves to a new low. Rather than focus on personal responsibility, they have followed the sheeping masses and taken the fight to the wrong guy. Where Walmart and Costco don't give you anything for bringing your rich friends to their store, Quixtar gave you five bucks. And in return, they're being "investigated." If this isn't the preverbal biting the hand that feeds you, I don't know what it.

All I know is that there is something inherently wrong with corporations, personal growth and achievement outside of government assistance that the media apparently sees and is on the rampage to get across to everyone else. Next time somebody offers me a buck to refer their store to my friend, I'm going to hide them away and never tell a soul. I may not get a buck, but at least the poor guy will be saved from the incessant hounding of the media and fundamentalists like Scott Larsen.

That's my story and I'm sticking to it.

Good job, Dateline. You've made a believer out of me.