This is precisely how skilled manipulators groom their victims- they'll prey on your weaknesses, pump you full of confidence to rip it out from under you, tell you you're special/outstanding then do a 180 and proclaim you to be stupid/weak/a follower.
I believe Salzman was the brains and Raniere was the 'beauty' and together they worked to manipulate thousands of people into coughing up millions of dollars- and let's be completely honest-artists/actors/film makers/basically anyone in the Hollywood machine is, at least on some level, a narcissist always in search of praise and affirmation. This scheme fit so perfectly into their doubts and needs that it was likely created with specifically this type of victim in mind.
I'm particularly stunned that literally NO ONE in this group ever bothered to get beyond themselves enough to notice that there's not a single member that's even remotely overweight, at least decently pleasing to the eye, and ALL have access to decent amounts of cash. How does that completely escape your purvey?
If a group is supposedly so intent on changing the world/helping others, why does it not begin with those in our society most in need of a hand up? For a group so based in the principals of'a better world', the only world they seem intent on changing is their own little orbit.
It's a sad and not all together too surprising of a series that shows you exactly how easily some can be manipulated; one key ingredient is the complete and total lack of empathy for anyone other than their own social network. There's a reason that it takes a particular mindset to be pulled into this type of manipulation in the first place, and Raniere and Salzman knew precisely whom to prey upon. With an extensive background into neural linguistics, Nancy was very skilled at pulling the strings with precisely the right context, and I have no doubt she held Keith's hand to teach him her methods.
I hope all these neurotic sociopaths rot in prison-but given that it's really considered 'white collar' I doubt anyone other than Raniere sees any significant time in a cell.
I believe Salzman was the brains and Raniere was the 'beauty' and together they worked to manipulate thousands of people into coughing up millions of dollars- and let's be completely honest-artists/actors/film makers/basically anyone in the Hollywood machine is, at least on some level, a narcissist always in search of praise and affirmation. This scheme fit so perfectly into their doubts and needs that it was likely created with specifically this type of victim in mind.
I'm particularly stunned that literally NO ONE in this group ever bothered to get beyond themselves enough to notice that there's not a single member that's even remotely overweight, at least decently pleasing to the eye, and ALL have access to decent amounts of cash. How does that completely escape your purvey?
If a group is supposedly so intent on changing the world/helping others, why does it not begin with those in our society most in need of a hand up? For a group so based in the principals of'a better world', the only world they seem intent on changing is their own little orbit.
It's a sad and not all together too surprising of a series that shows you exactly how easily some can be manipulated; one key ingredient is the complete and total lack of empathy for anyone other than their own social network. There's a reason that it takes a particular mindset to be pulled into this type of manipulation in the first place, and Raniere and Salzman knew precisely whom to prey upon. With an extensive background into neural linguistics, Nancy was very skilled at pulling the strings with precisely the right context, and I have no doubt she held Keith's hand to teach him her methods.
I hope all these neurotic sociopaths rot in prison-but given that it's really considered 'white collar' I doubt anyone other than Raniere sees any significant time in a cell.