Xyoo 1999, thaum Mitt Romney raug tsa los ua tus saib xyuas kev npaj xyoo 2002 Winter Olympic Games hauv Salt Lake City, muaj ib lub tuam txhab txawv txawv ntawm cov neeg uas txhawb nqa Olympic. Nrog rau Coca-Colas thiab McDonalds, muaj ib lub tuam txhab hu ua Nu Skin, nyob hauv Provo, Utah, uas muag cov khoom tiv thaiv kev laus thiab cov tshuaj noj qab haus huv. Nws lub network faib khoom yog qhov hu ua, hauv kev lag luam, kev lag luam ntau theem. Cov neeg thuam muaj lwm lub npe rau hom lag luam ntawd: ib qho kev npaj pyramid.
Nu Skin, uas tau tsim tsa xyoo 1984, twb muaj ntau qhov teeb meem nrog txoj cai lij choj lawm. Xyoo 1991, tom qab kev tshaj tawm ABC News's "Nightline," ob peb tug kws lij choj tau liam tias nws ua txhaum txoj cai lij choj uas yuav tsum tiv thaiv cov kev dag ntxias pyramid. Lub tuam txhab tau ua qee qhov teeb meem me me nrog nws cov kev coj ua thiab daws cov lus tsis txaus siab.
Tom qab ntawd, Pawg Neeg Saib Xyuas Kev Lag Luam Hauv Tebchaws tau liam tias nws tau hais tias nws cov khoom lag luam tsis muaj kev txhawb nqa, suav nrog cov tshuaj pleev rau qhov txhab ("tuaj yeem siv tau 10 xyoo") thiab "kev kho mob tawv nqaij uas hais tias kho tau qhov kub hnyiab theem peb," raws li tsab xov xwm los ntawm Peter Elkind hauv phau ntawv xov xwm tshiab kawg ntawm Fortune Magazine. Nws tau daws teeb meem hauv xyoo 1994 rau $ 1.2 lab.
Peb xyoos tom qab, FTC rov qab los dua, nplua $ 1.5 lab rau Nu Skin "rau kev ua cov lus thov cuav txog nws cov khoom poob phaus," sau Elkind (uas yog, rau cov ntaub ntawv, ib tug phooj ywg thiab tus npoj yaig yav dhau los). Txawm hais tias muaj cov teeb meem no, Nu Skin nrhiav, tsuas yog ob peb xyoos tom qab, los ua tus txhawb nqa Olympic - $ 20 lab peev uas yuav tso cai rau nws kom muab Olympic nplhaib rau nws cov khoom.
Nov yog li cas Elkind piav qhia txog qhov uas tau tshwm sim tom ntej: "Kev txhawb nqa los ntawm lub tuam txhab tshuaj ntxiv tau muaj kev tsis sib haum xeeb thaum lub sijhawm uas Pawg Neeg Saib Xyuas Olympic Thoob Ntiaj Teb tau ceeb toom cov neeg ncaws pob kom tsis txhob noj tshuaj ntxiv, vim tias lawv yuav muaj cov tshuaj txwv tsis pub noj. Tab sis Romney tau tiv thaiv Nu Skin tom qab nws xa nws cov khoom mus rau kev tshuaj xyuas ywj pheej." Nws kuj tau tshwm sim ntawm lub rooj sib tham Nu Skin hauv xyoo 1999, qhov chaw uas nws tau pom zoo rau lub tuam txhab thiab nws cov khoom: ob qho tib si Nu Skin thiab Olympics, nws hais tias, yog "txog kev tswj hwm koj lub neej thiab tswj hwm koj tus kheej txoj hmoov." Steve Lund, tus neeg koom nrog tsim lub tuam txhab, tau piav qhia txog qhov tseem ceeb ntawm kev txhawb nqa Olympic tias "tsis suav."
Koj puas paub tias cov tuam txhab lag luam ntau theem ua haujlwm li cas, puas yog? Koj sau npe los ua "tus faib khoom" ntawm cov khoom lag luam ntawm lub tuam txhab - tab sis tib lub sijhawm koj kuj pom zoo los ua tus neeg siv khoom. Koj yuav tsum yuav cov khoom lag luam ib hlis ib zaug, thiab tom qab ntawd koj yuav tsum nrhiav lwm tus, uas, ua rau, yuav cov khoom lag luam ntawm koj. Tom qab ntawd lawv yuav tsum ua tib yam - thiab mus ntxiv. Ntawd yog lub pyramid tseem ceeb.
Cov neeg nyob rau sab saum toj kawg nkaus tuaj yeem khwv tau nyiaj ntau lab; hauv Nu Skin rooj plaub, 34 tus neeg faib khoom tau khwv tau $ 20 lab lossis ntau dua. Tab sis, raws li lub tuam txhab nws tus kheej, kwv yees li 87 feem pua ntawm nws cov neeg faib khoom tsis tau ua cov nyiaj commission li hauv xyoo 2011. Tseeb tiag, feem ntau cov neeg uas sau npe poob nyiaj.
Ntxiv mus, cov tuam txhab no feem ntau muag cov khoom uas muaj nqis tsis meej. Hauv rooj plaub ntawm Nu Skin, Elkind tau tham nrog ntau tus kws tshawb fawb uas thuam Nu Skin cov lus thov tiv thaiv kev laus. Vim tias muaj ntau lub tuam txhab kev lag luam ntau theem nyob hauv Utah, cov neeg thuam tso dag tias cov tsiaj ntawv luv MLM sawv cev rau Mormons Losing Money. (Cov thawj coj ntawm Nu Skin hais tias lawv cov khoom ua haujlwm raws li tau tshaj tawm, thiab cov neeg faib khoom tsis raug coj mus siv.)
Zaj dab neeg ntawm Elkind feem ntau yog ib zaj dab neeg txog kev sib ntaus sib tua ntawm Nu Skin thiab ob peb tug neeg muag luv luv, uas twv tias cov khoom lag luam thiab kev coj ua ntawm lub tuam txhab yuav muaj teeb meem. (Herbalife yog lwm lub tuam txhab kev lag luam ntau theem uas cov luv luv tau tsom mus rau.) Tab sis qhov ntawd yuav yog kev xav xwb. Hauv kaum xyoo dhau los, tsoomfwv tshawb nrhiav txog cov tuam txhab kev lag luam ntau theem tau ploj mus ntau heev. Qhov laj thawj yog tias cov tuam txhab tau kawm paub yuav ua li cas ua phooj ywg nrog cov nom tswv muaj hwj chim. Xyoo 1994, Republican Senator Orrin Hatch los ntawm - qhov twg ntxiv? - Utah tau txhawb nqa ib txoj cai lij choj, raws li Elkind, "uas tshem tawm kev lag luam khoom noj khoom haus ntxiv, tso cai rau nws muag cov khoom yam tsis tau tshuaj xyuas FDA ua ntej." Nu Skin tau nthuav dav mus rau Tuam Tshoj nrog kev pab los ntawm tus tswv xeev Utah thaum lub sijhawm ntawd, Jon Huntsman Jr. Nws tau muab ob tug thawj coj qub tso rau hauv nws pawg thawj coj. Tsis ntev los no, FTC tau tshaj tawm ib yam dab tsi hu ua Txoj Cai Lag Luam, uas yog txhais tau tias yuav muab kev tiv thaiv rau cov neeg uas tau txais kev pabcuam nyob hauv tsev. Qhov xav tsis thoob, kev lag luam ntau theem tau zam los ntawm txoj cai.
Thiab ces muaj Mitt Romney, uas yeej tsis tau txiav nws txoj kev sib raug zoo nrog kev lag luam. Vim li cas nws thiaj li txiav? Cov thawj coj hauv kev lag luam tau pub nyiaj ntau rau nws txoj kev sib tw ua tus thawj tswj hwm. Ib tus neeg koom nrog tsim Nu Skin tau ua tus thawj coj ntawm nws pawg neeg saib xyuas nyiaj txiag hauv tebchaws plaub xyoos dhau los. Lwm tus tau muab nyiaj rau nws.
Thiab Lund, tus neeg koom tes thib peb, tau pub $ 3 lab rau Restore Our Future, "super-PAC" uas txhawb nqa Romney. "Mitt Romney yog ib tug phooj ywg zoo heev," Lund hais rau Elkind. "Peb tau nyob hauv nws lub tsev ntau zaus. Nws thiab Ann tau ua Thanksgiving hauv peb lub tsev ib xyoos."
Rau Romney, cov no yog cov kev sib txuas uas khi.
(Lub New York Times)
