Guest View
By Kebele
Mr. Parlato,
THIS is why I stopped reading your blog this summer after following, and very occasionally posting, for well over 18 months but now choose to keep up on NXIVM through google alerts.
I’ve been involved in actively supporting cult dismantling and deprograming since “Operation Clambake” in the early aughts with a particular focus on gendered and sexual abuse which is what NXIVM has been primarily about. It’s operation as a MLM scam and the psychology of those taken in by them plays a part as a number of cults operate in this fashion, but it is most certainly not about one man and his experience with Amway years ago.
What happened Mr. Parlato?
Watching you allow your platform to be hijacked by people like Scott Johnson, MAGA blow-hards who slam libtards, feminists and snowflakes and giving actual posts to wackadoo Q Anon groupies has been embarrassing and mind boggling to watch. When Raniere was busted, for awhile there the comments section was filled with real discourse often with over 50 comments.
As soon as Scott Johnson and the above arrived, those discussions tanked: at Raniere’s capture, you were perfectly situated to become The blog where victims could SAFELY land to share their experiences in which all cult studies stakeholders would have benefited from – including yourself and your reputation in demonstrating that your fight is not simply for your own retribution but for the women who have been PROFOUNDLY abused.
I am a health care provider with a twenty year strong specialty in working with trauma, cult and sexual abuse survivors who moonlights as a cult buster and there is no room for me here or the people who most desperately need a safe social space to come out on.
That is why we are not here – the victims and the specialists who could be adding to the conversation, because you have chosen to highlight people such as Scott Johnson and his ilk.
I hope this post gives you a reason to reflect on your choices regarding the management of your blog and the opportunities it has missed in pushing out those who have real contributions to make and embracing a vampire who has sucked the promise and good from this platform with his 3000 posts.
