By Kevin
I don’t know anything about Keith Raniere, except what’s been reported.
On the one hand, it’s upsetting and disgusting; on the other hand, our Government doesn’t have the best record of being honest.
Take Raniere out of it, and you have a group of supporters who have opinions that people disagree with, but are being treated like criminals. Who have been treated like commodities to chew out on entertainment shows that don’t show they are people like us.
Anyone has the right to disagree with a Marc Elliot, a Damon Brink or the DOS women. But to strip them of their humanity, to stigmatize them, to marginalize and outcast them personally and professionally, says more about us than about them.
Marc Elliot believes Keith Raniere tells the truth.
I’ve never met Damon, Marc, or any of the others. Allison Mack is the only person involved I know, other than Kristin Kreuk.
People who post here constantly claim that ex-NXIVM/ESP members shouldn’t be around kids, even if they’ve never harmed kids.
But this claim only applies to people who haven’t denounced the organization or have mixed feelings. No claims are made about the Raniere detractors, even if those detractors were in NXIVM much longer and played much bigger roles.
And unlike most people who are hated here, they actually made money from NXIVM.
It’s a double standard.
Switch Damon’s name with a defector, and it’s “how dare you suggest so and so shouldn’t be around kids.”
But he’s fair game?
One group uses the media and legal system to defame, slander and bankrupt their enemies. The other group wants to be heard and move on with their lives.
Just think about it. Not asking you to agree with me or share any of my positions.
I never took a single NXIVM class.
I am confused by Keith’s teachings, and believe it’s possible that he may have harmed Allison, and others. I also don’t trust my Government or the NY Times to tell the truth about those things. If Allison is sick and in poor health, she needs to be in a hospital or with her family, not in a prison with a reputation for abuse.
I identify more with the people you refer to as “dead enders.” They don’t deserve the punishment, scorn, or outcasting that they’ve received. My support of these people is not an endorsement of Keith or an organization I know nothing about.
People who join cults are just normal people like you and your family.
Are people who join cults losers, or are they people looking for a community who maybe had trouble finding one in a traditional family or school setting?
There’s no “payback” that should happen for most of these people. The supporters have unpopular opinions, but aren’t criminals, and shouldn’t be treated as if they are.
The people who support Keith believe he is innocent. They’re not defending crimes against children, because they don’t think those things happened. If they did, that is on Keith, not on the people who supported this community and had no involvement in those crimes.
Collective punishment is a bad idea that leads to places you don’t want to go. Should you lose your job or license for supporting the wrong party or attending the wrong house of worship? We’re headed there, and how we treat these people is an indication of that.
For the sake of argument, let’s say Keith did everything he’s ever been accused of. Would you agree that it would be disturbing if the tampering allegations were true?
That the US Government had to tamper with evidence to win a slam dunk case where they held all the cards?
What does that mean for all cases where it’s not so black and white? It means they’re doing this to everyone, including people who you might believe are innocent.
Maybe on the next episode, Mark Vicente will show the footage or air the recordings of him gaslighting India to not take a production assistant job on a major movie.
Or was that Allison’s fault too?
