A variation on the theme, yes. Companies like Mary Kay, Amway, Herbalife, etc. are MLM.
When I hear MLM, I always first think of Amway.
Got it - thanks. A woman I knew when I lived in Mexico tried to sell me (and sell me on selling) some vitamin powder called “Omnitrition.” This describes it perfectly.
Sorry, I thought it was a commonly understood term. Ultimately, yes, they are pyramid schemes, but usually they are structured in such a way as to avoid being illegal. I’ve seen them sell everything from water filters to nutrition supplements. None of them care how much of the product you sell (because you already bought it from them - selling it is your problem). They only care how many suckers you rope in, because that’s the only way you can make your money back.
Not a poll option: I’ve walked out of a live show because the content was offensive and the crowd was getting increasingly riled up and aggressively misogynistic.
No worries - thanks.
I have walked out of a dorm room because the conversation had turned misogynistic. It was a long time ago; I didn’t say anything, I just left. I don’t know whether they even noticed.
Not much later than that, I walked out of a relationship (not one very far advanced) because the guy’s friends talked like that and he neither left the group nor complained. I told him why, though.
In college, my girlfriend (later wife) and I walked out of a poetry reading given by Allen Ginsburg because it was terminally boring. We got up and left after a particularly long recitation of a poem all about plutonium, if memory serves, a subject which exercised Ginsburg thoroughly but did not have the same effect on the crowd.
Half the audience went with us.
Can’t think of any other time I truly walked out on something.
I walked out of a movie, not because of anything wrong with the movie, but because my girlfriend and I were having a fight.
Some Multi-level marketing schemes are pyramid schemes, but many started out like that, got in trouble with the government, then remade themselves so they were not quite a pyramid scheme.
I have walked out of a film once or twice, and once asked my ride to pull over and let me out as they were drinking while driving.
I just remembered that we walked out of L. Sprague de Camp reading from one of the Conan books because we could not stop laughing. Embarrassing, but a story we occasionally refer to even 45+ years later.
In the 90s I too had an experience at a Ginsberg reading, but Ginsberg had nothing to do with it. NYC had recently passed the ‘no smoking in bars’ law, and being a college student from NJ I had no idea. During the intermission, I moseyed over to the bar area to have a smoke and was immediately confronted by a very angry diminutive man who screamed in my face (well…my chest really). I realized I recognized him - it was David Byrne. I apologized to him and went outside to finish my smoke. When I came back in he had simply disappeared. I said to my girlfriend (who is now Mrs Thumper) “I had no idea he was so little…and so angry.” She still tells that story any time his name is mentioned.
Talking Heads David Byrne? I thought he was relatively tall, like a 6-footer or so. Who are you, Wilt Chamberlain??
Yes, that David Byrne. I’m 5’10" so no giant. Don’t be fooled by the big suit - he’s a pipsqueak in a normal sized suit.
ETA - IMDB says he’s 6 feet tall. My money says that factoid was included by his agent.
David Byrne is tall-ish, and 6’0 feels about right. I’ve seen him live enough that at least on stage he is relatively tall compared to the other musicians.
People do wear shoes to increase their height. I’ve never seen him on stage - only from about 2 feet away.
I’m friends on Facebook with several of the mods. I’m thinking at least one of them will notice if I’m dead.
Back in the 70s I met a guy at a concert and we made plans to go out in a week or so. He called me every day after that to make sure I hadn’t changed my mind. It was weird. He seemed very intense. I met him at the restaurant. The first thing he asked was if we could go out again next week. I said I had to go to the restroom and asked the bartender where the back door was and left through the kitchen. Fortunately, I never heard from him again.
He’s probably still sitting there wondering what’s taking you so long.
mmm
Huh. David Byrne was a smoker, at least he was was in 1981. Maybe by the 90’s he quit.