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Corporate Religions
"The aim is to unite everything in a Corporate Religion."
~ ~ Howard Schultz, Starbucks Coffee.

Pick the odd one out of this list: L. Ron Hubbard, Shoko Asahara, Marshall Applewhite, Luc Jouret, Richard DeVos. The first four are regarded by sociologists as leaders of New Religious Movements. The last is a respected self-made millionare business entrepreneur with close connections to the Republican Party. For most people there is no implicit connection between the quintet, but for a new breed of business analysts, the post-millennial business landscape may become a very dark battleground indeed.

Corporate Religion is the title of a recent marketing and organizational development book written by Jesper Kunde and B.J. Cunningham (Financial Times Management, 1999), which subconsciously signals the move of branding techniques into the realms of internal employee motivation (coercion?), confirming an unfolding trend which was exposed in the early 1990s by author Douglas Rushkoff in several books partly about new media and memetics. Everyone is now familiar with the Nike Swish and the arguments for globalization. Agitprop organizations Adbusters and RTMark have created many colorful diversions highlighting this turbo-idiocy. To understand the new phenomena requires an in-depth appreciation of the subtleties of human behavior and how our internally generated values-systems can trap us.

There are precedents: Oliver Stone's thinly-veiled satire on Scientology, Wild Palms (1993) exploited a wealth of psychological detail and fascination with VR technology. Business gurus such as Tom Peters, Anthony Robbins, Zig Ziglar, and Tom Hopkins have 'stolen' behavior modification techniques that were originally part of General Semantics, Neuro-linguistic Programming, and the research legacies of Milton Erickson, Clare Graves, B.F. Skinner, Gregory Bateson, Stanley Milgram, and Abraham Maslow.

Before Reagan's 'Voodoo Economics', political analyst Bertram Gross presciently foresaw that explosive technological growth and breathless geo-economic rhetoric would hide neo-authoritarian mythic-membership structures used to control host populations. His book Friendly Fascism: The New Face Of Power In America (M. Holt, 1980) is not as well known as the writings of Noam Chomsky, for example, but is as yet unsurpassed in its study of the changing socio-economic conditions which have brought these new structures into being. Buckminster Fuller, the friendly visionary, noted in his book GRUNCH Of Giants (St. Martin's Press, 1983), that the emerging network of multi-national companies was simply continuing the piracy tactics of historical monarchies and feudal kingdoms, leaving the majority of Humanity remaining in serfdom.

Dave Arnott, author of Corporate Cults: The Insidious Lure Of The All-Consuming Corporation (AMACOM, 1999), is the latest business analyst to question our reliance on the corporation mythos for personal meaning, and the invasion of private commerce into education, family childcare, and healthcare. Arnott's controversial hypothesis (which reflects his conservative worldview) has met with resistance from the business press, but is worth considering.

The explosive growth in part-time/temp job markets and broadband versions of the Internet may make Corporate Religions a reality. Profit viruses are already at the heart of Multi-level Marketing (MLM) companies, the most famous of which is Amway, co-founded by Richard DeVos.

Neil Stephenson's influential Cyberpunk novel Snowcrash (Roc Books, 1995) foresaw the cross-bonding of emerging Corporate Religions and Machiavellian politics. Not only would the Internet turn history's first global communications network into glorified online shopping malls, but would also create an oligopolistic environment where behavior modification technologies are mis-applied. If Kunde and Cunningham's book can attract advertising industry accolades, Stephenson's satire is no longer funny. How much do you value your freedom?

Research by Alex Burns
alex.burns@disinfo.net

Corporate Religion
"In the future, building strong market positions will be about building companies with a strong personality and corporate soul," proclaims this slick promotional web-site for the book Corporate Religion by Jesper Kunde and B.J. Cunningham (Financial Times Management, 1999). Is this a sign that the obsession with brands has gone too far? Requires free Macromedia Flash 4 plug-in.
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Fast Company
One of the best publications devoted to the new economy, the Fast Company Web site archives the entire print content, as well as special online material, and online communities.
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Tom Peters!
Management guru Tom Peters helped create the lucrative business publishing genre with In Search Of Excellence: Lessons From America's Best-Run Companies (Warner Books, 1982), co-authored with Robert Waterman, and based on McKinsey consulting research. Meet the face of the Cubicle Revolution at this well-designed and resource-filled Web site.
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She Did It Amway
A stunning September/October 1996 article from the incisive Mother Jones team blows the cover on US Republican Senator Sue Myrick's connection with Amway - an organization that "relies heavily on the nearly fanatical - some say cultlike - devotion of its more than 500 000 U.S. "independent distributors." As they sell the company's soaps, vitamins, detergents, and other household products, the distributors push the Amway philosophy."
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Yahoo Braodcast: Dave Arnott Interview
An eye-opening interview with Dave Arnott, author of Corporate Cults: The Insidious Lure Of The All-Consuming Corporation (AMACOM, 1999). Arnott exposes the cycle of manipulation and dependency that is making unhealthy, cultish behavior a commonplace way of life for millions of people.
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Adbusters: Culture Jammers Headquarters
The Culture Jamming movement is one of the best defenses against Corporate Religions; Corporate Cults; Profit Viruses and other mind-plagues. Adbusters are the best organization for permanently jamming your media-receiving mind on the sound of white noise.
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RTMark On The Infinity Factory: Corporation Tattoos Embryo
RTMark's Frank and Ray on their offer to tattoo embryos with corporate logos in return for health care. Hosted by Richard Metzger. RealVideo. 50 minutes.
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RTMark
Marry a corporation. Kill another. Jail a third. Create a tribe. Watch slaughterhouse porn. Recognize a pattern yet? Meet the new corporate consulting for the Twenty-first Century: RTMark!
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Explore The Amway Opportunity!
"In Fiscal 1999 Amway reached a $5 billion year. The number of Amway employees worldwide is 12 000." Jack in, turn on, and buy far too many cleaning products!
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Disinformation Dossier On Memetic Engineering
Check out the Disinformation dossier on Memetic Engineering.
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Disinformation Dossier On Douglas Rushkoff
Check out the Disinformation dossier on Douglas Rushkoff.
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Pure NLP
Co-created by Richard Bandler, Neuro-linguistic Programming (NLP) is at the heart of most contemporary employee coercion, influence, and manipulation. Learn more about NLP from Richard Bandler's official Web site, as well as new models including Persuasion Engineering and Design Human Engineering.
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Institute Of General Semantics
Alfred Korzybski's General Semantics scientific discipline explores how language shapes our reality. Korzybski's technology is a key to William S. Burroughs' writings as well as a source for L. Ron Hubbard's Dianetics and Scientology psycho-technologies.
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Tom Hopkins International
The next time a salesperson successfully induces you into a consensus trance during a presentation, you know who to probably blame: Tom Hopkins, worldwide business guru to Master Sellers. So why does he convince hundreds of seminar attendees to stand up in public and mindlessly intone holo-phrases?
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Dreamlife: Anthony Robbins
Anthony Robbins 'stole' many of his key techniques from NLP co-creator Richard Bandler (who Robbins does actually publicly credit) to become probably the most well-known American personal management guru in the world today. Find out why at this vast web-site, featuring moderated chats on key topics.
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Ziglar Training Systems
The Quote of the Day when I first visited business guru Zig Ziglar's Web site was: "When you throw dirt at people, you're not doing a thing but losing ground." OK, I'll let Ziglar off this time, but . . .
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Buckminster Fuller Institute: Grunch Of Giants (1983)
Courtesy of the Buckminster Fuller Institute, here is the complete text to Fuller's book GRUNCH Of Giants (St. Martin's Press, 1983), an expose of the geo-economic conditions which have led to the rise of Corporate Religions. Highly recommended reading!
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The Gathering Darkness: America In The Twenty First Century
Scott Bidstrup's essay updates the prescient vision of Bertram Gross's book Friendly Fascism: The New Face Of Power In America (M. Holt, 1980) for the contemporary socio-political landscape. Useful background contextual information.
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The Return Of The Hidden Persuaders
This Salon magazine article (September 27th, 2000) by Ruth Shalit explores the increased use of hypnotherapy techniques to data-mine the collective unconsciousness for symbols by advertising agencies. The first instalment of an epic three part series.
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Hypnotizing Slackers For Starbucks, And Other Visionary Acts Of Marketing Research
This Salon magazine article (September 28th, 2000) by Ruth Shalit highlights the use of hypnotherapy and deconstructive techniques by advertising agencies. The second instalment of an epic three part series.
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Why Is Madison Avenue Gripped By Insanity?
This Salon magazine article (September 29th, 2000) by Ruth Shalit explores how Madison Avenue is drawing upon cognitive psychology and anthropology discourses to engineer better advertising campaigns. The final instalment of an epic three part series.
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Dreamlife
The self-help portal co-founded by ex-CBS CEO Peter Lund and guru Tony Robbins packages guidelines for rightful living in cozy dogma-liberating language, sugar-coated with relationship advertising.
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Tough Sell
This controversial Mother Jones article (November/December, 1998) reveals the links between Amway's founders and the Republican party. Includes Amway's response. Corporate religion at its most Machiavellian!
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Profit Viruses
This newsletter issue from memeticist Richard Brodie's Meme Central web-site reveals the viral nature of multi-level marketing institutions, and mentions Amway's links to the Republicans.
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Viral Marketing
This newsletter issue from memeticist Richard Brodie's Meme Central web-site reveals the viral nature of marketing. Offers some relatively primitive examples of these next generation techniques.
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Lycos Chat Transcript: Dave Arnott
Read a Lycos Web chat transcript featuring Dave Arnott, author of Corporate Cults: The Insidious Lure Of The All-Consuming Corporation (AMACOM, 1999).
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Friendly Fascism: A Review By Dale Wharton
Think that Corporate Religions are a new phenomenon? Bertram Gross predicted them in his book Friendly Fascism: The New Face Of Power In America (M. Holt, 1980). A useful summary by book reviewer Dave Wharton.
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Make Money Now, Ask Me How!
This Salon magazine article (June 19th, 2000) by Alec Foege reveals the cultic tendencies of the Herbalife salesforce, and the strange career of founder and dot-com guru Mark Hughes.
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It's The Dream Life
This Salon article (June 19th, 2000) by Damien Cave reveals the insider politics behind ex-CBS CEO Peter Lund and self-help guru Tony Robbins' portal Dreamlife.
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Scary Cult Girlfriend and Banana Love
The story of a love affair gone horribly wrong: "I suspect that your girlfriend returned to her Amwayishness because the need to be taken care of and subsumed within that community never went away. She needs them more than she needs you." Dig the awesome Banana Cream Pie recipe!
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Reasons Not To Like Your Job
This Dallas Business Journal article (November 8th, 1999) by Karen Britton is critical of the Corporate Cult model being promoted by Dave Arnott.
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The Corporate Religion
Dara Jane Brennan's article draws some uneasy comparisons between Middle Ages churches and contemporary companies: "People have sold their souls for a safe life or at least the illusion of a safe life. It's a sick game, kids. It's called Believe me, Trust me, No Matter What I Do, HAVE FAITH. Don't worry about your Carpal Tunnel Syndrome or ulcers etc. You've got Full Medical! Cracking up? EAP (Employee Assistance Program)." The solution? Trust and believe in yourself!
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21st Century Music: Best of Moog

NEW! - Disinfo TV

Colombian Viet Salvador: The Corruption Of Col. James Hiett
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Vote To Stop The Matrix
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In the Headshop (our store):
Best of Moog
19 essential Moog grooves selected by us just for YOU - check out the CD by clicking here!
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Here's Chica Bruce, "time travel babe" debriefing with Richard Metzger after their visit to look behind the scenes of the conspiracy theory known as the Montauk Project! An Infinity Factory classic.
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