Keith Raniere and his “coaching” creation called NXIVM (pronounced Nexium, like the pill for heartburn sufferers) made the cover of the subscription issue of Forbes Magazine.
Mr. Raniere may need some of the original Nexium to help his stomach soon.
The NXIVM article titled “Cult of Personality” describes a seeming subculture of “devoted followers” focused upon the teachings of the self-proclaimed “Vanguard” Raniere.
It appears the Forbes reporter was not too impressed with Mr. Raniere’s philosophy, he speculated that it might just be “horse manure.”
But Raniere has attracted a moneyed enough following to warrant the attention of Forbes.
Vanguard’s philosophy or “manure” has fertilized the minds of such notables as Sheila Johnson, cofounder of Black Entertainment Television; Antonia C. Novello, a former U.S. surgeon general; Stephen Cooper, acting chief executive of Enron; the Seagram fortune’s Edgar Bronfman Sr. and two of his daughters; Ana Cristina Fox, daughter of the Mexican president and Emiliano Salinas, son of a former president of Mexico.
Forbes also noted “a darker and more manipulative side to Keith Raniere.”
Edgar Bronfman Sr. who dropped out of the NXIVM now says, “I think it’s a cult.” He hasn’t talked to his daughters in months; they remain devoted to Raniere and his teachings.
CutNews readers may recall that NXIVM/Raniere sued The Ross Institute (TRI) for posting critical articles about its courses. Raniere also sued the authors of those articles, psychiatrist John Hochman and psychologist Paul Martin.
The lawsuit claims that TRI and the good doctors were somehow guilty of trade secret and copyright violations by citing Raniere’s material within their critical analysis of his programs.
A federal judge has repeatedly rebuffed NXIVM’s legal efforts to remove the articles from the Internet.
Hochman’s article was quoted within Forbes.
NXIVM “is a kingdom of sorts, ruled by a Vanguard, who writes his own dictionary of the English language, has his own moral code and the ability to generate taxes on subjects by having them participate in his seminars. It is a kingdom with no physical borders, but with psychological borders–influencing how his subjects spend their time, socialize, and think,” Hochman stated.
Forbes also reported that one woman “began to have hallucinations and had a mental breakdown at her hotel near Albany. She went to a hospital and required psychiatric treatment.” Her psychiatrist stated that “in the last three years he has treated two others who have taken the class; one had a psychotic episode.”
Forbes Magazine has more than a million subscribers and the NIXIVM article is reportedly the cover story of the current subscription edition.
This may make the affluent crowd Raniere seemingly targets more likely to be on guard about “Vanguard.”
no comment untill now