“Stop Being Poor!”

My last post on this subject was in March of last year. Didn’t think I’d do it again, but it seems I found one I considered too good to not revive this little topic from its ashes on my blog. Granted, I have only four posts in total about it, so I wasn’t frequent with it anyway.

So much bundled in here! I think this is YouTube, and according to the user who shared this image, these are all by the same person. To say they’re “compensating for something” might be an understatement.

Well, let’s play!

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Shame, Audacity, Entitlement

I swear I am not trying to make this a series. I simply couldn’t resist these.

An anti-MLM account I follow posted these. There are two things MLM sellers are good at: shaming, and having zero shame. Right now, many are using the response to the coronavirus pandemic to try to recruit people into their schemes. They’re notorious for using 9/11 and close family members’ deaths, so I can’t say I’m shocked.

These particular posts caught my eye not only for their attempt at shaming and their audacity, but the sheer entitlement! I am no angel, but if I ever speak like this, I give all my loved ones explicit permission to smack me in the head until I regain common sense. Or until I lose consciousness. Whichever occurs first.

At the same time, it’s hilarious. Remember, these are people who claim to run their own business. Even if what they do was legitimate, who would want to work with a business owner who behaves like this?

Clearly, this person has never heard of payment plans. Also, the only company with a phone that expensive is Apple, and even that applies only to their latest phone, the iPhone 11 Pro. The phone’s price is dependent upon how much space you choose. Speaking for myself, my smartphone was $200, but smartphones nowadays can cost as little $30. Technology marches on.

Mentioning Starbucks is common and I’m really eager to know who buys Starbucks every day. No, that’s not sarcasm. I hate coffee, so I guess the equivalent for me would be chocolate, but even I can’t eat chocolate every day. I’d quickly grow sick of the taste. But if someone really is buying a $7 cup of Starbucks every day, I’d imagine that $210 a month isn’t putting a dent in their wallet. In other words, they probably don’t need extra income and aren’t seeking it.

This one could be a good message if it weren’t to promote MLM! There is a lot to unpack in this one.

Healthy groceries ($100) “too expensive”

Dinner date ($100) “reasonable”

Maybe to someone who makes $50K a year after taxes. My boyfriend and I went out many times prior to lockdown. The bill never hit $100. Also, I’m sure most people wish their families ate only $100 a month worth of groceries! I’d love if mine did! I buy $100 worth of groceries and they’re gone in a week. I’d save a lot of money if eating weren’t a necessity.

Therapist ($130) “absurd”

Trip to Target ($130) “great deals!”

Yes, it is absurd some people can’t get mental healthcare because they can’t afford it. To my knowledge, some insurance will cover it, but it can be a fight. That is a shame. As for Target, or any big box store, if you need things like appliances and furniture, getting those things for $130 total really might be a great deal! I found a sturdy dresser with seven drawers for under $100 on Amazon.

Average college class ($1,000) “expensive”

iPhone ($1,000) “a necessity”

Most people use financial aid to afford college if their income is that low. And what those subjects have in common is, as I said above, payment plans. Though I wouldn’t advise it, you can lease an iPhone. If financial aid doesn’t cover the full cost of college, most people can work something out with the school. Note that schools are also a business.

Kid’s summer camp ($180) “too much”

New pair of shoes ($180) “they were on sale”

Hahahahaha!! This is one I’m almost certain would be the other way around. And let me say summer camp isn’t a necessity and there’s nothing wrong with a parent treating themselves to a new pair of shoes. Also, new shoes do not have to cost $180 to be of good quality. I wonder if there is some projection in these examples.

60 minutes of exercise “I wish I had time!”

60 minutes on Instagram “OMG time flies!”

I’ll give a small pass for this one, if only for it being the least ridiculous comparison. However, you can do one hour of exercise and one hour of surfing on Instagram in the same day. Thus, I think this is moot.

60 minutes working your business – “I’m too busy”

60 minutes on Netflix – “Another episode!”

I prefer Hulu and Prime Video (for Pokemon), but Netflix and Disney+ rock too. And again, you can use two hours in a day separately. Well, if work took only an hour.

30 minutes of self-development – “I don’t feel like it.”

30 minutes of a murder mystery podcast – “let’s listen to another

I’m beginning to feel like this person has a weird sense of time. And what does self-development mean in this context? Reading a book about self-love?

Health products ($100) “too expensive”

Starbucks every other day ($100) “I need it”

Exactly what kind of health products are we talking about here? Health products can be a “treat” too. If they were a necessity, they’d probably be prescribed by a doctor.

Like I said, the context of this is what makes it terrible more than the message itself. I don’t totally hate this one, but it ultimately is still shaming people for how they spend their time and money. I could see this one being okay only if someone were constantly complaining, and still not for the sake of promoting MLM.

If someone is prioritizing eating, I think they have their priorities correct.

This one is funny and enraging because the entitlement is so blatant! She really thinks people shouldn’t buy themselves clothing, should customize their social media how she wants, and shouldn’t use products they are familiar with (if someone is subscribed, they likely know what comes in the box) and works well for their skin.

No, in a year, I’m going to still be pointing and laughing.

Last, but sadly, not least:

I can’t stop laughing. She is angry. She calls other people’s lives bad and assumes they’re unhappy because they refused to buy from her. She is really angry people spent their money on what they want instead of buying from her because she begged. And now, they won’t get a free oil set! What a pity!

If she’s in bad debt, that sucks, but that’s ultimately her problem. She can’t rely on other people to pay off her debt for her.

Girl, You’re So Crazy

I don’t know why I’ve grown to love mocking these, but I have. Here’s my most recent “favorite” I’ve come across.

For some reason, the condescending ones are the funniest to me. For people who “run their own business”, they’re sorely lacking in professionalism. A real business owner or salesperson would never talk down to their customer/client base. Why would you insult the people you’re trying to sell to?

(Side note: “MLM positivity” is for “men loving men”, not “multi-level marketing”. Oops!)

I guess I’ve found a new hobby. Let’s play, shall we?

How is life working out for you working for the big man?

Great! Thanks for asking! It’s the open enrollment period, so I just signed up for benefits. Did you know their medical insurance covers 100% of preventive care and 90% of most other medical attention (ambulance, emergency room, etc)? Oh, and I used some of my PTO to cover a shift I couldn’t work. Working full-time is pretty cool! Tiring, I admit, but so is your garbage.

Is it all you ever imagined and more?

Actually, it’s better than I imagined. I worked retail previously. Some people enjoy retail, but I am not one of them. It’s nice to not feel my soul is being sucked out with a vacuum cleaner. In short, yeah, it’s pretty good.

Well at least you can see the dentist once a year!

My dentist probably wishes I visited only once a year! In 2019, I was at the dentist’s office no less than five times. I still remember the pain of getting my wisdom teeth removed. To think, I was scared of the root canal. Cakewalk in comparison. And even then, getting them removed isn’t the worst part. It’s the aftermath. *shudder*

Def worth your 4 year degree…

Nothing wrong with four-year degrees, but I went to trade school. There’s nothing I’m interested in studying for four years at the moment.

…pile of Dept…

Do you mean “debt”? Uh, my school debt is $11K, and I can pay it off in two years. Budgeting is very helpful.

…and hating your life going to work every day.

I don’t hate my life or my job. Didn’t I say that? The only thing I hate is waking up early, and that’s not related to my job. Never in my 2 1/2 decades of living have I liked getting up early. I’ve woken up early to do fun things and still hated getting up early. I think it’s safe to say nothing will change that about me.

Anyways, I’m just here to stir the pot…

And I’m here to point and laugh!

…and get you to think outside your very square box for a minute or two.

This is hilarious coming from someone who thinks anyone in a traditional job (read: anyone outside of MLM) hates their life and couldn’t possibly be happy. Before you point fingers, ensure your own house is in order!

Maybe, just maybe the science behind MLM is good and CAN work.

The only successful people in MLM companies are those who got in on the ground floor. Most, if not all of them, are over-saturated now.

I mean, Trump is president…

Don’t remind me.

…and the US military probs made Lyme Disease as a biological weapon…

Yeah…

…so is it that difficult to believe?

Yes, because most salespeople’s goal is to sell, regardless of whether they use or like the products.

I’m gunna go with a no on that one, Becky.

I feel so sorry for all the people named Karen, Rebecca, and any other name that has become a joke thanks to social media.

Quit believing info just because it’s been force fed to you for years.

Says the person who thinks everyone with a four-year degree has a mountain of debt or that seeing the dentist only once a year is a bad thing.

You’re smart, use that thing in your skull… it might get you somewhere.

If you want to stop working for the big man, and the REAL pyramid scheme...

The one that gives me medical, dental, vision, life, critical accident and illness insurances, paid time off, vacation time, unpaid time to use without getting an attendance point, and 401K and Roth? No, I’m good.

…you’re in the right place! I use, share, and sell essential oils on my own time.

A 14-pack of essential oils cost $10 from the store I used to work at. From Young Living, a single bottle costs about $30 at minimum. And some cost as much as over $100. Yes, over a $100 for one bottle of oil. No.

I partner with an amazing MLM I stand by, and I love ittttt.

To each, their own. I stand by my job too because I love what it does for me.

It might seem scary investing in yourself at first…

That’s not scary at all! I did that by finishing school and getting a better job (though school wasn’t necessary, but I don’t regret it), and I’m continuing to do it by focusing on paying off my debts and learning how to cook. Fun thing about my job is I sometimes come across cool or cute stuff I want for myself, so I keep it in mind to order later.

…but your $30,000 of student loans should scare you even more.

Well, my $11K of student loans will be paid off by 2022 or 2023, so I’m not scared at all. I just hate having any debt.

Message me and I’ll help you break up with corporate America.

You haven’t “broken up” with corporate America!

When those “like other girls” are bullies…

Recently, I asked my boyfriend’s opinion on the backlash against “not like other girls”. Like me, he knows how it feels to grow up bullied and being treated differently, and struggling to accept those supposed differences, so I had to ask what he thinks of it suddenly being a bad thing to not be like the others.

His answer? “Hypocrites. They spent so much time hating others for their differences. Now, they suddenly want to unite and say we’re the same? What changed?”

I never thought of it that way, but I do agree.

A question I’ve posed lately on posts and groups about this topic is if a girl who grew up hearing constantly from other girls that she isn’t like them, was excluded and ostracized from groups in general, and wanted nothing more than to be like the other girls becomes a “not like other girls” girls when she finally gets fed up of failing to fit in and tries to embrace those differences that make the other girls reject her.

So far, I have received no answer to that question. Which further makes me agree with my boyfriend and believe the backlash against “not like other girls” is utter garbage.

No, I don’t want to be like the other girls who took joy in making my school life hell. No, I don’t want to be friends with the girls who mocked my appearance on a daily basis. Yes, I will proudly be “not like other girls” when the other girls spread vicious rumors about me, stole my lunch food, tossed my backpack out of a school bus, and never received consequences for their bullying behavior.

It was cool for girls (and boys) to bully, exclude, and antagonize a girl for not being like them. Now, it’s cool to do it when the girl is finally fed up and decides she doesn’t care if she’s not like them. It sounds to me like it’s okay for the other girls to decide she’s not like other girls, but it’s not okay for a girl to decide for herself she isn’t like the other girls… even if she has never stopped hearing it.

If the girl can’t fit in because the other girls deem she’s not like them, and she can’t embrace whatever those differences are because she is like them, the final option is for that girl to live her life hating herself. Poor girl.

To me, this is akin to the bully who beat you up and slammed you in a locker every day suddenly claiming to be a better person because he found God/Jesus/religion. I can’t help wondering how many of these preachers against “not like other girls” were the girls who bullied other girls for not being like them, and are now shaming those girls for deciding they no longer care if they’re not like them. Because if those girls finally accept what their bullies have told them and actually embrace it – that they are not like them and their group, and they are going to be proud of that – their bullies can’t bully them anymore about being different anymore. So, shame them for that pride and tell them they’re the same. And meticulously leave out how and why those girls became “not like other girls” girls to begin with.

In short, as far as I’m concerned, the preachers against “not like other girls” can fuck off. You didn’t want to my friend when I wanted nothing more than to be yours and join your circle. I’m not a crying elementary schoolgirl in her little blue uniform anymore. I don’t want to be your friend now that you suddenly deemed we are alike after all. Just don’t break your arm patting your back for being “inclusive” now.

Let Me Put You On Block

In an anti-MLM Facebook group I’m in, someone shared this image from their sister-in-law’s page.

Or let’s not and I’ll put you on block.

I can’t choose what’s more aggravating here: the absolute lack of self-awareness (telling people not to shame others as they’re shaming them), the irony (same reason), the pure, unfiltered ignorance (not everyone celebrates holidays, or American holidays, and not every job has the same schedule and wages), or the blatant toxicity (it’s healthy to have time away from your family, including your children).

Of course, if the people who post these things had any amount of self-awareness, they likely wouldn’t be in an MLM. I blame myself for expecting that level of competence.

However, my bored self has decided to respond to this. Why? Well, it’s 6am, I can’t get back to sleep, and as I’ve said more than once on this blog, I have an odd enjoyment of making lists. Hey, picking apart MLM posts is a better use of them than shaming people with them.
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