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Reviews tagging 'Drug abuse'
Hey, Hun: Sales, Sisterhood, Supremacy, and the Other Lies Behind Multilevel Marketing by Emily Lynn Paulson
2 reviews
josie1999's review
informative
fast-paced
3.5
I went into this book with expectations of learning significant new information about how people get sucked into MLMs, Emily Lynn Paulson's experience in an MLM, and what can be done to stop MLMs or protect people from being pulled into similarly "culty" environments. Unfortunately, because I have gone down the rabbit holes of anti-MLM content, a large portion of the information provided wasn't new, but for someone new to the anti-MLM movement, this could be a good place to start because Emily provides a lot of good first-person accounts of what can happen. This brings me to the strongest point of the whole book which is Emily's personal experience in an MLM and what it took to become one of the most successful people in the organization. I appreciated her willingness to go into detail about tactics she used to sell or recruit new consultants and that now looking back she can recognize that some of her tactics were unhinged in pursuit of her goals and maintaining her status. Her vulnerability about her alcohol abuse and recovery was particularly raw while existing in an environment that made alcohol so readily available. I think the juxtaposition of the company giving her a platform to speak about her recovery and sobriety while supplying attendees with alcohol can be seen as an example of the much larger issue of MLMs saying or supporting one thing just to make the company look good.
One of the major downsides for me is that I feel this book was written a little too prematurely. I have not been able to find a verified date Emily officially left the MLM but given the fact she was still in the MLM when George Floyd was murdered, the book was written and published within 3 years of her leaving and it is possible she has not reconciled with how dangerous MLMs really can be. In the final few years, she seemed to be resolved that she didn't want to be a part of the MLM anymore she was still okay with accepting the money she was making from doing essentially no work. The straw that broke the camel's back for her to leave were the events of 2020 (COVID, George Floyd's murder, Black Lives Matter protests, and the election) which I can appreciate that she didn't want to support or be a part of a company that didn't stand against the lies and misinformation that was begin spread by its consultants, but it's hard not to wonder if those things hadn't happened or come to light, how much longer would she have stayed? If she could have made changes from the inside, would she have remained to continue getting the passive income? She also doesn't take a stand on whether or not MLMs should continue to exist. Instead, she says there should be stronger regulations and only a single level. To me, it seems contradictory to say there should only be single-level MLMs.
An area that I do agree with her on is that the individuals who get involved in MLMs should not be seen as stupid or careless because they are often women looking for connections that can be hard to find. People involved with MLMs are both victims and predators. I will add a caveat that I think once, a person reaches a point where they are doing less of the active work and are solely relying on their downline, they are less of a victim at that point. However, I think there is room to have grace for the individuals while denouncing the organization that is exploiting their labor.
One of the major downsides for me is that I feel this book was written a little too prematurely. I have not been able to find a verified date Emily officially left the MLM but given the fact she was still in the MLM when George Floyd was murdered, the book was written and published within 3 years of her leaving and it is possible she has not reconciled with how dangerous MLMs really can be. In the final few years, she seemed to be resolved that she didn't want to be a part of the MLM anymore she was still okay with accepting the money she was making from doing essentially no work. The straw that broke the camel's back for her to leave were the events of 2020 (COVID, George Floyd's murder, Black Lives Matter protests, and the election) which I can appreciate that she didn't want to support or be a part of a company that didn't stand against the lies and misinformation that was begin spread by its consultants, but it's hard not to wonder if those things hadn't happened or come to light, how much longer would she have stayed? If she could have made changes from the inside, would she have remained to continue getting the passive income? She also doesn't take a stand on whether or not MLMs should continue to exist. Instead, she says there should be stronger regulations and only a single level. To me, it seems contradictory to say there should only be single-level MLMs.
An area that I do agree with her on is that the individuals who get involved in MLMs should not be seen as stupid or careless because they are often women looking for connections that can be hard to find. People involved with MLMs are both victims and predators. I will add a caveat that I think once, a person reaches a point where they are doing less of the active work and are solely relying on their downline, they are less of a victim at that point. However, I think there is room to have grace for the individuals while denouncing the organization that is exploiting their labor.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Toxic friendship
Moderate: Drug abuse and Alcoholism
amsswim's review
funny
informative
reflective
medium-paced
3.75
I liked this one. Easy to read/listen to and follow the journey she went through. As this is a topic I am very interested in, I knew a lot of the information already but there were still some new facts or perspectives I hadn't considered. This is more of a personal story and perspectives with facts rather than a strict non-fiction book, which isn't bad just worth pointing out. Would recommend to most people. Liked the content but the writing style was not really for me.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, and Alcohol
Moderate: Cancer, Sexism, Body shaming, Classism, Cursing, Emotional abuse, Racism, Misogyny, and Bullying
Minor: Drug abuse, Drug use, and Sexual assault
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