My Close Encounter With a Dangerous Cult (that you've probably never heard of)

Recently, an announcement in a reputable site for journalists (JournalismNext.com) caught my attention. It stated that an Ethical Media Scholarship and three prizes ($10,000, $3,000 and $1,000) would be granted by a 'media watch dog' proposing to 'revolutionize the way we read news.' The monetary awards include a full expense paid scholarship to take a training program (worth $7000) which would assist applicants towards becoming writers and analysts with the company, covering world news or opening local bureaus. To be eligible for this prize and scholarship, applicants must submit their resume, along with an essay (in English or Spanish) on the importance of ethical standards in media for our modern society.

Furthermore, The Knife of Aristotle (as they were called) were looking to 'inspire a culture of questioning, critical thought and ethical communication.' I was delighted to read all this since, as I writer, I believe I shared those noble values in my six published books of prose and poetry, as well as in the way I perceived our world. Rushing home from the beach, I locked myself in my room and laid my heart bare in the form of an essay. A few hours later, I was ready to submit it. The difficult news cycle that followed the next week or so, covering gun violence and angry politics, reminded me anew of the necessity of ethical journalism: the subject of the essay submission. I was positively delighted when I shortly heard from The Knife that they wished to set up a Skype interview, in the upcoming days.

The interviewer, a journalist younger than myself told me he previously worked for Bloomsberg and Time magazine and was easy to talk to. I reiterated what I had written in my submission, that since people cannot be everywhere, at the same time, we must trust the media to be our eyes and by, extension, our conscience. Quite simply when we know better, we do better. Which is why, I thought, applying ethical standards in the media stand to saves lives, and this seemed especially important during a divisive US election season.

My interlocutor ambiguously, but amiably, explained to me that they had devised a unique methodology (which is why I needed to sign a confidentiality agreement) that was able to extract spin and slant from news, in order to offer readers raw data. We want the news to read more like science, less like fiction, is their mission, and so they train prospective analysts in logic as well as critical thinking. All very well, I thought, and told him it sounded almost too good to be true—Utopian, even. If you guys weren’t real, I offered, if would make good material for a movie. But, the good thing is, he offered with a smile, is that we are real.

When it was time for me to ask questions, I wondered why there wasn't more information on their website. They were working on that, he assured me, solemnly adding that since their system/tools costs a great deal to develop and they do not rely on advertising (which could pose a conflict of interests) subscribers would be able to see the full site, soon. Fair enough, I thought. As a parting comment, the editor-in-chief double checked my availability for the thirty day intensive training (to held in Albany, NY the following month) and I confirmed it.

Less than a week later, I receive a form letter stating that The Knife of Aristotle sees in me 'a rare commitment to ethics and integrity and building a better world.' For this reason, and the skill I'd demonstrated in my essay, I'd won the 2nd place prize ($3,000) which would entitle me to a full scholarship and require a work commitment, of at least, 18/hour week for a minimum of a one year period. All I needed to do was, again, confirm my interest and availability and a check for the prize money would be mailed to me with further details.

This was great news! Squeamish about talking money, I'd not asked how much exactly the compensation for my work would be, once I was verified, but I figured that would come later. My other, more practical half did not think so. Instead, my wife recommended that, before committing to anything, I reply with a few hard-nosed questions, re: salary, and if they covered room and board, for training, etc... Meanwhile, she and my mother-in-law also suggested I do some further research, trying to learn more about my possible employers.

Unable to fall asleep that night, and searching the internet, I learned that I'd had a close encounter with a dangerous cult. What I read, through the night and morning, filled me with disbelief, dread and morbid fascination. The cult I was about to join, was an offshoot of the infamous NXIVM - a 'life improvement' coaching company founded by Keith Raniere, a depraved, megalomaniacal individual who kept a rotating harem of nearly 20 woman (underage, too) and had driven previous students/ followers to madness, bankruptcy, even death.

Worse, he continues to do so, through a vicious mix of mind control, perverse sex and years of harassment. Those who try to defect or speak out (including journalists, a cult expert, etc.. ) are intimidated in a variety of ways, aided by the unstinting financial support of the Bronfman sisters, heiresses of the Seagram fortune. Besides, The Knife, there were other Raniere-influenced groups I discovered online, which try to downplay their connection to NXIVM: acting classes, yoga-themed, and more self-improvement.

Although some of Raniere’s thousands of followers have uprooted their lives from other countries to be near him in New York, the cult leader recently fled the US to Mexico (seeking to avoid arrest). Why Mexico? Perhaps, because Carlos Salinas, the former president, and Alejandro Junco, the country’s largest newspaper publisher, both have children in Raniere’s cult. Which reminded me that, during my Skype interview I was told that, if I did well, maybe I could set up a branch of The Knife of Aristotle in my home country? Because, that’s just what Egypt needs, more Fake News, overseen by another psychopath!

As the sun was rising it dawned on me, in the words of someone less fortunate than myself, who had barely escaped Raniere's clutches: "I thought what I was supporting was humanity’. I recently realized it was just the perversion of a sick man." I still had to draft a reply to politely decline their training and award, and all day long debated the wisdom of writing this piece.

But, further considering the damage this cult leader had inflicted upon innocent others - financial, psychological, sexual, at times, and fatal - I realized I had no choice. The same impulse that had driven me to submit to their essay competition, now, compelled me to expose this wicked scam and the self-proclaimed 'smartest man in the world' and 'spiritually-evolved guru' behind it.

In closing, here's the opening paragraph from my "award-winning" essay on the need to reclaim our conscience through a more moral media:

"We are, by nature, ethical creatures. Instinctively, we seek truth and meaning and beauty. We wish to live virtuously. But, it is also human nature to be lazy, and forgetful. It takes time and continuous effort to meet the rigorous standards of these ideals. In the bold words of Malcom X: “If you're not careful, the newspapers will have you hating the people who are being oppressed, and loving the people who are doing the oppressing.” Which is why, when it comes to staying abreast of world affairs and making informed decisions as concerned citizens, we need a media that we can trust and look up to"

---

*For further reading from the news, in the last couple months, please see:

Inside a Secretive Group Where Women Are Branded:
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/10/17/nyregion/nxivm-women-branded-albany.html

A Former Member Speaks Up On Why She Joined This Secret Society That Branded Her: https://www.vice.com/en_ca/article/xwaaxd/why-i-joined-a-secret-society-that-branded-me?utm_campaign=sharebutton

Tenzin Dhonden, Dalai Lama’s Gatekeeper and “Personal Emissary for Peace,” apparently faced an internal investigation after allegations of corruption, bullying, and ties to the cult Nxivm:
https://tricycle.org/trikedaily/tenzin-dhonden-dalai-lamas-gatekeeper-personal-emissary-peace-replaced-executive-secretary/

(Images: Pixabay)