Editor’s Note: When people enter the arena, as Barbara Bouchey has chosen to do, they should expect both good and bad reactions. If they can’t handle the bad, and only want to hear the good, they probably should consider not entering the arena.
One of Barb’s favorite quotes is one of Teddy Roosevelt’s:
“It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat.”
As such, while many decry it, saying that no criticism of Barb should ever be allowed on this site, she is getting much criticism. Largely for her assertion that Nxivm had much good to offer. That somehow the good was there and was good despite the leader being bad.
For Barb to say this and for me not to allow a robust debate on this subject would be a disservice to readers. As such, I am going to publish responses to Barb’s concept that Nxivm could have been a force for good despite its founder being admittedly by Barb – though a genius she thinks – a force of evil in the world. That something good came out of his genius — is what is up for debate.
The following comment is from an individual who generally seems to lack common manners who used to call him or herself [itself] One Night In Bangkok but is now calling her/himself the Retard.
Now some believe that the word “retard” is a politically incorrect word and must not be used anymore, and should be retired from the English language. Perhaps it should be – yet this is the name this individual has chosen to name her/himself – the Retard – so I will use that chosen name.
The Retard, though rude, and unlike Barb, hiding behind anonymity, which always makes one a tad bit braver, if not ruder, often makes points that are insightful and provocative and probably would be a good writer and much more persuasive if (s)he could be a little more civil.
I am sure Retard won’t mind these caustic comments about her/himself since (s)he is so free and easy with insults often calling people names – including me – which by the way I have no trouble printing – for you see, I am in the arena, like Barb, and like her, I use my own name – and I don’t tremble at noises or grow depressed with criticism and insults. In fact, I find them amusing. They often brighten my day. I wish Barb would learn to do the same.
I mean, after all, we won. Retard was not part of the fight. Barb was and victory is for celebration and not for telling yourself you have PTSD ad nauseam.
Here is Retard’s comment about Barbara Bouchey:
By the Retard
As others have pointed out, there’s ALWAYS some measure of ‘goodness’ in just about everything and everybody on Earth.
It’s true that NXIVM probably helped students with improving their self-confidence and losing their anxieties, along with helping students to be more self-reliant and able to complete tasks better.
I’m sure that NXIVM students were able to lose their ‘shyness’ too, LOL, as one famous person said.
However… Hitler’s SS/Gestapo Training Facilities also instilled those “same” positive attributes within recruits — things such as improved self-confidence and a better perception of one’s “self” (which helped recruits to shed their shyness and work better with others). If that weren’t true, the SS and Gestapo would not have flourished during Hitler’s regime.
Hitler himself also did many good deeds for average German citizens before the war.
Not “everything” Hitler did was purely evil, contrary to what many people believe.
Yet, that doesn’t mean much.
Fact is, even first-time students (attending a NXIVM class for the 1st time) were forced to recite a chant at the end of class — promising to attempt to recruit new students along with thanking Vanguard and Prefect in sycophant fashion, thus attempting to make them dependent on Vanguard and Prefect for all moral judgments RIGHT FROM DAY #1.
Thus, if brand new recruits were already being brainwashed right from Day #1 — that means nothing NXIVM did was “untainted” or “purely good.”
If even their “casual” class takers were being brainwashed, then NOTHING at NXIVM was ever done for the good of anybody else EXCEPT NXIVM ITSELF.
The small elements of “goodness” that people may have received from taking such classes were just SIDE EFFECTS of the brainwashing process (i.e., if NXIVM can’t point to anything “good”, then nobody would have any reason to continue).
I think Barb is taking stock of her entire life (in her advancing age) and simply doesn’t have the courage to admit — to herself — that much of her adult life was WASTED worshiping a pudgy, short and smelly geek.
I think Barb can’t admit THE TRUTH that she spent much of her adult life worshiping a perverted guy that simply couldn’t stop thinking of ways to get his rocks off.
Who wants to admit TO THEMSELVES that their time on planet Earth had almost no positive effect for mankind?
I’ll tell you who DOESN’T want to admit that: Barb Bouchey.
She’s not a bad person. She simply lacked the moral backbone (or intelligence) to stop being Keith’s stooge for so many years. I just don’t see her as anything but Keith’s stooge.
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