🐈 on Twitter: "while the distinction is clear from my own pov, depending on overlap of life experience the analogy may just sound like bs/magic or not make sense this is exacerbated by the presence of individuals who *do* gobble up all sorts of magical explanations"

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Retweeted

a ponzi scheme is a scam in that with each layer or generation added, the expected future expectations and promises increase faster than the influx of "real" valuehttps://twitter.com/a_yawning_cat/status/1401524274200862721 …

added,

@a_yawning_cat

a more useful definition of a ponzi scheme imo: when a promise is used to pay back a promise with no intention or possibility of eventually resolving the chain of promises

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‏ @a_yawning_cat Jun 17

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each new layer is incentivized to add new layers in order to rise sufficiently towards the "top" in order to be profitablehttps://twitter.com/a_yawning_cat/status/1388219441263955968 …

added,

@a_yawning_cat

the difference seems to be that cult hierarchies promise upward movement closer to the "sun". e.g. if you join as a "poor victim" and the existing members are the "brave saviors" then to become a savior yourself you need a new victim. otherwise you are stuck in the victim role

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‏ @a_yawning_cat Jun 17

however faith based hierarchical layers like communities and religious groups also grow in a pyramid fashion they are not scams when the growth feeds the utility of the group via networks effects++ they *are* "scams" when only the inner circle of the group has access to utility

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‏ @a_yawning_cat Jun 17

if someone wants you to believe in sth b/c they think u would make a a great lieutenant dog to Spread the Word that's feels scammy vs "hey this line of thought is interesting feel free to believe in it as you please but only if it makes sense to you"

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‏ @a_yawning_cat Jun 17

a mlm feels cultlike b/c as you rise towards the top your ability to broadcast to a larger audience increases the promised utility is marketing opportunity and it only becomes profitable pass a certain threshold

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‏ @a_yawning_cat Jun 17

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literal cults often have trouble monetizing this since instead of using that increased marketing to sell vitamins you can only sell... increased marketing opportunity... the promises never resolve into Real Stuffhttps://twitter.com/a_yawning_cat/status/1341269410686726144 …

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@a_yawning_cat

If you needed a GPS to locate you in the desert to save your life and a magical genie appears and offers to sell you one for 100K dollars, would you be grateful or angry? In a free market, the opportunity to buy is priced into the good!

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‏ @a_yawning_cat Jun 17

it's like diligently climbing the social or corporate ladder and knowing people to know people to know people and eventually get a meeting with a Big Important and you realize you've fucked up b/c you have nothing to talk about to utilize the relationship

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‏ @a_yawning_cat Jun 17

ponzi scams are difficult to distinguish the same way kickstarters who spend 80% of their budget on marketing and don't deliver are. there usually is at least some real intent to deliver. (and perhaps the marketing was even a necessity in some way)

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‏ @a_yawning_cat Jun 17

in terms of personal application of this philosophy, i like analogies and metaphors that *click* vs "believe in this and eventually Magic will happen, you just have to Believe"

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‏ @a_yawning_cat Jun 17

while the distinction is clear from my own pov, depending on overlap of life experience the analogy may just sound like bs/magic or not make sense this is exacerbated by the presence of individuals who *do* gobble up all sorts of magical explanations

10:56 PM - 17 Jun 2021

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