The reportage about NXIVM has been sloppy at best. The charges thrown at the leader Raniere were a mishmash of racketeering, child pornography and sex trafficking charges with the old favorite mail fraud thrown in for good measure. However most coverage of NXIVM obsesses with abject horror over the BDSM aspect with a particular emphasis on the branding. There was a recent thread in the Lobby about Femdom going mainstream but this case demonstrates that there is still a great deal of antipathy towards BDSM.

Here is the NY Times account of Raniere's sentencing.

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/10/27/nyregion/nxivm-cult-keith-raniere-sentenced.html

After they threw the book at him the prosecutors went after the women in his inner circle, seeing them as being akin to Manson's girls.

NYT links don't work for me because they hit me up for a subscription. I read up on the sentencing though. 120 years! It is hard to even make an objective opinion here because it has been so sensationalized. I intend to watch the HBO series when there is time. But, I have to wonder how much of that is Hollywood verses reality. At the bottom of this, I have to wonder if he just got on someone's sh#t list and this was turned into something it wasn't. But, really, I've no basis to come to that conclusion anymore than believing the guy committed non consensual atrocities. I do hate it when they call everything involving a consenting adult female trafficking.

But, taking out the allegations, which may or may not be credible, of underage women and non consensual activity....and it sounds like kinky people getting their freak on. The world may never know.

I would definitely say the documentary has a point of view but I don’t think that makes it wrong. Raniere is a bad guy. Manipulative predatory and full of shit in general. I don’t see this as being bdsm related at all. The branding was a power and control thing for him. The judge and jury and maybe a few reporters are the only ones who heard all the evidence. The jury finding him guilty on all charges and the judge giving him 120 years says a lot.

The sex and branding stuff got all the media play but that’s just a small part of the story. Nxvim appealed and prayed on people looking for something. People were paying for seminars and I’m guessing that’s as far as many went but his closest followers and true believers went in way deeper resulting in the little group of women that were sexually involved with him and branded. The complicity and guilt of the individual women also charged probably varies. Some I’d guess claimed they were victims and there may be some truth in that but I’m not on top of all the details of each involvement.

Wherever the truth is in this, the guy sounds like a real creepo. If women were truly being held against their will and actually forced to have abortions, that is insanely criminal. Where I struggle with it is if the women at their seminars signed up for a creepy maledom cult, then how can they turn around and claim they were victims? If, of course, they were adults making their own decisions. Do you know how this cult came to be under scrutiny? I plan on watching the HBO series when I have a chance. Right now, I know little more than vague articles and what has been shared here.

I forget how NXVIM came under scrutiny but I think it’s explained in the documentary. I think a high profile mother of a woman involved had a lot to do with but I’m sure there was more. I wouldn’t categorise this as a maledom cult. Plenty of men were devotees of Raniere. I see similarities to Scientology where you go to a seminar or class and some get a lot deeper into it then others. I am no expert on this stuff but I don’t think there are poor people into Scientology who can’t afford to pay their way. Same with NXVIM. I’ll be interested to see what you think after watching the hbo doc.

I'm looking forward to watching it. I'm going to be staying with my mother for a while. She's needing a little help. She loves this type of drama. It will be a nice break from her recent go to, which is Wentworth, a poorly written soap opera about homicidal women in prison and crazy guards. At least, I will get to learn something while my mother is entertained. lol.

I think your mom enjoys it too. Good for you for helping her out.

I watched most of The Vow. By and large I enjoyed it and found it informative but it is someone's creation and has its own perspective which should not be treated as Absolute Truth.

I just finished watching this interview of Nicki Clyne, one of the midlevel players in NXICM (she was married to Allison Mack at one time)and one of the defendants in the civil lawsuit.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4o7EB5mLuDg

WARNING: This is a usually highly political YouTube channel. My intent is not to deflect this thread into a political direction. This time the interviewers only occasionally wander into sociopolitical topics.

I found it interesting. Clyne clearly has her own interests legal and otherwise. She was very defensive yet at times and yes there is some gaslighting but some of her points struck me as having at least partial validity.