Does Our Choice Of Profession Affect Our Worthiness?

[Silhouette]

I used to work for a company that required traveling to California every week. With 2-3 co-workers, I'd fly out of the Salt Lake airport on Sunday night and then return home late Thursday night. The owner of the company I worked for was good LDS and so he always insisted we stay at the local Marriott Hotel in CA. There were two things I could always expect to find in my room when I arrived late every Sunday night: one was a mini-bar, stocked with the finest liquors; and two, in-room streaming blue movies, i.e., porn. This was in the early 1990s when cable porn was a big deal.

After 2-3 months of this traveling one of my co-workers complained about having to stay at Marriott. Apparently he'd been flipping through the channels one night on the TV and came upon porn. The previous occupant of the room had subscribed to the porn channel during his stay and the Front Desk had inadvertently kept it on in the room. So he said to the owner:

"Why can't we stay at Double-Tree, just a mile away? They don't offer in-room streaming porn and I'd feel better about staying there than Marriott."

But the owner said he preferred to support Marriott since the Marriotts were good Mormons.

Marriott Hotels penchant for offering not only in-room porn but mini-bars in their finest hotels all across the world has been the subject of at least one piece of investigative journalism, by the Wall Street Journal, and it was brought up in 2008 when Mitt Romney——a member of the Marriott board——was running for prez.

The point I'm making is, where do you draw the line? (Marriott Hotel, in defense of their practice of offering in-room porn and mini-bars said they needed to do this in order to be competitive.)

And then there are the LDS who made a whole bunch of money on their Google stock during the times when Google was minting new millionaires (and even billionaires) every day. At least 50% of Google searches are for ... guess what? Porn. Somebody clicks on a porn site, the stockholders get paid. Only those good LDS millionaires who were pocketing those Google checks ... well let me put it this way: those checks didn't come with PORN stamped on them. But that is in fact where 50% of the money, or profits, came from.

So personally, I dunno what the answer to this question is.

Wow, I never knew all this about Mariott. Or Mitt Romney either. Didn't know that about Google either. Definitely food for thought.

[bdouglas]

Wow, I never knew all this about Mariott. Or Mitt Romney either. Didn't know that about Google either. Definitely food for thought.

 

In defense of Mitt Romney, he was on the Marriott board (and may still be), but he had very little to do with Marriott Hotels. He was a board member and he got paid, but it wasn't much money. Political opponents were simply trying to find something to go after him with.

[Silhouette]

Makes sense. I guess all's fair in love, war, and political campaigns.

[Bob Crockett]

Thanks, I aim to please.

And yeah, there are only two ways to win at MLM schemes. Be behind the whole thing and exploit the desperate, the gullible, and those as greedy as you are but not quite as bright or not play at all.

It's easy to look down your nose at somebody else's business, and here it is an MLM.   Whereas I think only an idiot would get involved with an MLM, I think the same of people who go to real estate seminars to learn to oppress the poor with foreclosure purchasers.  But, these are lawful businesses and people should be free to choose to get into them.  Freedom in the marketplace helps good businesses thrive.  Moreover, people probably get a lot of psychic benefit from participating in an MLM, much like participating in a religion.   Judge not the fellow Saint in his business.

[bdouglas]

As for MLMs, I have a low opinion of them. I have had family members spend a lot of money chasing the MLM dream, a dream which turns the law of the harvest on its head: "Reap where you have not sowed." They have not only spent countless hours chasing the MLM dream, but they have spent a lot of money, since at least one major MLM requires up front money to participate. In one particular case, it was a member of my extended family who was newly married and had a child and he could not afford this money, but he spent it anyway––and after six months of hard work and more money spent found he'd gotten nowhere with the "dream".

 

I don't know what percentage of people who chase this "dream" actually succeed, but it is a minuscule percentage.

 

On the other hand ... I personally know of one prominent MLM that has done a lot of good in the community, and I also know returning mission presidents, coming home after three years and finding they have no job anymore––well, this MLM has offered a soft landing to many of these returning mission presidents in the way of employment in management.

 

So, as with my previous post, I dunno. It's complicated.

Edited November 14, 2014 by bdouglas

[The Nehor]

It's easy to look down your nose at somebody else's business, and here it is an MLM.   Whereas I think only an idiot would get involved with an MLM, I think the same of people who go to real estate seminars to learn to oppress the poor with foreclosure purchasers.  But, these are lawful businesses and people should be free to choose to get into them.  Freedom in the marketplace helps good businesses thrive.  Moreover, people probably get a lot of psychic benefit from participating in an MLM, much like participating in a religion.   Judge not the fellow Saint in his business.

They are legally free to do so. I still think the people administering them are going to have to answer to God for doing so unless there are some serious mitigating circumstances (abject stupidity maybe?)

And psychic benefit? Seriously? Most people are enthused about them and positively throw time and money at them and get.....nothing. Most realize they have been had and are angry at those who used them and at themselves for falling for it. Those are the lucky ones. The unlucky ones are like gambling addicts convinced their big break is coming.

I do not limit my disdain to MLM schemes. I think the same of payday lenders, slumlords who violate rental codes and exploit the desperate, and other industries that provide nothing or less then they offer. I would personally feel better owning a strip club or a porn video store then I would an MLM. At least with the former I am upfront about what I sell and am actually selling it.

So no, I am going to judge my fellow saints who go into such businesses. It says something about your character if you are involved in these kinds of business. It is exploitation. The only difference between that and slave trading is the degree of exploitation.

[strappinglad]

I participated in an MLM scheme for 30 years. I recruited eager and willing folks to invest a lot of time, mental energy, and money into an endeavor which I knew that only a small percentage would ever benefit from .I confess than there were pangs of conscience when some would cry and ask when and if they were ever going to reap the rewards of their efforts. It is sad that my scheme was approved and encouraged by all levels of government .

I taught algebra.

[The Nehor]

I participated in an MLM scheme for 30 years. I recruited eager and willing folks to invest a lot of time, mental energy, and money into an endeavor which I knew that only a small percentage would ever benefit from .I confess than there were pangs of conscience when some would cry and ask when and if they were ever going to reap the rewards of their efforts. It is sad that my scheme was approved and encouraged by all levels of government .I taught algebra.

Well, I am heating up some tar. Anyone have spare feathers?

[Robert F. Smith]

Some people tell me that a black jack dealer in Vegas can't get a temple recommend (don't know if that is or was true, and I don't know any black jack dealers), while the accountants in the executive suite upstairs (where they keep track of the money) can easily qualify for a temple recommend.  Is that true?  If so, what does it mean?

 

How about the slot machine repairman?  Can he get a recommend?

How about the Las Vegas showgirls?  Can they get recommends?  O.K., probably not, but what about the girl who gets sawed in half by the Amazing Randi?

[omni]

Some people tell me that a black jack dealer in Vegas can't get a temple recommend (don't know if that is or was true, and I don't know any black jack dealers), while the accountants in the executive suite upstairs (where they keep track of the money) can easily qualify for a temple recommend. Is that true? If so, what does it mean?

How about the slot machine repairman? Can he get a recommend?

How about the Las Vegas showgirls? Can they get recommends? O.K., probably not, but what about the girl who gets sawed in half by the Amazing Randi?

I've read articles (can't remember where, so don't CFR me) about casino owners who have temple recommends.

[KevinG]

All I have to add is this.  Unlike Living Scriptures and most Lawyers, at least a prostitute delivers something of value for their pay.