As I mentioned many moons ago, I intend to go over Douglas Rushkoff's book Life Incorporated, piece-by-piece. I'm a little behind where I intended to be, but it's not like his ideas or observations are going to be outdated any time soon. An examination of chapter two of his book makes this fact very clear.

The second chapter is one to use as a rallying cry for anyone opposed to predatory practices of certain marketing schemes. Rushkoff introduces us to people whose credit and equity have all but dried up, but who quickly charge up their credit cards trying to buy "systems" to make themselves wealthy. The irony that many of the people sitting and listening to seminars on how to take advantage of the failing housing market are people who are in danger of losing their homes because of these same marketing and speculative tactics is not lost on Rushkoff. The psychology of the sell that these human infomercials spit out is a clear indication of the sickening nature that marketing in America has taken just so people can make a quick buck.

I remember a commercial on television once (I forget what it was for), which parodied those late night infomercials about making money almost in your sleep. The slick guy in the chair looks at the camera and proclaims "Just send $50.00 for my book 'How to Get People to Send You $50.00 for a Book.'" It's funny, but sad at the same time, since this truly is what quick buck marketing does. And the Internet has made it worse.

It's not just the Internet though. Even business books are getting ridiculous. Books that are supposed to be about creating start-ups or micro-ISV's or getting out in the world of consulting end up being nothing more than a book filled with common sense material and pages of interviews with already successful business people (who seem to be selling a product that relates to improving your business). If I didn't know any better I'd say that the interviewee paid for being interviewed so they could hock their product or service. It's a sad, sad thing. And I'm not even talking about the so-called business books in the "start your own business" section of the bookstore. I'm taking about the real business section and even the technology section (books published by O'Reilly and Apress).

A friend of mine once got involved with Primerica. Since he was my friend, I was obligated to help him out by sitting in on a meeting. The man in charged asked me if I knew anything about the program. I jokingly told him I heard it was a pyramid scheme. He was slightly offended, but took it in good humor. During his speech he went on about the program telling about how people make money (at one point even drawing a pyramid on the blackboard. Hmm...). He then made sure to mention that people don't get paid for bringing others into the program because that! (he exclaimed coming over to me) would be a pyramid scheme. I'm sorry, but if you have to explain to me how your program is not a pyramid scheme; guess what? It's a pyramid scheme - no matter what the law defines. Luckily my friend only got suckered into investing into one of their life insurance policies. He soon got out of the whole game very quickly.

It is indeed a sad state of corporatism that we see in America every day; and the economic crisis seems to have done little to affect the corporations' actions or the actions of those using squeeze marketing tactics to prey on peoples' dreams. People need to realize that there aren't any get-rich-quick ventures - just get-rich-quick programs designed simply to abscond with your money; and chances are, the people making money off of you never made any money off of the very program that they're selling. It's all in the sell - not the substance.

I emailed Rushkoff recently about these same points and he concurred, concluding that:

"The people making money in business today are the people telling others how to make money - mostly through marketing."

"It's end stage capitalism. Truly end stage."