Must See: Betting On Zero

 

“From ‘Darfur Now’ writer/director Ted Braun comes a riveting docu-thriller following controversial hedge fund titan Bill Ackman as he puts a billion dollars on the line in his crusade to expose Herbalife as the largest pyramid scheme in history. Herbalife claims Ackman is simply a market manipulator out to make a fortune from short-selling their stock, but Ackman insists Herbalife deliberately targets low-income and immigrant communities and robs them of their life savings. Herbalife is joined on the counterattack by longtime Ackman nemesis (and fellow Wall Street billionaire) Carl Icahn, while Ackman finds an unlikely ally in Chicago activist Julie Contreras, who rallies the Latino community to get the Federal government to intervene. Blending tales of high-stakes corporate intrigue with working-class people caught in the crossfire, Braun paints a stirring picture of the American Dream gone wrong.”

Source: Betting On Zero

Amazing documentary- in a very sad way. Particularly interesting to watch after having spent the last week reading Spencer. In the case of Herbalife or Amway there’s a not particularly well disguised subterfuge, that seems to help people establish that there’s something dubious going on. But consider a whole other level. The biggest fast food company in the world is built on deception. A deception so successful, it’s made them the most successful fast food company in the world. When you think of McDonald’s sandwiches, what images come into your mind? Probably something wonderful like this:

And that’s despite the fact none of their clients has ever, in all history, received anything that looked even remotely like that picture. On the best of days you’ll get this:

They’ve managed to alter reality successfully. Fascinating stuff.