It's also at the Rick Ross site, but the Internet Archive has an audio clip of Werner Erhard on The Today Show with Barbara Walters in 1976:

[www.archive.org]

She questions him about where the money goes, even back then, and his answer is obtuse, to say the least.

Go there if you like, vote a "One Star Rating", and post up a funny interesting comment.

It will sure piss off all the devoted ESTmark followers!

Wow. It constantly amazes me that people can keep on digging up this gold on Werner Erhard.

How much more is there just waiting to be found?

John

Yuck.

Double yuck.


In 1976 Werner Erhard was at the top of his game, literally and figuratively. He must have been well and truly stunned at his own power over people and ability to persuade them that all his cockamamie bullshit was worth paying for. He must have, at some point, started believing his own lies -- though it was a brief honeymoon before reality (the real one) hit him in the face. But in 1976 he was riding a crest of adoration and the $$$ was flowing in. He had educated professionals singing his praises. He is obviously still tap-dancing to his own tune in this clip, and laughing all the way to the bank.

I greatly admire those who saw though this cr*pola in the beginning, those like Jesse Kornbluth and Mark Brewer. For a while, in the 70s, Werner and his pals thought they could control the criticism. Hahahaha...




Ellen

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elena
Yuck.

Double yuck.


In 1976 Werner Erhard was at the top of his game, literally and figuratively. He must have been well and truly stunned at his own power over people and ability to persuade them that all his cockamamie bullshit was worth paying for. He must have, at some point, started believing his own lies -- though it was a brief honeymoon before reality (the real one) hit him in the face. But in 1976 he was riding a crest of adoration and the $$$ was flowing in. He had educated professionals singing his praises. He is obviously still tap-dancing to his own tune in this clip, and laughing all the way to the bank.

I greatly admire those who saw though this cr*pola in the beginning, those like Jesse Kornbluth and Mark Brewer. For a while, in the 70s, Werner and his pals thought they could control the criticism. Hahahaha...

Ellen

That is pretty much accurate. I went to my first est Guest Seminar in 1974 led by Stewart Emery (first est Trainer.) Afterwards Werner came up on stage and was greeted with wildely enthusiastic response by the est Graduates and assistants. He shrugged it off a bit as being too much. That response wouldn't last long :)

I think the most revealing piece of dialogue in this interview is when 'Werner' says the following...

"The truth is Barbara that sixteen years ago I left my family..."

Wow. What a man (not). Ever hear of a thing called responsibility and committment Jack?

He may be rich, but he is lost.

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Madshus
I think the most revealing piece of dialogue in this interview is when 'Werner' says the following...

"The truth is Barbara that sixteen years ago I left my family..."

Wow. What a man (not). Ever hear of a thing called responsibility and committment Jack?

He may be rich, but he is lost.

Lost? He's a sociopath. He'll never feel any pain because of this. If he does suffer somewhat at the ignominy, he'll rationalize his way out of if the way Rummy did by "explaining" that the war in Iraq was too complex for ordinary people to understand. Sociopaths don't care how much they hurt other people. They think the "victims" deserve it.

Love that spin...

"I left my family," as though that covers it -- the partying after-hours, the playing around, the running off with some chickie who knew he had a wife and four kids at home. And never, ever (even he admits this) sending the woman a dime, even when he could afford to.

Lots of people divorce. Lots of people realize their kids are better off with them not married to each other. Lots of people can't stay in a marriage but they find ways to take care of their kids. Lots of people do bad things to each other but when they drag kids into the mix, well, it's a whole 'nother story and "I left my family" doesn't quite cover it.


Ellen

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elena

Love that spin...

"I left my family," as though that covers it...

Ellen

The other sad portion of the dialogue at that moment of the interview is when he basically tries to say that after leaving he was the one that was at risk in that his 'mother was strong' and that he had an uncle who was a policeman or similiar and basically says others were out to get him... he wasn't at risk because of them - he was at risk because of his own personal actions!! His denial of this basic fact is hilarious!!! He goes and commits the act of abandonment, and then acts like a dirty deed is being done to him, not by him.

I can't believe after all these years some other psycho out in the world who was duped or used by Jack Rosenberg hasn't caught up with him and given him a good whipping of sorts! lol

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I can't believe after all these years some other psycho out in the world who was duped or used by Jack Rosenberg hasn't caught up with him and given him a good whipping of sorts! lol

Just imagine, a Darren Mack vs. Werner Erhard claymation celebrity deathmatch showdown!

Good point...

Between his "family" trying to capture him at the beginning and the scientologists pursuing him at the end, he makes it out that he's the ~victim~ which, according to Landmark/est dogma, is a BIG no-no. I wonder how his insiders reconciled this with their "official" stance?

What he did and does fail to recognize is that he WAS the victim all along -- the victim of his own bad character, nasty-assed cruelty, and relish at the idea of getting rich off the gullibility of others. And though he well may be sitting around on the Cayman Islands smoking his big cigars, he can't be thrilled at the slimey reputation he left behind. That's probably why the push to rehabilitate his "image." Hey, it'll probably work with all his faithful followers. They'll believe anything.



Ellen

What I would like to see ....

A series of "Survivor" with contestants from the Landmark and Scientology camps battling for survival against the external forces of reality.

Now THAT would be entertaining!

John