I believe the discussion about the Rich Jerk’s event at the Playboy Mansion is healthy for the Internet Marketing industry.

I’m grateful to have read your point of view, as well as many of the opinions posted on this page.

Thank you for discussing this issue in an open and honest fashion.

Patrick Pretty

I stumbled across this discussion following a thread from the RJ “invite”. I’m amazed at what I’m reading. Not hte post… which I think is excellent… but some of the responses.

I support everybody’s reason for not attending while not in agreement with any of them.
I’m able to do so because I respect our (not just your) right to disagree.

What amazes me, though, is how easy it is to proclaim a high moral ground and then move to judgement and condemnation. My understanding of both Christianity AND Islam is that there is a specific prequalification for casting the first stone.

I agree wholeheartedly with Gary Sparks and wonder why I haven’t heard the “internet marketing community” take a position on not just the things he mentioned but the absurdity of posturing like the “green movement” is progressive when, in a world of staving people, there is support for feeding ‘human food’ to SUVs.

Peace

Josh Anderson already posted a very good synopsis of what transpired yesterday on the Warrior Forum so I won’t bother repeating it. For foru straight pages (over 100 printed pages in PDF) we discussed the marketing used to promote this party, and then we also discussed the charity aspect of the promotion.

Because the thread was taken down, I wanted to take the time to visit your post because it seems to be one of the best places to discuss this in depth without fear of it being removed.

I applaud you for taking a stand! As a female marketer who has been doing this for ten years, I have seen some crazy stuff, but nothing as blatantly offensive as this. Anyone who has supported this, promoted it, or otherwise attached themselves to this should be ashamed to call themselves an Internet Marketer.

The Internet has leveled the playing field for so many people: women, minorities, the disabled…Kelly and his “Internet Marketing Lemmings” as I like to refer to them, have gone about undoing as much of this progress as possible in the shortest amount of time.

I can only hope that the result will be top-name marketers coming out and denouncing this entire thing and hopefully, apologizing for their role in it.

I have a Squidoo lens where we are discussing this, and I have created a “Wall of Fame” for Internet marketers who have refused to support this event and the marketing used to promote it. Paul, you will have the VERY next spot on that “Wall of Fame” and I’m proud to be able to put you there for all to see.

I encourage anyone else who has been impressed by a marketer who has refused to support this, to add their names as well. The link is my name for this comment.

One thing that I think marketers who have supported this need to know: This involvement with something like this, especially the marketing used to promote it, is a slap in the face. When I have my credit card out, or I give a marketer my email address to opt-in to their list, or I’m “playing nice” I’m well-respected. But once the promos for this party started, it was, as I say on my lens, the metaphorical equivalent of being told, “Run along little girl…the grownups are talking now”.

As long as I’m handing out my email address and forking over my credit card number, I’m worthy. But as soon as something as foul and offensive as this comes along, I’m kicked to the curb.

I’m done playing nice…and I’m not afraid of “gurus” and their “cool crowd” where they all slap each other on the back and have a good laugh at stuff like this.

To the marketers who promoted this: You are on notice….by women AND men. Your supposed authority has now been highly questioned, and your credibility is circling the drain. Stand up and say something for yourselves. We deserve much better than this.

The truth is that people like yourself and I and others are not in the minority.

Though Kelly Felix (aka. Rich Jerk) would have us believe that the persona he invented is purely satiricle and harmless and that only “loosers” would be opposed to such filthy language, mistreatment of women, and endorsement of pornography and promisuity…

He is in fact in the minority.

It is bad business to email or blither on publicly about your sexual promiscuity and lack of respect for women, family, and other people in general.

Kelly (aka Rich Jerk) thinks that this is “success” being able to say what he wants and make money doing it.

I have a different definition of success and his behavior has gone from cute to wildly disrespectful in a way that probably would ashame his own mother.

I too am shocked by the public behavior and even language used in forums by those who are attending the event and forgot that speaking perversely about women in forums is not only unacceptable to most rational business people but also will negatively impact their business, reputation, and own clientbase perminately.

I also was shocked when I saw people rationalizing why they should attend such an event and attempting to insult or put others down for standing up and speaking out against such rediculousness.

Embarassing is the way I described it in the warrior forum where it got 3 pages of responses (most in support) and 2000 views in one day before the entire thread was deleted due to the negative reaction toward those who are promoting this garbage and their excuses.

Kelly (aka the Rich Jerk) posted a response himself in the warrior forum to defend against some alligations such as the fact that the “charity” he supposedly is raising funds for was not aware of his event etc.

Unfortunately he did not just post to defend himself against false alligations but he felt it necessary to post “insults” and act in his “character” and use his pen name instead of coming out like a man to address things in reality.

For me the embarassing behavior of those endorsing this event, begging people to send them money to attend it, and those promoting it is a real eye opener.

People, can be led to drop their guard and forget who they are and who their clients are at the drop of the hat simply because they want to feel “cool” and participate in some adolescent fantasy.

I posted a rebuttal to Kelly in the warrior forum without anger or venom but to keep the positive nature of the warrior forum alive both threads the one started by me and the one started by the Rich Jerk were deleted.

There is a time that right minded and rational people who have respect for others stand up and let people know that is appropriate and what is not.

Anyone who does not realize how absolutely idiotic it is to speak this way and promote such things to your client base needs to get their head checked and simply take a poll of their own client base to get their opinion.

I’m sorry we didn’t get to spend more time getting to know one another in Denver this past weekend at Jeff Walker’s event. I just spent a good amount of time reading this comment thread, and I see now that we have many values in common.

I am especially impressed by your civil and clearly-thought-out point of view on this matter.

I think it was helpful for you to state your position. I am sure there are many who have been struggling with this decision. Your well-crafted post may have helped some of those people come to clarity about whether they should attend or not.

I don’t feel your post attacked or belittled anyone else’s belief system. It seems to me it was more of a carefully considered statement about why this event was not right for you. You made it clear that the decision is each person’s to make on their own.

And just for the record: I too am a Christian. I would love to network with my pals at this event. But I can’t square attending an event at the Playboy Mansion with m y beliefs. I certainly couldn’t be very proud of it when trying to explain it to my wife and son. So I’ll have to take a “pass” on this one.

Paul, thanks for your candor and for taking a bit of a risk. I appreciate it.