Equal Money System, political agenda of a cult

Ivan Rauscher

 [note: Since July 2013, Desteni's Equal Money System has been superseded by Living Income Guaranteed.]

Desteni video descriptions state ‘The Equal Money system will be a first step in the political agenda of the Equal Life Party worldwide once we start participating in democratic elections.’

There is no Equal Life Party. Apparently to get the ‘equal money system’ (EMS) started, unpaid volunteers make promotional webpages, but avoid publicising EMS any further afield. Except for Facebook and YouTube, they refuse to spread their message via the mainstream or alternative media, and they do not hold public meetings. 

Donations are solicited on the Desteni website to help them ‘get into politics and government’, yet they denounce charity as evil. They are opposed to capitalism but run a Multi-Level-Marketing scheme. They call EMS radical freedom but say freedom of expression leads to abuse. EMS is envisaged as coming into being after the Basic Income Grant (BIG) campaign has been proven successful world-wide, yet Desteni are not involved in the BIG campaign. They say they want to get into government by democratic means because they don't trust humanity.

Blogs and videos using the EMS slogan reiterate the well-known idea that inequality, crime, poverty and starvation are often related to the divide between rich and poor. They depict an imaginary society where equality is re-defined by Desteni. The global administration of the EMS is said to be able to provide a life-long guaranteed income for each citizen. It is supposed to micro-chip and monitor humans against abuse, negate all forms of trade and the need for individuals to have to work for more than four years.  

It is said EMS will be the result of at least 50% of citizens voting for ‘Equal Life Party’ in global democratic elections that will miraculously take place after the collapse of capitalism. How supporters of EMS, called the Destonians know this is not explained, but it is in keeping with a view they have of themselves as possessing all-knowing power and knowledge, as displayed on their Equalitee t-shirts where they name themselves after super-hero comic book characters, the Guardians of the Universe.

To the Destonians, the rest of the population are all poor unfortunate brainwashed victims of consumer capitalism and need to be told what is ‘best for all’. They depict non-Destonians as afraid of equality and ‘protecting the current system of abuse’. The Destonians have no conception of political or social ideas beyond the EMS but want to dictate how the whole world should be policed as one all-encompassing authoritarian system. As bizarre as it seems, they describe global implementation of their EMS as not only the inevitable future of the world, but run by the people for the people in strict accordance with information published by the Desteni group of South Africa.

No independent source has ever cited EMS as a worthwhile political idea. The reputation it has is that it is a scam. Almost everyone who's heard of it can see it's a scam, except for some reason the Destonians. But that's the way of cults. Desteni is widely regarded as a potentially destructive cult with anti-democratic policies, a ridiculous, nonsensical philosophy and a very amateur mode of presentation.

Their Faceworldfaceoff campaign, said to ‘actually have an Effect in the World that will have an Economic Effect on the Corpus of the Economic Structure of the World’ and with the purpose of convincing at least 100 million people to shave their heads ‘for equality’ has fizzled out. And despite having released several 1000s of videos and reams of written material since 2007, Desteni still has no more than around 100 active participants world-wide. 

The group is described as exploring principles of equality and oneness but is blatantly sectarian. EMS is against free choice, privacy, freedom of speech and information, and opposed to trade and commerce. EMS would be a one-party rule, which would mean no democracy. It is as though the Destonians are nationalists defending the purity of the virtual totalitarian nation-state of Destonia. 

They say critics of EMS have not ‘done the research’, even when it is clear they have researched EMS and Desteni, and even if they state they do not support capitalism. The Destonians claim if someone disagrees with EMS then it is because EMS is a ‘threat to the current system’. There is no evidence of EMS having threatened anyone's financial or personal security, or any corporate consumer interests whatsoever. 

Despite the fact that equality as a principle is meant to be applied without pre-conditions as a basic democratic human right, the Destonians say the only way anyone can prove themselves worthy of equality is by utilising ‘the tools’ of Desteni-branded media. Yet the principle of equality is an established part of developing ongoing social, legal and political situations and everyone is supposed to be worthy of it regardless. That is the whole idea of equality. 

But the Destonians regard all human beings as evil and possessed by ‘mind demons’. In discussing what would be the outcome if you do not support EMS, they suggest that to avoid having to go through the hassle of an intervention by psychology professionals to have you rehabilitated for not co-operating with EMS in the future, then for your own sake you should investigate EMS now. When the Destonians recommend people ‘investigate EMS’ what they mean is: read the material, watch the videos and join Desteni.

The actual premise for EMS in the first place is Bernard Poolman's stories about how he encountered demons, famous dead people and other entities in dimensions of ‘mind consciousness systems’ designed by ‘a race of beings called the Annunaki’ that also happened to have designed human beings. With the help of Poolman's chosen Portal, heaven was purified, so it is now time to bring the purified heaven to earth with EMS and make everyone a millionaire.

The stated aim of all Desteni-oriented activities is to dedicate one's life to deleting ‘the mind’ through ‘self-forgiveness’. That is what they say will bring about world equality and the ‘heaven on earth’ of EMS. The implementation of the political agenda of the Desteni group ‘as it currently exist’ involves selling holidays and the online promotion and sale of products inspired by Bernard Poolman’s demented fantasies.

Equal Money System: spreading the FAQ?

Ivan Rauscher

[note: Since July 2013, Desteni's Equal Money System has been superseded by Living Income Guaranteed.]

In one of his videos on 'equal money system' (EMS), called Media and spreading the message of equality - Equal Money FAQ, Bernard Poolman says Desteni don't 'use the media like television' because they can't afford it. As if they'd have to pay for advertising airtime. Social and political campaigns are given free airtime on the radio and TV every day of the week. None of it costs them any money whatsoever. And they have articles written about them in newspapers and magazines.

Sending out a press release costs nothing. If EMS can bring about 'equality for all', why aren't Desteni approaching the radio, TV and print news media to spread their message? They could hold a press conference. Members of Desteni could also promote EMS through the alternative media, for example, indymedia, Democracy Now! or AlterNet. There are hundreds more such outlets for free discussion, specifically on the issues of equality. All of them could be informed of EMS.

Why don't they try to gain support from well-known critics of social inequality, such as Max Keiser, Michael Moore or Naomi Klein? They could contact Richard Wilkinson and Kate Pickett, co-founders of The Equality Trust and authors of The Spirit Level: Why Equality is Better for Everyone.

If Desteni are standing up for world equality, why don't they speak with the public face-to-face, in the street or door-to-door? Why not hold public meetings or lectures? Why not take the idea of EMS to political parties or governments to gain their support? Why don't Desteni host a book launch to promote their series of Equal Money books and get reviewed on Amazon or by political bloggers or in any other publications? All these things can be done with very little or no money.

But the Desteni core group in South Africa are not interested in getting involved in politics or changing society. They do not want to communicate with the mainstream or alternative media, the general public or with governments. They do not wish to co-operate, discuss or debate with any other groups or individuals concerned with issues of equality. They just want people to send them money.

Destonians are selling their wares, apparently as a form of online entertainment. They are v-logging and blogging about their personal lives and 'self-forgiveness'. In supposedly answering Frequently Asked Questions about EMS, they present fantasies about an imaginary future world. Any outsider who asks questions without agreeing with them is banned (they have banned well over 2000 YouTube channels). They try to discuss news items only to say: 'join Desteni'. They indulge in self-help mumbo jumbo which claims to be an antidote to the failures of capitalism, but in doing so they are only supporting the social capitalistic status quo.

They are promoting EMS to sell the Desteni I Process, which they describe as a 'lifestyle product' for 'self-development' and 'leadership'. They offer affiliate programs and commissions. That is internet sales, business as usual in capitalism. But they lack ambition. They confine themselves to a small corner of the internet, where they carry out an obscure marketing strategy which goes no further than targeting potential passive consumers on YouTube, Facebook and their own web forums.

Desteni are deliberately avoiding spreading their so-called 'message of equality'. They don't want to speak to the press. They don't want a wider audience. This is because Bernard Poolman is fully aware that the Desteni Equal Money System is an obvious scam and therefore he has to make sure it remains under the radar as much as possible.

The Desteni group has been exposed several times over as a dangerous cult by newspaper journalists, ex-Scientologists, atheists, ex-Jehovah's Witnesses, Christians, skeptics, members of the Zeitgeist Movement and the Anonymous group, comedians, Marxists, anti-Communists, anti-fascists, New Agers, YouTubers, anarchists, conspiracy theorists, free market libertarians, critics of conspiracy theories, cult experts; all kinds of social, spiritual or political commentators and the general public. They have been rejected by Wikipedia, violated copyright of Apple Inc, and banned by the web hosting company, Hetzner, as well as both YouTube and Vimeo. Any doubts or questions as to Desteni being a cult and its 'equal money system' a scam have already been resolved.

Bernard Poolman knows that if Equal Money System and the real questions surrounding it are publicised any more than at present, then his Desteni gang will risk further exposure as a money-grabbing, destructive cult, and much more than ever before, by people with far greater influence than any of their previous critics. He can't afford that.