On Keith Raniere and NXIVM 1: Matt Bywater, M.Sc. on Keith Raniere
Author(s): Scott Douglas Jacobsen
Publication (Outlet/Website): The Good Men Project
Publication Date (yyyy/mm/dd): 2024/08/28
Matthew Bywater, M.Sc. is a researcher, educator, and activist who has delved into the criminal and rights abuse case of Keith Raniere.
Scott Douglas Jacobsen: I’ve interviewed people in high-IQ communities. You have deeply dived into a particularly troublesome character named Keith Raniere of NXIVM, nicknamed Vanguard. What were some of his worst exploits in your research?
Matthew Bywater: His worst exploits. You have to look at the aftermath of what happened. There were several women in his close inner circle who died of apparent poisoning. Several women were branded with his initials on their pelvic region. Many people were exploited for their money in a kind of pyramid-like structure. All around Keith Raniere, there was mayhem and destruction. That is in terms of the practical consequences of Raniere.
Jacobsen: How did he escape it for so long?
Bywater: People called him the “Teflon Man” because nothing stuck. He was reported to the authorities in the Albany area. It is New York State or whatever the local authorities are, and no action was taken. He also got away with it because of the amount of money he amassed. He successfully brought the Bronfman sisters (heirs to the Seagram liquor company) into the NXIVM cult. After that, he was able to use their finances to litigate all of NXIVM’s defectors and enemies into oblivion. So, how did he get away with it? It was a mixture of governmental negligence and sheer brutality on his part.
Jacobsen: Who do you think were the worst culprits in helping him?
Bywater: Well, that would be his inner circle. In terms of the financial side, without question, it was Clare Bronfman. In terms of recruiting female victims into the sex cult known as DOS, that would arguably have been Alison Mack. Regarding creating the NXIVM company system, the person with the most responsibility or culpability is Nancy Salzman.
Bywater: Yes.
Jacobsen: Was there a similar reaction from others?
Bywater: The short answer is “we do not know” because Nancy Salzman agreed to appear in The Vow documentary TV series, season two. So, all of her waking-up process was captured on film. We are curious if others, like Alison Mack, have undergone a similar process. Just to clarify, Alison Mack pleaded guilty to the sex trafficking charges against her. Claire Bronfman did plead guilty but still refuses to renounce Raniere.
As far as I know, she may still be financing the NXIVM loyalists, of whom there are about 20. If you look at the original NXIVM defectors, every single person who was involved in NXIVM went through that process. you either have a “holy shit, I am in a cult” moment, or you have a “holy shit, I am dealing with a psychopath” moment. This connects to what I said before about having your values and conscience turned against you. Coming to that realization is extremely painful.
Someone I know who was a member of the Moonies said his waking up process was like falling out of a plane, and that is how he experienced it. So that may be the process Nancy Salzman was going through, and that is the process every cult member goes through if they have a conscience. If they lack conscience, then the question arises whether they are merely crying for themselves.
Jacobsen: What happened in Raniere’s mind? Do we know any professional psychologists who can diagnose what is going on in his head?
Bywater: So I do not think a mental health professional has ever diagnosed him. He has now been in prison for two years, almost two years. Perhaps he has been diagnosed in the correctional institution where he is being held. He exhibits the traits of psychopathy or narcissistic personality disorder which in my opinion should be considered as a subset of psychopathy. Predators exist on a spectrum of varying extremities. As far as we know, he was not given the love and attention he needed as a child in his early childhood. Whatever happened, he developed the condition of psychopathy.
However, beyond that, we do not know. We know that his father was generally absent, and he was a very tough salesman. He was not Raniere’s primary caregiver. People who knew his mother said she was very eccentric.
Moreover, later, Raniere said she would make herself sick to punish him. Beyond that, we do not know. It is one of the big mysteries. Something happened to make him into the person he was. Unfortunately, we do not know the specifics.
Raniere is currently in prison. However, there are about 20 people still loyal to him. They are active on social media – you can look up The Dossier Project or whatever handle they are going with now.
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