I know four people who got ripped off by your industry, a while after they had tried to get me involved using your exact same tactics. I'd say they have a very accurate perspective on things.
Four People? That's it?

I know a heckuva lot more people who have been ripped off by this industry than you.
At the same time, I know a heckuva lot of people whose lives have been vastly blessed & enriched by this industry.
It is an industry like any other wherein both good & bad resides, ...like banking, Wall Street or anything else.
When the possibility exists to make large amounts of money, ...it attracts all types, ...both good & bad.
The key is to identify the good, credible companies and viable opportunities that exist, which are many,
and to identify and avoid those that are not... kind of like people. Associate with good people, avoid crooks.
You can't simply say an entire industry is no good. That does nothing to educate the consumer, or teach them how to protect themselves. It's in my opinion the equivalent of locking yourself behind closed doors never daring to venture outside because there are bad people in the world, as opposed to educating yourself and acting wisely.
If you really want to help or assist your fellow man, don't throw roadblocks & obstacles in their path to understanding. These are serious times, and people are losing their jobs, their homes, their pensions, 401K's, savings etc., Many are desperate to recoup their losses. If you think many of these people will not turn to direct sales, MLM and network marketing simply because you disparage it, you're not being very realistic. If you really want to be of service to your fellow human being, don't oppose those who seek to educate them about what constitutes a viable opportunity, otherwise you just make them more vulnerable to the mercy of the real con artists, ponzis and pyramid schemers out there, ...and there are many.
Thankfully, many in the media are finally starting to demonstrate more responsibility in their reporting.
Direct sales (like Avon, Mary Kay)
offer recession-proof jobsBy Charisse Jones, USA TODAYNot long ago, Craig Lapp made his living driving a truck that helped carve Southern California's soil into new developments. But then housing sales slumped, and in November 2007 Lapp's construction company let him go.
While he searched for another job, Lapp began working alongside his wife, Lynne, in a business based in their Temecula home, selling nutritional supplements made by the direct-sales company Isagenix. Nearly two years later and with no construction job in sight, Lapp says a one-time sideline has become the couple's bread and butter...
http://www.usatoday.com/money/industries/retail/2009-05-13-direct-sales-jobs-recession-unemployment_N.htm