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"Self-made millionaire" Don Lapre

Another currently popular infomercial, Making Money, shows an aversion to substance and plausibility that makes viewing it feel quite similar to watching Pain-Free America, even though it covers an entirely different topic: wealth instead of health. This particular infomercial is the vehicle for the entrepreneurial visions of one Don Lapre, "self-made millionaire," and it is fueled mainly by his super-premium, hi-octane line of salesman's bluster. Assisted by three matching hosts (whose brand of vacuity is so similar it is impossible to tell one from another, even though two are women and one is a man), Don promises to tell all about his top three can't-miss, surefire, money-making secrets.

According to Don, the best ways to get rich in America are, buying and selling, operating a 900 phone number, and running tiny classified ads in newspapers.

These "techniques" beg for detail, of course; saying that "buying and selling" is a good way to make money is sort of like saying that a good way to get pregnant is to have sex. But before Don provides any elaboration about his money-making tips, the program segues into a series of testimonials from satisfied customers. Don, who looks a bit like an '80s version of Potsy Webber, with raised-collar polo shirts and gelled hair, questions his interview subjects about the various entrepreneurial endeavors they've undertaken after ordering his multimedia package (books, cassettes, a video) of how-to sales materials. These testimonials remain remarkably general; no one says anything about any actual work they did. Instead, they simply state how much money they made and how easy it was to do it. In due time, all the standard infomercial themes are parroted. One man says, "You're crazy if you don't try this." Another exclaims, "You couldn't buy it back from me." A third states that it is the best investment he has ever made...