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Victor Baranco Biography
Key Takeaways
- Victor was a street-thug who changed himself to become a successful appliance salesman later, according to Marco Beneteau, founder of Authentic Singles. A 1971 Rolling Stone investigation describes him as “former used car salesman and ‘peddler of phoney jewellery’”. He is also termed as a "Marine, bouncer, and mob enforcer". He was also with the Marine Corps earlier and was leading a good life with Suzie, his first wife.
- With the fame and gifts received through his teachings, Victor bought a house in Oakland and started a commune called ‘Oakland Morehouse’. Later on, he was given a 17-acre land in Lafayette, CA where he started ‘Lafayette Morehouse’ in 1968.
- While there is a lot of criticism around him, Victor Baranco termed his philosophy as "responsible hedonism". He was involved in several lawsuits against him and lost all of those. Since decades, Lafayette Morehouse is being looked at suspiciously by the surrounding community and termed as 'sex-cult', often giving rise to rumors.
- Victor Baranco passed away in 2002 at the age of 68. Post his death, the 23-acre Lafayette Morehouse is taken care of by his second wife Cindy Baranco.
Introduction
The research throws light on different phases of the life of Victor Baranco, the founder of Lafayette Morehouse. It covers his early days, founding of Lafayette Morehouse, his success and criticism. and his demise.
Early Days in Victor Baranco's Life
- Victor Baranco was born to Wilbert Baranco, a black father and a Jewish mother in 1934. His parents were well-known musicians in Oakland, CA, where they lived during his childhood. While his father was a jazz artist, both his parents were magnificently obsessed with music, according to him.
- His parents did take good care of him, however, their attention would always get drawn back to music until their death. Their marriage lasted for 51 years during which they got married and divorced twice. Victor termed their marriage as “the world’s most miserable” one and believed that it was the obsession of music that kept them together.
- Victor was a street-thug who changed himself to become a successful appliance salesman later, according to Marco Beneteau, founder of Authentic Singles. A 1971 Rolling Stone investigation describes him as “former used car salesman and ‘peddler of phoney jewellery’”. He is also termed as a "Marine, bouncer, and mob enforcer". He was also with the Marine Corps earlier and was leading a good life with Suzie, his first wife.
- He had supposedly found a gift in himself for therapy and human transformation after participating in CIA-sponsored LSD experiments.
Founding Lafayette-Morehouse
- Victor’s first wife Suzie was frigid and they went on to consult several doctors and psychiatrists about her condition but without any success. Victor didn’t quit and pursued the matter so far that Suzie used to become orgasmic for a long time of up to three hours.
- With the fame and gifts received through his teachings, Victor bought a house in Oakland and started a commune called ‘Oakland Morehouse’. Later on, he was given a 17-acre land in Lafayette, CA where he started ‘Lafayette Morehouse’ in 1968.
- Although Victor was content with his life, he wasn't obsessed with anything. In his words, "he had that flash to perfection" one day and then the whole thing started to look fascinating. With the philosophy of the idea of perfection, he created the Morehouse. According to the website, it is based on a belief that "you are perfect, that the world is perfect and that you are totally responsible for your life."
- Lafayette-Morehouse describes itself as a "private educational research institution which is open to people of all ages, backgrounds and points of view". In addition to Oakland and Lafayette, there are a couple of more Morehouses in operation in Oahu, Hawaii and Atlanta.
- Victor's life lacked the “magnificent obsession” with anything, be it a sport or a business, until he met Cindy, his second wife at the age of 42.
Victor Baranco's Success and Criticism
- In 1977, More University was established in California by Victor Baranco. It was an accredited institution operational for almost 20 years providing degrees in humanities and Ph.D.s in Sensuality or Lifestyles.
- Victor's concepts and techniques around "group living, communication, sensuality, man-woman relationship" are considered to be as powerful and relevant enough today as those used to be a few decades years ago.
- While there is a lot of criticism around him, Victor Baranco termed his philosophy as "responsible hedonism". He was involved in several lawsuits against him and lost all of those. Since decades, Lafayette Morehouse is being looked at suspiciously by the surrounding community and termed as 'sex-cult', often giving rise to rumors.
- In 'Mindfuckers', a book by David Dalton, Victor Baranco is one of the three persons covered to showcase how they made it big by controlling the minds of the people. However, Marco Beneteau, founder of Authentic Singles has criticised the author saying Victor Baranco was not a psychotic criminal but a guru who positively impacted thousands of people and inspired a generation of sexual educators, including Marco.
- The practice of paying full attention to woman's pleasure and extending the orgasm, pioneered by Victor, was a main reason for his success and he was able to influence a number of followers with it. The same technique is being used by Nicole Daedone, OneTaste in her meditation programs. The other notable former students of Lafayette Morehouse include Bob and Leah Schwartz, Regena Thomashauer, Steve and Vera Bodansky, to name a few.
Victor Baranco's Demise
- Victor Baranco passed away in 2002 at the age of 68. Post his death, the 23-acre Lafayette Morehouse is taken care of by his second wife Cindy Baranco.
- At present, the Morehouse provides Basic and Advanced courses in Relationship and Sensuality.
Research Strategy
To provide this research, we started with Lafayette Morehouse, and covered several news articles such as one by The Telegraph, Ranker, and referred to the writings of relationship experts including Marco, who had interacted with Victor Baranco in the past. We also referred to the interviews and videos as available on Lafayette Morehouse website and its YouTube channel.