by Damian
(UK)
I've just started learning Portuguese using the Michel Thomas method. There is a British teacher (I think the course was made after Michel died) but there is a native European Portuguese speaker who enunciates all the words and sentences.
Your point about the "no memorization" being part of a sales pitch I think is a little pedantic and I don't think it accurately reflects what the method really expects of you.
You are stating the obvious when you say that, for something to sink in, it has to be remembered.
I doubt Michel would have argued with you. What the course asks is that you do not make a mental effort to remember by revision and that you do not overly try to make a point of remembering.
That the importance of actually remembering what you've learned was recognised by Michel could be seen in his introductory statements: "Never TRY to remember...because...the RESPONSIBILITY OF REMEMBERING lies with the teaching and not with you; not with the learner"
To borrow your illustration: He's not calling an elephant a donkey; he's calling an it an elephant, but he's saying he's the rider, you're the passenger.
So with the greatest respect, those reading your review should ignore that part of it, as you are introducing stress into the process, which is exactly what the method tries to eliminate.