I caved in after literally, YEARS of peer pressure to read this book. I’m a mid-20s male and of course since it was published 5 years ago, all my other similar-aged male friends have at one point or other caved into picking this book up to learn the secrets of PUAs (pick up artists).
surprisingly there’s a human element to it, but overall it just struck me as a huge waste of time.
so just to kick it off, what are your general impressions of this book? invariably we’ll get to the nitty gritty, that is if anyone in cafe society has even read this book. it’s not the usual science fiction/classic lit/fantasy fare.
(disclaimer: please don’t judge my literacy on this. i’m actually fairly well read. i can not stress how reluctant i was to read this)
I think in MPSIMS there are a few threads about the actual “dating” techniques that Strauss and his guide Mystery use. Those threads don’t go well - most women and many man hate the concept, even though some guys try to argue for the common-sense-ness (?) of the approach given human nature/biology…
I read it…
What parts in specific did you think were a waste of time? The book itself or the pick-up techniques described therein?
The book itself was an interesting read as how all that stuff happened with the group of PUAs all living together and whatnot.
The techniques described for the most part though do work, when implemented properly and confidently, but usually only on the specific subset of females that the PUAs focused on.
I’ll say though that the fundamentals of being a friendly, outgoing and confident conversationalist is pretty much all anyone needs to become infinitely more attracitve to the opposite sex. Anything beyond that only slightly incrementally increases your attractiveness and probably only to a specific subset of the group you’re interested in.
both.
the pick up techniques (to me at least) didn’t revolutionize the art of wooing at all. their particular brand was to use magic tricks and fibs to break the ice. although it probably wouldn’t work with the crowd of girls that i’m particularly interested in, it was pretty much exactly how any normal person would go about it - bring confidence, play to your strengths, and don’t let the rejections hit you personally.
so, if the book was trying to sell itself as a “guide to pick up chicks” it was meh at best.
i think the real purpose of the book was to chronicle this guy’s journey through the PUA community. while it was mildly interesting to learn about this underground online community it was ultimately disappointing. it was really just nerds who dedicated their lives to sneaking kisses etc. i wasn’t particularly interested in the journey. it felt like reading about someone brag about a rather mundane accomplishment.
tucker max is a way better cocksman and has better stories. i wouldn’t read a 400 page book by him either. the occasional blog post, maybe.
Well I personally wouldn’t call it a waste of time, it was at the very least an interesting read, which can’t be said of plenty of other books. So I don’t feel as though my time was wasted, but I’m not in a huge rush to be reading it over and over and over. Once was enough.
So perhaps I’m not the best person to be posting in this thread since I agree with you, to a less hardcore degree admittedly, but it’s still not making for much discussion.
I’m a woman in my mid-40s. I read The Game a few years back and found it very inspirational. I keep recommending it to all my friends. I get blank stares; few people follow my thinking on this one.
Here’s my analysis: no, I don’t think the seduction techniques would work on most women. I think they work on very attractive, insecure women, especially those who are hanging out in a competitive dating environmt (ie the club scene). The whole negging thing would scare me off immediately. I hate mean people. They don’t make me feel insecure and inspire me to seek approval or validation; they inspire me to seek the nearest exit.
But the basic concept is great and very optimistic. Take one thing you want really badly, but which you just feel completely overwhelmed and unable to manage. It seems to be something that a few lucky people get, but not the kind of thing a normal person (ie you) could actually learn to do. In Neil’s case, this is having sex with lots of women he doesn’t actually know. But in your case, it might be making a million dollars, going back to your high school weight, becoming a happy person, developing a fabulous family life, becoming a bush pilot in Alaska … I dunno. Whatever.
Then approach this thing like an experiment. Study the issue, take massive direct action, analyze your results, improve your approach, try again … devote all your free time to it. See how much progress you can make in a year. Talk to other people and get their feedback. In a short period of time, you can multiply your experience by a hundred. Make your million dollars. Or your ten million.
Enjoy life. Have fun. Stop being afraid.