Pick-up artist
| Part of the series on |
| A baker's dozen on sex |
“”Ooh, are we negging? Let me try!
You look like you're going to spend your life having one epiphany after another, always thinking you've finally figured out what's holding you back, and how you can finally be productive and creative and turn your life around. But nothing will ever change. That cycle of mediocrity isn't due to some obstacle. It's who you are. The thing standing in the way of your dreams is; that the person having them is you. |
| —xkcd, 1027 |
A pick-up artist (PUA) is a man (or very rarely, a woman) who systematically studies ways to hopefully improve their success rate with women,[1] which are very often sleazy and sexist. Pick-up artistry, often referred to as the "seduction community," has developed its own terms and lingo which members use with each other. The claims and goals of the subculture are often controversial, with criticisms ranging from those who think the subculture consists of tasteless assholes to those who are skeptical of the claims made by proponents.
The PUA community likes to make various unproven claims, and there is notable influence from neuro-linguistic programming, self-help, pop evolutionary psychology, misapplication of game theory, and woo ideas (most notably those of Ross Jeffries).[2] Typically in PUA literature a model or protocol is prescribed as a one-size-fits-all method of generating attraction from the opposite sex, falsely assuming that complex human interaction has constant and unchanging "laws" that can be studied and thus exploited to the PUA's advantage. Many have accused the subculture of misogyny[3] and objectification;[4] others see it as no different from any other kind of flirting or attraction.[5]
Contents |
[edit] The Game, braaah!
The Bible of the PUA crowd seems to be Neil Strauss's The Game: Penetrating the Secret Society of Pickup Artists[wp] -- indeed, the book comes bound in leather with gold-leafed pages and a red silk ribbon. 'Mystery,' a PUA profiled in the book, claims "well-chosen props are a great way to focus a girl's attention on something else so she doesn't resist overt sexual moves."[6] Some of Mystery's "advice" for breaking down "last-minute resistance (LMR)" is fairly indistinguishable from date rape, while other techniques such as a "freeze out" truly leave the choice up to the woman.[7][8]
[edit] Common themes and techniques
Many PUA "techniques" are often simply means of emotional manipulation with others crossing into overt sexual harassment. Women whom the PUA wants to "score" with are referred to as "targets" who need to be "isolated," and often rated on their looks or desirability (e.g. on a 1 to 10 scale). Men who apply these techniques frequently and successfully, especially on more attractive women, are perceived to be "alpha"; everyone else is a "beta" or AFC (Average Frustrated Chump, brah), or "Omega" if they give up on sex entirely.
One almost universal meme within the PUA community is the use of "negging,"[9] the "push/pull technique,"[10] or other variants on the old "treat them mean, keep them keen" cliché, in which the PUA uses strategic put-downs and minor insults to entice his prey by undermining her self-confidence and creating tension which he uses to his advantage. You know, like regular relationships.
[edit] So what are they like?
Pick-up artists tend to tell you a story of how they used to fail all the time with attracting women and thought they would never make it. But they discovered their formulas and techniques, and are now willing to share them with you... for a price!
The more honest ones will admit that it's a numbers game; PUAs have a higher success rate by virtue of prowling bars endlessly. Put simply, there is no "knowledge" a PUA could impart at a boot camp or in a DVD that you can't find online for free.
Many men get into pick-up due to social impairments, such as discomfort in normal conversation with people (not necessarily just women), and vice versa. While some unscrupulous purveyors of "game material" can take advantage of this, others genuinely want to see their peers improve and be more happy in their lives. Nevertheless, the community's resolutely anti-social worldview is unlikely to aid healthy communication, while the heavy emphasis on sexual conquests as a measure of social status is liable to reinforce these men's feelings of inadequacy.
[edit] Famous pick-up artists
- David DeAngelo
- Neil Strauss
- Heartiste, formerly known as Rossy[11]
- Mystery[12]
- Richard La Ruina a.k.a. Gambler
- Tucker Max
[edit] See also
- The men's rights movement: There is a partial overlap in fanbases (and a significant overlap in sexist fuckwittery).
- Friendzone
- RationalWiki's very own manosphere glossary
[edit] External links
[edit] Footnotes
- ↑ In all likelihood, a lot of their technique, like "peacocking" (dressing like a looney to get attention) is probably just cargo cult science.
- ↑ http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/1999/jan/11/gender.uk3
- ↑ http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2005/09/25/LVGPHEQA941.DTL
- ↑ http://xkcd.com/1178/
- ↑ http://classic-web.archive.org/web/20061021021508/www.sanfranmag.com/archives/view_story/1306/
- ↑ Confessions of a Playboy, Steve Almond, Los Angeles Times
- ↑ "Guys, I Just Totally Raped This Student Chick!", Dimi Reider, +972 mag
- ↑ If At First You Don't Succeed, Grope Her, Man boobz
- ↑ For example, "Negging Women – 10 Awesome Negs That Work"
- ↑ "Push/Pull" idiocy
- ↑ Prepare to have your faith in civilzation ruined.
- ↑ Mystery, The Pick Up Artist, Cracked.com