I’ve read and watched and listened to a lot of creepy pickup artist crap over the past few years while writing this blog, but in some ways this little video, from PUA “coach” Julian of Real Social Dynamics, one of the bigger and better known of the commercial “game” marketers, may well be the creepiest. Essentially, Julian provides tips to young men on how to “get” the girl of their dreams by temporarily driving her out of her mind.
No, really: he recommends that men overwhelm their female targets with confusing and contradictory stimuli to throw them so off-balance they’ll reflexively turn to their mental tormenters for support (and, maybe later, reward them with sex). This isn’t pick-up artistry so much as freak-out artistry.
The one thing about this video that is vaguely reassuring is that Julian’s examples of his technique in action are so crude and hamhanded I seriously doubt they’d actually work on anyone “in field,” as the PUAs like to say. What’s not so reassuring is that anyone would actually come up with something this predatory and perverse in the first place. Also, you know that at least a few of the video’s 32,000 viewers have actually tried out this technique on annoyed and bewildered women around the world. The world doesn’t really need any new ways for dudes to be assholes in clubs.
Oh, ye gods, the Overton Window… I had blocked that from my memory for REASONS, Falconer!!!
I don’t think he’d picked it up yet, so I’ll just dust it off.
@Howard: As usual, just click my username for instant brain bleach. There’s a little girl in a sun hat!
And on the swings! Such concentrated adorableness.
RE: Ally
I’m a huge fan of that brand.
It’s so good, isn’t it? I was raised on Velveeta, but can’t abide it anymore.
RE: katz
Oh great, now I’m going to imagine Judith talking like Duff Killigan.
I am so sorry. They say shared pain is lessened…
RE: Good
Does an undercover officer reveal his or herself to his or her target?
Does a virus reveal itself to its target? I think that’s more the metaphor you’re looking for.
RE: sparky
LBT: In your hubby’s mac and cheese recipe, does he put the pepperoni in with the boiling pasta and veggies, or does he add it later
He usually puts it in with the boiling pasta near the very end, to let some of the flavor saturate the stuff around it.
RE: salads
I’m actually a freak of nature; I dislike all forms of lettuce except arugula. It’s so FLAVORLESS! It’s just watery, crunchy chunks of nothing! So when I do make salads, I usually just use arugula/spinach, sun-dried tomatoes, and dressing. (Mac insists that one of these days, he’s going to go all-out and do dried cranberries with goat cheese and a vinaigrette.)
RE: Deranged Counter-Troll
that’s not the kind of environment I personally care to post seriously *or* troll in … Obviously this time was an exception.
Why bother? If you were here so rarely, I doubt anyone missed you. Go have fun off Manboobz.
I really liked Brave, there are so few mother/daughter movies that I found it kinda refreshing.
Re food: Mac and cheese – add panko crumbs (mixed with a bit of parmesan if you want) to the top and cook to golden, sooooo good.
Other food: Warmed brie, granny smith and spinach salad – thinly sliced granny smith and spinach salad, tossed with just a tiny bit of a bright vinaigrette of your choice, heat up some brie to almost melty and put it on top. It’s salad so it’s clearly healthy! If you like, toasted walnuts or other nuts, or dried apricots/raisins can be added, I’ve been told it’s great that way too.
@Alice
Those sound…strange :/ I’ve never had one, but for some reason I dislike the idea of avocado smoothies.
@kittehs
Ack! I’m in the US, but nowhere near LA 🙁 So jelly of all your potential meet-people-ness.
…Did Good just compare PUA’s to undercover officers? Dude, getting laid is not important, and I think usually people are undercover to stop criminals, not have sex.
Okay, little disclaimer in this comment, I’m not sure what’s going on with me but I feel kind of disoriented and dizzy and it’s making me sad. 🙁 It also means I don’t think I’m getting the whole of everyone’s comments, so if I’ve misunderstood you and you’re not good I’m sorry 🙁 This also means the lovely recipe conversation has flown straight over my head.
@kittehs
I love iceberg! It’s my favorite lettuce 😀
@deranged counter troll
Paraphrased: Gosh, you weird people, why are you socializing? And having fun? And talking to each other? You, you heathens! 😛
And posting this before I manage to mess it up somehow, since my brain is fried today.
Oh, also update, I took the last three GEDs, so once I get my essay results back I’ll know if I can have a highschool-fakey-diploma 😀
Clearly PUAs are searching for evidence that some women are committing the crime of not having sex with any man who asks them to do so while at a club. That’s why they need to go undercover. It also explains the hats, goggles, and so on.
(I didn’t say it was a good disguise.)
I’ve got a mac & cheese recipe that involves making a white sauce to melt the cheese into and topping with breadcrumbs, then baking.
It is like a little slice of paradise in my bowl.
I put together a veggie chili yesterday that involved serrano peppers. I had to pull the seeds out and mince the peppers, so my fingers started burning … but they waited until halfway through my first bowl. I worried all evening that the pepper juice was going to rub off on my babies, but I think I washed it all off.
mmm falconer, that sounds like how i make it. I really want to make some right now but we don’t have cheese and I’m not interested in heading down to the store…
Ech. I baked macaroni and cheese once, but I definitely prefer the pot version better.
I had an Almond milkshake about a year ago that was pretty good. I imagine an avocado smoothie as being like that. Less sweet, more nutty.
Mmm. Now I’m hungry for another one.
RE cutting chillies, there was one time when I was making Thai curry and I had a cold and I rubbed my eyes without thinking before I’d had a chance to wash off the chilli juices…don’t ever do that.
Baby-handholding!
Glenn Beck-related catastrophe AVERTED!
And definitely don’t go to the bathroom without washing it off your hands! (Habaneros *shudder*)
Falconer: haven’t said this before, but (as you know) your babies are beautiful. And have some wicked-cheeky grins. I love that one photo where the little guy looks like he’s flashing a gang sign the two of them made up earlier, and his sister is all “TALK TO THE BACK OF THE HEAD ‘CAUSE THE FACE AIN’T LISTENING”.
@howard bannister
Since an almond milkshake actually sounds good I think I’ve got to kick my brain and figure out why I have this negative reaction to avocado smoothies, since I’ve never tried either :p
@cassandrasays
Ouch. I’ve made the mistake of cutting habaneros* without gloves, but luckily didn’t get any in my eyes.
*difference spicy things, similar painy concept? Idk my brain is not on today 🙁
@argenti aertheri
Oh my god, that exact same thing happened to me and it sooooo sucked! 🙁
ps: am I making any sense today? I know I’m repeating myself but I feel really confused, and I’m afraid I’m just stirring shit up and being a general pain in the ass.
RE: Argenti
And definitely don’t go to the bathroom without washing it off your hands! (Habaneros *shudder*)
My junk cringes for you.
Went to the bathroom after cutting the spices without thinking out it? Oh, the painful memories… been there, been there…
An ex of mine did that once, but with Tiger Balm. Again, I wouldn’t advise it.
Okay, I think I’mma have to swing in here and denounce both baked mac & cheese (you make it in a pot, you heathens!) and avocado smoothies (blech!), and also tell you wonderful people about how last week I pickled some various vegetables and stuck some Thai chilies in for flavor, and then a few days ago decided it would be a good idea to eat one of the supposedly-now-pickled Thai chilies.
Dear sweet Christ on a cracker, I just about died.
Habeneros are a type of chili and the spice/ouch factor is therefore caused by the same thing: capsicum. The difference is all in the amount (when it comes to spice, there are totally other flavor differences, though! <3 Chilies <3)
….basically what I am looking for in my chili-eating experience, then. 😀
I love Thai chillies. They do have a flavor, and I’m very fond of it.
Speaking of delicious food, dried cranberries and lightly salted almonds are yummy together!