This post feels like a sales pitch to me: low on content, big on “create happy feelings about X.” (in this case, X being PUA) I’ll try to reserve judgement on future posts along this line, but the transition of a personal testimonial on rationality (to relate to members, if it is a pitch) to a personal testimonial on PUA (the idea to be sold, again, if it is a pitch) sets off my “set up” alarms.
That seems like a good reason for alarm bells to go off.
That’s an interesting thing you pointed out—I can now see really clearly how much this post fits the form you describe, which I very much failed to think of before.
FWIW (if this were a sales pitch, would I just say the same thing?) it seems that I’ve seen a few new things about human psychology, and I wanted to emphasize the giants on whose shoulders I’m standing, as it were. [edit: removed endorsement of someone who’s since tanked their reputation.]
As for PUA in general, I’m actually only a little familiar with other material. Much of it seems kind of deceptive, but if people improve their lives with it and use it for good purposes, I support that. [in the 6 years since writing, just about anything good has stopped calling itself PUA. Mark Manson—who does not identify with PUA—well represents my past and current views.]
Which isn’t to say that selling something is bad per se: many things require being sold to one degree or another. I just tend to be wary of speech that seems generated to persuade with as little content as possible.
This post feels like a sales pitch to me: low on content, big on “create happy feelings about X.” (in this case, X being PUA) I’ll try to reserve judgement on future posts along this line, but the transition of a personal testimonial on rationality (to relate to members, if it is a pitch) to a personal testimonial on PUA (the idea to be sold, again, if it is a pitch) sets off my “set up” alarms.
That seems like a good reason for alarm bells to go off.
That’s an interesting thing you pointed out—I can now see really clearly how much this post fits the form you describe, which I very much failed to think of before.
FWIW (if this were a sales pitch, would I just say the same thing?) it seems that I’ve seen a few new things about human psychology, and I wanted to emphasize the giants on whose shoulders I’m standing, as it were. [edit: removed endorsement of someone who’s since tanked their reputation.]
As for PUA in general, I’m actually only a little familiar with other material. Much of it seems kind of deceptive, but if people improve their lives with it and use it for good purposes, I support that. [in the 6 years since writing, just about anything good has stopped calling itself PUA. Mark Manson—who does not identify with PUA—well represents my past and current views.]
In general, once the question of whether or not you are selling something is in play, it becomes an “I suppose you could just raise your right hand.” situation.
Which isn’t to say that selling something is bad per se: many things require being sold to one degree or another. I just tend to be wary of speech that seems generated to persuade with as little content as possible.
True