Introduction To Epicurean Philosophy

By Roosh

PREVIOUSLY: INTRODUCTION TO BUDDHISM

For my second trip to South America I put 30 books in a duffel bag. One of them was The Essential Epicurus, a collection of works by the Greek philosopher. From Epicurus.net:

Epicurus (341–270 B.C.) founded one of the major philosophies of ancient Greece, helping to lay the intellectual foundations for modern science and for secular individualism. Many aspects of his thought are still highly relevant some twenty-three centuries after they were first taught in his school in Athens, called “the Garden.”

Epicurus’s philosophy combines a physics based on an atomistic materialism with a rational hedonistic ethics that emphasizes moderation of desires and cultivation of friendships. His world-view is an optimistic one that stresses that philosophy can liberate one from fears of death and the supernatural, and can teach us how to find happiness in almost any situation. His practical insights into human psychology, as well as his science-friendly world-view, gives Epicureanism great contemporary significance as well as a venerable role in the intellectual development of Western Civilization.

While reading the book I’ll admit that I dozed off while going through his explanations on clouds…

Clouds may be produced and take shape as the result of the compression of air by the forcing together of winds and as the result of the interlacing of atoms that grip one another and are suitable to bringing about this result…

earthquakes…

Earthquakes may result both from the imprisonment of wind inside the earth, and from the earth’s shifting in small masses and its constant movement, which produces the quaking.

and falling stars…

What are called falling stars may be produced partly by the stars’ rubbing against each other and by the falling out of their fragments where a blast of wind occurs…

But I stuck in there and was rewarded in the end was very nice quotes that do provide a blueprint for living. Here are my favorites:

The man who alleges that he is not yet ready for philosophy or that the time for it has passed him by, is like the man who says that he is either too young or too old for happiness.

For there is nothing dreadful in life for the man who has truly comprehended that there is nothing terrible in not living.

Becoming accustomed, therefore, to simple and not luxurious fare is productive of health and makes humankind resolved to perform the necessary business of life.

[The wise man] thinks that it is preferable to remain prudent and suffer ill fortune than to enjoy good luck while acting foolishly.

No pleasure is evil in itself; but the means of obtaining some pleasures bring in theire wake troubles many times greater than the pleasures.

If every pleasure were [maximized] and existed for a long time throughout the entire organism of its most important parts, pleasures would never differ from one another.

Of all the things that wisdom provides for living one’s entire life in happiness, the greatest by far is the possession of friendship.

We do not need the help of our friends so much as the confidence that our friends will help us.

Speaking frankly, I would prefer, when discoursing on nature, to utter useful things, like oracles, to humankind, even if no one should understand them, than to agree with popular opinion and enjoy the constant accolades offered by the crowd.

Some men spend their whole life furnishing for themselves the things proper to life without relaizing that at our birth each of us was poured a mortal brew to drink.

The voice of the flesh cries, “Keep me from hunger, thirst, and cold!” The man who has these sureties and who expects he always will would rival even Zeus for happiness.

The wise man who has accustomed himself to the bare necessities knows how to give rather than to receive. So great is the treasure house of self-sufficiency he has discovered.

There is also a limit to frugality. The man unable to consider this suffers a similar end as the man who indulges in excess.

You ought to do nothing in your life that will make you afraid if it becomes known to your neighbor.

The following method of inquiry must be applied to every desire: What will happen to me if what I long for is accomplished? What will happen if it is not accomplished?

If the gods listened to the prayer of men, all human-kind would quickly perish since they constantly pray for many evils to befall one another.

No fool is satisfied with what he has, but instead grieves for what he does not possess.

He who is not satisfied with a little, is satisfied with nothing.

Know that what passes for good and evil among the throng if ephermeral, and that wisdom shares nothing in common with fortune.

Many men who acquire wealth do not find deliverance from evils but an exchange of their present evils for greater ones.

My take on his philosophy: peace of mind and confidence can only come from knowledge based on facts, and it’s the prudent application of knowledge that leads to a happy, social life where being poor but wise is preferable to being rich and lucky.

You can read his works for free at Epicurus.net.

Flashback: Working For The Man

By Roosh

When I had a job a couple years ago I was asked by my little cousins to give a speech at their career day:

I talked to 3rd graders first and was very impressed with their zombie-like state. Even though they probably didn’t care about what I was saying, they appeared to be paying close attention. They stared at the front of the class while remaining completely still. They obediently raised their hands when I asked for participation, and no one spoke unless I called on them. They read questions from a worksheet given out by the teacher.

The environment was robbing them of creativity and spontaneous excitement. Whenever a kid got distracted and started doodling or going through things in his desk, the teacher interrupted me to snap at him. This happened even more in the 1st grade class because they were not fully “trained.” I felt bad for them. They were being ordered around like soldiers.

I have overcome the brainwashing of public schooling and my mom’s constant nagging to do what I’m doing today, which if you’re reading this on Sunday afternoon is riding an eight-hour bus.

In the next post I share my tips for making it through a day at the office.

Put your back to your cubicle entrance and practice falling asleep with one hand on the keyboard and the other on the mouse. (Make sure you have a work-related document open on the screen.) This is easy to do if you have a chair that has a high back. There are two things to watch out for: (1) Your screensaver may activate while you nap, and (2) Your hand may smash some keys, making people who pass by you wonder why you have a screen full of G’s. When someone knocks on the frame of your cubicle entrance, waking you up, they will confuse your tired haze with deep and creative thought.

I respect people who are doing what they can to make a living, but that office shit was unbearable to me.

Brief Introduction To Buddhism

By Roosh

In Spring of 2009 I picked up What The Buddha Taught by Walpola Rahula and after reading each chapter I went on the internet for more explanation on concepts mentioned in the book. I took notes on everything so that I could consult with them later, as the beliefs espoused by Buddhism matched very closely to my own.

Here is a sampling of the topics I took notes on:

• The Four Noble Truths
• The Five Aggregates
• The Noble Eightfold Path
• Anatta (Concept of No Soul)
• Meditation
• Five Hindrances to Clear Understanding
• Seven Factors Of Enlightenment

Download my notes in a PDF file (the nested lists would take forever to format for the blog). I reread them myself every month.

Flashback: Womanly Advice & Russian Girls

By Roosh

I want to start a new “feature” where I reach around back into the archives and pull out posts that are both interesting or useful today. It’s time to dust off some of the gold I’ve written in the past.

The first post is Womanly Advice. I offer reasons why you should never listen to a woman when it comes to getting laid.

When you ask a woman for advice, she doesn’t tell you what works in a world based on reality; instead, she tells you what would work in a perfect, harmonius world where attention is free and plentiful, where no one hurts each other and no one plays any games. She tells you what would work if no one got punished for expressing feelings and interest. She tells you advice that always seems to work in television and movies where the beta always gets the beautiful girl. (Not suprisingly, most mainstream movies are written by beta white guys.)

In the other post I lament about my failure to bed Russian Girls..

My Russian roommate, an expert on matters such as this, says the cold attitude of these non-Americanized Russians is not so much snobbiness as it is insecurity, “They are intimidated by Americans and don’t feel confident when having to talk in English.” It has to be cultural because I’ve spoken to many other girls where there was a language barrier and I didn’t get this feeling that hacking away at permafrost in Siberia would be more interesting.

Roissy was the most helpful with sharing tips in comments 23 and 32.

A Magical Land Where Lemons Are Green And Limes Are Lemons

By Roosh

I’ve been learning idioms here in Colombia to seemlessly integrate myself with the locals. The challenge is using them properly in live conversation, and I’m happy to say that I did just that with one I’ve been dying to use for a while.

The English idiom “I need to sleep on it” translates to “Tengo que consultarlo con la almohada.” If you translate that back to English it means, “I have to consult with the pillow.” It’s a great idiom.

I went to a street market to buy some lemons, which in Colombia are green like limes and share the same name. To clarify: both lemons and limes in Colombia are green, and they are both called lemons, but different types of lemons. Lemons are called limon and limes are called limon tahiti, suggesting that they are both members of the same family. If you ask a vendor for a lima, what most gringos think of as the Spanish word for lime, you won’t be understood.

American lemons are larger than limes, but in Colombia the lemons are smaller and look almost exactly like American limes.

Yet there’s more…

Oranges in Colombia are green, like American limes. Again, the oranges are green. They’re still called naranja, which is Spanish for orange. What really fucks with your head is cutting open a Colombian lemon or orange to see bright yellow or orange pulp inside a green shell.

Back to the story. At the market the vendor knew I was gringo and quoted me $0.75 for two green lemons, an outrageous sum. In my plain clothing I don’t understand how he pegged me for a very wealthy man.

I got him down to $0.50, then said, “Tengo que consultarlo con la almohada” and walked away. Score! The look on his face said, “Who the fuck is this interesting gringo?”

Down the street I found a place that sold me four lemons for $0.20. This short series of events worked out really great for me.

Or so I thought, because when I went home I actually bought limes. Now if I come across a recipe that calls for a lemon or lime, I look for another recipe.

Open Letter To Virgle Kent

By Roosh

Dear Virgle Kent,

Since I brought some extra medium t-shirts with me to Colombia one of the first things I did when I arrived in Medellín was ask around for a gym. Sure I want to stay in shape but my goal is part vanity: I remember all the times that girls came up to you and started touching your body like it was a piece of meat and I wouldn’t mind that happening to me. Plus your recent post on gym game got me motivated.

Medellín has a chain of excellent gyms called Body Tech but the membership price is outrageous, something like $120 a month. My meathead dreams dashed, I decided to stick to my normal routine of pushups, pullups, and then a brisk run. (There is a childrens playground two blocks from my place where I can do pullups.)

I went to the stadium for my first run. Each lap around it is 0.44 miles (I measured it using Google Maps), so 7 laps got me to about 3 miles. Afterwards I started walking to the subway station when a shirtless man inside a park off the sidewalk caught my eye. He was doing bench presses. Curious, I walked closer and there it was—a free outdoor gym.

There were two jungle gym apparatuses in the middle for doing pull ups and four concrete benches for chest, two flat and two incline. There were parallel bars for dips and other bars for doing abs. The weights were not weights that you are used to but concrete blocks permanently attached to the bars. Plastic buckets were used as molding and in most cases they’re still attached to the concrete. There are no numbers on them so I have no idea how much they weigh (it’s a matter of feeling them out to see if it’s the proper weight). Most of the bars are long but a couple are shorter for doing bicep curls or chest flys.

I started working out immediately. Alongside me were five other guys who I wouldn’t want to be caught with in a dark alley at night. They had menacing looks and wouldn’t stop staring at my obvious gringo appearance, and I’m sure they wondered why I didn’t go to a real gym since I’m probably rich. Little do they know I’m in the same boat as them.

I’m so used to proper machines that besides the most basic exercises I didn’t know what to do. So I watched the guys, who were very creative with how to use the equipment. I didn’t know there were so many different ways of doing pull ups. You would probably laugh at their technique though—actually they had no technique because they’d do one set of something, then they do something completely different, and then something different. They were mixing chest and back exercises. But they were cut as fuck. Not really huge like you but extremely ripped. I copied them.

This past Sunday was my fourth visit.

The ground is dirt and since May is the rainiest month in Medellín there is mud in certain spots. There is no water fountain obviously but an old guy comes every half-hour to sell small bags of water for a quarter. During sporting events at the stadium a third of the gym doubles as a parking lot. One time I worked on the incline about four feet from a Peugot while this guy’s dog was rubbing up against my leg. Some of the lifting bars are bent and without soft padding I can see callouses develop in real time. It feels like working out in a prison gym. I’m out in the yard keeping my eye out for the the guy who wants shank me in the ribs. I haven’t been shanked but I have had my water bottle stolen twice.

When I do chest flys I have to breathe through my nose because when I tap the bars at the top dirt falls right down on my mouth. Have you done bench presses on a concrete bench before? It fucks up your clavicles. I have two red spots on my back that don’t seem to be going away. Nonetheless I feel like a man. I wish you were with me in this gym so you could feel more manlier than normal as well.

When I come back I’m going to be so strong that I will want to start fights in the bars with the nerds who accidentally bump into me. I’ll only do it when you’re right there though so you can get my back. Thanks bro.

Sincerely,

Roosh

Survey Results (Part 3)

By Roosh

Why do you travel? Check all that apply

74.1% Learn new cultures
72.4% Sight-see
46.2% Meet exotic women or men
68.2% To de-compress, relax
80.2% To get away

Write-in responses:

I like going to horrible places like war zones or places like Auschwitz or Jonestown. I just returned from Sudan a few hours ago, for example. I still haven’t really come up with a good answer for when people ask me why.

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conversations and friendship with other travellers

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To find the meaning of life.

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There’s a quote by R.L. Stephenson, that sums up my travel philosophy perfectly: “For my part I travel not to go anywhere, but to go. The great affair is to move.” (something like that)

What is the most important thing you’ve learned in your life so far?

There were 430 write-ins. If yours isn’t here that doesn’t mean I didn’t like it. Don’t be hurt.

I think the realization that most of what we’re told is rubbish. And by this I am referring to statements about things such as how things or people are in a certain place, what women want or value, what constitutes “responsible” behavior, what should make me happy (marriage, a mortgage, 2.5 kids, etc.), what sort of art we’re supposed to value, etc. I have to throw this one in as well: If you’re not happy with your life – change it. Fuck the critics that tell you that you’re making a mistake by walking away from a good job or a nice girl or a nice city. They’re not living your life and since I’m an atheist, I think you only get one. Do what makes you happy, not others happy. Be selfish.

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it’s possible to rewrite your life story.

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Sometimes, just acting like you have authority is enough. People respond when you seem like you’re in charge, whether or not you actually are.

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Where there is no desire there is no fear.

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The stuff you think is so important as a teenager/young adult really doesn’t matter at all in the real world after age 25.

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1) If you want it that bad you can probably get it, if you’re not trying then you don’t want it that bad. 2) You can make yourself sombody else if you’re willing to commit.

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Personality goes a lot farther than skill or intelligence.

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When you get pissed (drunk) in a New Country make sure you can make your way back to your bed, as sleeping in a hedge isn’t fun when it’s Cactus. also Camels & Arabs haven’t a much of a sense of humour

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The goal in life is to figure out what makes you happiest (e.g. what releases the most pleasure inducing chemicals in your brain most consistently and most sustainably) and then doing that as much as possible. No one can tell you what this will be, and this will likely change over long periods of time.

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The police will fuck you even if you have done nothing wrong… so hire a decent lawyer

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If you don’t choose how to live your life, others will choose for you

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Sex is easy. Especially since I am gay. Straight people have it so complicated, plus deal with the boobies. eww.

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1) Be thankful of the opportunities you have been given. I could have easily have been born in another country where I wouldn’t have had access to education or survived passed twenty five. Make the best of what has been given to you and never feel like you’re entitled to it. 2) Not to judge a person you don’t know. Everybody has reasons for what they do, just because you don’t know them doesn’t give you the right to pass judgement. 3) Lately, and with a lot of influence from yours and Roissy’s blogs I’ve learned that most girls are pretty stupid. I’m not sure how I feel about that right now, it’s great to know but I wish I feel like a dumbass for putting them on such a pedestal until now.

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Your life is yours alone, don’t spend it trying to make other people happy. If you’ve got a 9-5 occupation, that is considered making someone else happy.

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People who say they’re trying to “find themselves” are dipshits. What makes your character is what is outside you, wrought by your hands and words not inside you with mincing thoughts and empty words, and anyone who surrenders to some such excuse such as “it was my upbringing” or “it’s in my genes” isn’t strong enough to shape the clay of their lives. Oh Roosh, you really, really really need to read Zorba the Greek. I don’t know why I didn’t post that on the book thread.

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life is way too short, and people chase after the wrong things their whole life, i think your idea of not being married to a career and experiencing as many women as you can is the right track. on your death bed, you will probably only remember the women you have had, and who made your life better, not what you did at a cubicle for 45 years

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Fuck content, it’s all about style

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No woman will ever love me just for who I am or what I can do for her. I must be able to prove my value in a social context outside our relationship, preferably by making her jealous of my other options. In fact, each of the women I have loved has told me as she finally broke up with me that she would probably be attracted to me again if I would have an affair. But I don’t know how to have an affair, so I lost them.

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Nobody gives a shit about your problems.

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Never associate with people that have nothing going for them.

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The taint is the male g-spot.

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99.99% of people are sleep walking through life, and I don’t want to be one of them.

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The problem with people who have no vices is that generally you can be pretty sure they’re going to have some pretty annoying virtues.

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That it’s important to have male friends, and you should not let go of them.

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Contrary to what “society” said, doing well professionally isn’t the key to getting hot chicks

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You will always lose money chasing women but you’ll never lose women chasing money.

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Most of the little shit people get wound up about resolves itself if you give it time to do so.

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inflammable really means flammable!

Do you have any additional comments about how to improve my blog?

Not to improve the blog, but the question about soulmates was odd – why assume women believe in soulmates at all? I don’t, but am in a happy relationship, so I selected “already found him.” Would have been nice to have another option.

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You admit to, and others accuse you of, being a hater of women, in the line of your “Dark side” post. You seem to regard it inevitable. If you could transcend ,and grow a heart back, your readership would triple.

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Even though you are broke at the moment. More info on being successful and making money…

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It seems like your style has gone from naturally inflammatory to purposefully inflammatory. I’d say keep giving advice you’d actually take and quit trying to go extreme just to incense the haters – though it is pretty fucking funny occasionally.

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Your blog is drenched in ego and I think it makes for an entertaining read, plus it makes me not feel bad about occasionally hating you. The Roosh haters should just give up their cause because your blog wouldn’t be fun if you weren’t such a bastard.

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More pictures and videos that you take/make. Also really miss the great old MS Paint diagrams you used to make.

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DO NOT, under any circumstances, write more about politics or economics. Game, women and more game please.

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I think when you figure out what you’re doing with your life next, it will get better. I think you’re past the whole picking up chicks thing. You’re getting too old for it.

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Less endless rambling about pathetic beta men and how awesome alpha men are. It gets old after a while.

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Yes, I think you banned me for awhile (linked me to some spanish youtube video) because I made a comment dissing your worldview. Stop being such a pussy and let the haters like myself make our stance heard. You don’t need to read it or take it to heart, but show some balls and stop looking for all your comments to be that of adulation.

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No. You’ve been doing this long enough that it can’t be expected to get any better. Most blogs reach full potential quite early, and after that it’s only a matter of whether the writer can be bothered to keep doing it. I would be satisfied to see you maintain your current standard.

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Your writing is amazing. Self-deprecating, hilarious, and insightful. Your videos, generally, have not been as impressive. Your “how to blog” video is great, but I think it’s because it’s the only video you had that was semi-scripted beforehand. What the fuck is wrong with you? Based on your content and your ability to write, you should be in the thousands of RSS readers. You should have a huge following, but you don’t. Are you just an awful marketer? Why don’t you get word about your blog a bit more? Your writing should appeal to about 90% of all young males, but somehow, no one knows about you. Start marketing yourself.

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i like the comparison of different cultures like the argentine vs brazilian girls…i started dating brazilian girls because of you, am learning portuguese, and plan on going to brazil in the next year. best advice i’ve ever gotten, thanks, roosh

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Two approaches, go personal or go polemic/personal I hate polemics but as you can tell it has been good for Roissy’s numbers. You have flirted with both of those extremes, personal stuff about you, your life and stuff and polemics about the male/female dynamics/politics/econ. But I imagine it must suck to have people think they know you from reading about you. Whatever you decide to do, I think that people respond not just to ideas but to the personal stuffbehind the idea. The best of the idiot box tv, radio, or writing has elements of the personal. The power of your ideas may capture people but they stay for the personality – the man underneath the idea. Whether you go travel and chicks or vision quest in Ethiopia for orphans and chicks or your libertarian strain and chicks, the story you are telling is of a guy making his way in the world, his way. I read you because although I disagree on econ and politics and probably many aspects of life, I think there is something interesting in your story. I like that you are working it out while we watch. And I get to relive my youth reading about your exploits so keep that stuff up too.

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I feel like you hold back a lot of experiences that we could all learn from. And I would like to hear more of your opinions about current events, but your real opinions and not just BS as if your trying to get a rise out of people. But I’ll read the blog either way, I’m a fan and I appreciate your work.

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You seem to have a very negative and detrimental outlook on life. But its funny to read.

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I’ve read your blog for a while now. I think the blog is beginning to bore you. Your posts are shorter and less frequent. I realize you’re writing a book, the newsletter etc. This is an outsider opinion, so I could be totally off base, but I’d take a little time off. My favorite ‘era’ of this blog was around the time when you and BigHeadDC used to feud. Your victory was swift and complete. Something’s different between then and now. It’s still a go-to blog for me and I enjoy it very much. Lastly, I want to reiterate how much Bang has helped me. Thank you.

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topics lately are boring, miss the DCbachelor days. More interested in travel and getting laid. Also looking forward to another book.

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Please, I beg you – no more wikipedia based economic theories. As an economist, they are both obvious, and painful to get through.

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Not only do I love your blog, I’ve recommended it to several friends, both male and female. My single female friends NEED your blog, so they can understand the alpha male mind. Conversely, many of my male friends are betas, and they are the ones who read you, yet despise you and disagree with you. They continue to retain the false hope that there’s a woman out there who appreciates a sensitive guy. My man’s an alpha, btw. He’s you, 10 years ago.

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I’m really tired of all the women / bang posts. I think you should be beyond that as a person and a writer. It’s just a pussy, get over it. Of course I understand if that what 80 percent of your writers are interested in reading…but again, I think it’s a waste of you mental energy and creativity and time.

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In every real man a child is hidden that wants to play (Nietzsche). I think there was a more personable aspect to your original blog dcbachelor that you’ve drifted away from. In a sense I got the impression you thought the end game was more feasable then, but at this stage, in this reality, and from what you have seen and experienced, you’re somewhat pessimistic in your view of women and finding an ideal partner in what has become a sea of filth. I agree with you on the instant gratification, the cynicism, the fickle mentality, the selfish and illogical behavior. All this energy invested for a fuck…and as you said…it’s just wasted time. At the same time one must move forward in life, that was then, this is now…you must evolve, not remain stagnant so take the blog in the direction you want. I guess at the least you should bring back the stick figure cartoons….those were classic and added some fun imagery to go with the content.

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I know you’re getting tired of blogging, but I’d love to see more consistent posting again. Daily might be too much, but just regular, maybe set certain days of the week. Otherwise, keep doing what you’re doing – I very much appreciate it.

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the best thing you could do to improve this blog is to not take any of your fucking retarded readers’ advice. if any of us had any good ideas for a blog, you would be reading our blog, not the other way around. keep it up

It was fun reading the suggestions from people who don’t normally comment on the blog. The only thing that I will probably change is to promote my book a little more. Only 30% of my readers buying my book seems pretty low.

Survey Results (Part 2)

By Roosh

Have you bought or read Bang?

30.4% Yes
69.6% No

I don’t believe my blog is an untapped market for my book.

FOR THOSE WHO READ BANG. Do you think Bang was worth the money you spent on it?

92.2% Yes
7.8% No

FOR THOSE WHO READ BANG. Have you tried any techniques or lines from Bang?

77.0% Yes
23.0% No

FOR THOSE WHO READ BANG. In your mind, what do you think is holding you back from being more successful with women? Check all that apply.

15.1% My appearance
19.6% My personality
14.5% Another one of my personal attributes
12.3% Money
33.5% My current situation (e.g. where I live)
55.3% Fear or lack of confidence
70.4% Laziness
25.1% Free, high-quality porn

I’m pretty shocked by the laziness number, which I’m sure goes hand-in-hand with the high-quality porn option.

Some write-in comments:

More material on day game is requested. my voice is relatively soft and less captivating, so I have much less presence than people with worse game, humor, etc. I also have a more witty cheeky type of humor, that may escape the grasp of some girls. Information on ditz game, or how to make one’s humor better understood would be appreciated. sometimes it’s a language barrier thing, sometimes it’s not. eg when asked where I’m from, sometimes I’ll say, “Los Angeles, I’m kind of shallow and superficial.” btw, you have an excellent deadpan in your video.

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Lack of quality women. Getting revved up about a simple bang just doesn’t seem as big a deal when I generally get dissatisfied with the chic after a few dates anyway.

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I find most women to be tiresome, dull, and basically empty shells of what used to be a human being. After one realizes he can sleep with basically anyone he wants, he tends to find better shit to do. When I work a girl now it’s because she has substance, and merits my attention. Otherwise it’s alot of work for a pussy assisted jerk. Fuck that.

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Living in Southern California and having not grown up here. DC is so the minor leagues. I get laid almost every time I visit my family. There is zero competition from lawyers, consultants, and programmers. SoCol has lots of competent naturals and a premuim is placed on physical attractiveness. In essence the competition starts at a much higher level. Similar to the shock you felt when you went to Argentina. At the end of the day you have to work twice as hard but if you go on some business trip to Cleveland you know you have the battle tested skills to bang 3 random in 10 hours.

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Feelings of shame and inhibition from a Catholic upbringing.

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I am one of your best friends inSOMnia

Thanks Insomnia.

FOR THOSE WHO READ BANG. Do you have any other comments about Bang?

A dozen comments about day game. I get it!

Bang is dope. I like most the straightforward way you differentiate between alpha and beta males. And between confident and non-confident people. The line that resonates with me is the one that goes.. “confident people dive into situations that are critical to their goals, regardless of their perceived chance of failure”. Nice work.

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I loved how it made me feel like you were taking the journey from beta to alpha with the reader. You didn’t come off as some pretentious douche.

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Far too short.

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I think it was a great book on the fundamentals on game. Just to give you background, I’m a beginner/intermediate player- I can get laid with moderate frequency, but still not on command with whom I want or with consistency every night I go out. I think the only way to improve ony our book would be to go in depth on certain areas- as an Expat in Asia (I’m also Asian), I’d be interested to hear your stories and how you had to adjust your game while overseas, something I think you have a fair amount of experience in.

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Great book. Lots of useful information. I always use the XXXXXX technique now to guarantee getting in.

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I tried the strawberry story, it’s good stuff. Unrelated to Bang, The cost per notch analysis is a great idea.

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I bought your book for two reasons: – I saw in your blog that you give realsitic and straightforward advice – personally i think you are the only pickup expert that has a likable personality: the other seem to have a personal philosophy that blends the worst aspects of self-help and selfiness in a (from a european point of view) very yuppie-american way.

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A story telling approach might have worked very well in a few places. Walk us through a few successes and failures from start to finish.

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I thought it was useful and practical. In a very few cases, it could have been better edited, but overall an inspirational and solid guide.

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The sections on The Vibe and Inner Game are some of the best self-improvement advice I’ve ever read – extends way beyond just trying to get laid. Thank you.

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the structure needs to be improved and more openers/ routines would be nice. overall it was a good read and learned some stuff and it covered the majority of subjects but i felt like with some topics ,a bit more in depth information would have been nice.

FOR THOSE WHO DIDN’T READ BANG. Why haven’t you bought Bang? Check all that apply.

18.8% I’m a girl
1.8% I’m gay
2.8% I hate you
5.9% I think you are a fraud and/or a phony
8.5% Too expensive
32.6% Unsure of its quality
18.3% I have no money (if you can’t swing $20 then you got more to worry about than your game)
16.2% I don’t care for picking up girls
20.1% I’m in a happy relationship
35.7% I’m lazy
20.3% Not sure

Write-in comments:

I don’t read books on how to pick up girls written by homo’s

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Think over analyzing the going out experience would tarnish it for me. I always have a ton of fun when I go out.

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I’m gay but I’m interested in a straight dick’s perception of a pussy. It’s weird. I don’t like you at all because you are sexist, homophobic, mcp etc, but who cares, its not like I have to sleep with you. To be clearer, I pity your personality, but what you write is generally informative – things that you don’t hear in person.

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Live at home and don’t want my mom to see

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you wouldn’t let me

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Plenty of seduction material abound….maybe you could convince me more?

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I used to buy into that stuff all the time. I quit caring about studying the dynamics of pickup about four years ago. Now I just spend all my money on booze and get laid being a loser drunk. It works for me. I like going out alone because I am a prowler.

Lots of guys said they have too much pick-up material and don’t see how an additional book will help.

How do you feel about my decision to visit Ethiopia to feed starving African children?

16.9% It’s great!
8.6% It’s forced / trite
19.4% Whatever, not exactly my cup of tea
46.5% I don’t think you are really going to Ethiopia
8.6% Other

Have you left the United States in the past two years for leisurely travel?

69.7% Yes
30.3% No

How long was your last international vacation?

9.4% 1-5 days
25.5% About a week
28.3% Two weeks
12.0% 3-4 weeks
24.8% Over a month

Surprised at the large number who escaped for over a month.

Did you get the diarrhea?

21.4% Yes
78.6% No

I voted Yes.

Have you picked (or will you pick) a travel location based mostly on the men or women?

33.0% Yes (39.5% guys answered yes while 8.7% of girls did)
67.0% No

Have you gotten laid in a foreign country with someone you didn’t already know before you arrived?

46.2% Yes (47.5% guys said yes while 40.9% of girls did)
53.8% No

Continued…

Survey Results (Part 1)

By Roosh

I’m too lazy to graphically present the data so you’ll have to make due with text. I also skipped a couple questions. 632 people completed the survey.

What is your age?

0.9% Under 18
8.7% 18-21
30.4% 22-25
42.6% 26-32
13.0% 33-40
4.3% 41 or older

I thought readership would be a little younger but I’m not surprised that the bulk of you are close to my age.

What is the highest education level you have completed?

32.3% of you have a masters degree or greater.

Do you live in the Washington DC metropolitan area?

25.5% said yes. This figure used to be around 75%.

How did you find out about my blog?

More than half of you found me through another web site.

How long have you known about my blog?

11.8% Pretty recently
22.3% 3-6 months
22.9% 7-12 months
26.5% 1-2 years
12.9% 3-4 years
3.6% Over 4 years

This result suggests a lot of churn-and-burn in readership. People stick around for a year or two, lose interest in the topic matter, and go onto new things. For many guys, picking up girls is a flash-in-the-pan sort of thing.

What topics do you want to see more of? Check all that apply.

60.9% Straight-up how to get laid advice
91.1% Male/female observations, analysis, and commentary
40.2% Travel
55.0% Travel mixed with girls
51.2% Philosophical ramblings about life and existence
26.5% Self-deprecation
20.8% Politics / economics
25.9% Pictures
12.7% Video

I’m pretty surprised that politics garnered so few votes, though I’m encouraged at the showing made by philosophical ramblings.

Are you subscribed to my email newsletter?

42.4% Yes

Have I inspired you to take action in some area of your life?

53.1% Yes
46.9% No

I change lives.

Do you eagerly await my blog postings like a newborn boy awaits milk from his mother’s breast?

52.4% Yes
47.6% Yes

A whopping 100% of you said yes. This is incredible data right here.

Do you have an active blog (Wordpress, Blogger, Movable Type, Tumblr, etc.)?

21.2% of you said yes. Nerds.

Do you comment on my blog?

1.0% Yes, regularly
8.0% Occasionally
29.5% Sometimes or rarely
61.4% Never

This is a question I added after the first day. 90% of you don’t regularly comment. This result has made it easier for me to pull commenting as an experiment.

Would you say your job is fulfilling?

43.8% of you said yes. Possible follow-up: If yes, are you on an anti-depressant?

You’re at a coffee shop. Coffee or tea?

67.9% Coffee
32.1% Tea

Tea made a good showing probably thanks to international readers, who I accidentally threw under the bus with this America-centric survey.

Do you believe in God?

47.1% Yes
52.9% No

Godless heathens.

What is your gender?

82.7% Male
17.3% Female

I don’t know what those women are doing here. If there was a way to ban only women I would.

FOR GIRLS. How many sexual partners have you had? Estimate if necessary.

4.8% 0
20.2% 1-3
37.5% 4-8
22.1% 9-15
8.7% 16-25
4.8% 26-50
1.0% 51-99
1.0% Over 100

I was sharing this result with Roissy and he reminded me about using a multiplier. We settled on two, so double these results to get the true numbers. For the one girl who admitted to banging over 100 guys, can you email me so I can anonymously interview you for the blog. I’m curious about how that number was racked up, and if some sort of gangbang was involved. I won’t judge you.

FOR GIRLS. Has my writing ever made you feel upset, sad, or depressed?

8.3% Yes, on many occasions
47.2% It has at least once
44.4% No not at all

I’ve failed as a man with that low 8.3% number.

FOR GIRLS. Why do you read my blog? Check all that apply.

22.4% I like you
53.3% To learn about guys
24.3% To learn about girls
41.1% Curious about this idea of game
32.7% Good writing
81.3% Entertaining and/or funny
42.1% Boredom

Almost half of girls read my blog to alleviate boredom. Guys I want you to keep that in mind whenever a girl tells you how her life is busy and great.

Three write-ins to share:

Many, many times your perspective has resonated with me. I particularly enjoyed this past Halloween episode, in which you likened your Jesus experience to the Hot Girl experience.

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I hate your view of women, but I’m impressed with your attention to the intricacies of interpersonal relations. And you’re funny. You make an occasional grammar mistake, but overall the writing is above average and entertaining. And don’t take this the wrong way, but as a woman, I read your blog, kind of to keep my guard up, know-your-enemy kind of research. But still, you are very entertaining.

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I’m a girl, but I find the whole idea of game interesting. It’s just a neat perspective into the interactions of men and women, who may or may not have different hopes surrounding outcomes.

FOR GIRLS. Have you given up hope finding your soulmate?

11.8% Yes
60.8% No
27.5% Already found him

Lots of girls got mad because they don’t believe in the idea of soulmates. Overall though the result shows females to be (unrealistically) optimistic. The 11.8% know what’s up.

FOR GIRLS. Are you a feminist?

22.6% Yes
53.8% No
23.6% Not sure

How can you not be sure?

FOR GIRLS. Do you own or have you owned a cat?

Let’s take a look at the result from two angles. First, from girls who said Yes to being a feminist:

37.5% Yes, owned or own a cat

Next, from girls who said No to the feminist question:

31.6% Yes, owned or own a cat

We’re seeing triangulation here with what we’d expect in the real world. In other words, if you are a feminist then you have a 15.7% increased chance of being a cat lady. The data doesn’t lie. Feel free to cite this figure in your academic papers.

FOR GIRLS. Would you have sex with Jesus if he were alive today, you were single, and he hit on you?

38.5% Yes
61.5% No

I look like Jesus, so….

FOR GIRLS. Have we banged, kissed, or went out on a date?

6.1% Yes
93.9% No

I know a lot of girls lied on this one. Should be 10%.

Now onto guys…

FOR GUYS. How many sexual partners have you had? Estimate if needed.

5.9% 0
17.6% 1-3
27.5% 4-8
20.8% 9-15
12.8% 16-25
7.6% 26-50
5.2% 51-99
2.7% Over 100

If you bang 26 girls, you’re in 75th percentile of all men. Bang 51 girls and you’re 92nd percentile. You know what to do.

FOR GUYS. How would you rate your game?

49.7% Beginner (occasional phone number or date)
42.4% Intermediate
7.9% Advanced (getting laid regularly with pretty girls)

FOR GUYS. Have you ever had a one night stand?

71.3% Yes
28.7% No

I posed this same question to the girls and the result was just about the same.

FOR GUYS. How would you describe your condom usage overall?

23.5% 100% compliance
38.4% Consistent
19.1% Sometimes
9.6% Rarely.. I’m a dirty boy
9.4% N/A – I don’t have much sex

I wish I asked “Have you ever had an STD?” to triangulate with notch count and condom usage.

FOR GUYS. Do you refer to yourself as a “guy” or as a “man”?

45.3% Guy
54.7% Man

I’m a real man.

FOR GUYS. How often do you jerk?

6.2% Multiple times daily
24.3% Daily
34.8% Several times a week
22.2% A couple times a week
6.2% Several times a month
6.2% Not very often

I used to be daily.

FOR GUYS. What was the last time you made an adult woman cry (that you weren’t related to) through the power of your words?

For this result I cross-tabulated the answers with number of sexual partners.

33.9% of guys who made a girl cry within the past month has banged over 15 girls
17% of guys who hasn’t made a girl cry in the past year has banged over 15 girls

Approximately how many books have you read in the past year?

1.9% 0
16.9% 1-3
22.9% 4-6
18.0% 7-10
12.5% 11-15
7.7% 16-20
20.2% Over 20

Girls are voracious readers. 34.2% of them have read over 20 books in the past year, while 17.3% of men have.

Continued…

More Books 2

By Roosh

PREVIOUSLY: Top 10 Most Important Books & More Books

“All I ask of life is a bunch of books, a bunch of dreams, and a bunch of cunt.”
—Tropic Of Cancer

Here are some quick thoughts on books I’ve read in the past year or so, from best to worst.

1984
George Orwell is my hero.

The Unbearable Lightness Of Being
A beautiful, philosophical novel about love, choice, and death.

American Psycho
Incredible writing, though extremely disturbing (hungry rat trapped inside a woman’s vagina that was filled with blue cheese, etc.). For a good laugh tell a feminist this is your favorite book of all time.

Animal Farm
Good stepping stone to 1984. Short book that you can read for free (along with 1984).

The Jungle
Page turner with the biggest underdog character in modern literature. Poor Jurgis.

American Shaolin
Hilarious memoir of a plucky white guy who moves to China to train with shaolin masters.

Down And Out In London And Paris
Gritty story of a man surviving in Europe’s underworld. Semi-autobiographical.

Collapse
Attempts to answer why past civilizations failed. Author’s evidence suggests it’s almost always due to environmental problems. Long but enjoyable.

The Rum Diaries
Good read, especially if you like to drink.

Into The Wild
Interesting story about a young man who gives up all his money and possessions for a long trip that ends with his death in the Alaska wilderness. Was he courageous or stupid?

Fathers and Sons
19th century Russian novel about feudalism, youth, rebellion, and love. Decent.

The Kite Runner
Starts off strong but fades into silliness.

Slaughterhouse Five
War book whose most compelling passages were about alien abduction.

How To Be A Carioca
Slightly dated expose into the culture of Brazilians, particularly those who live in Rio do Janeiro. Contains handy phrases full of slang.

Tropic Of Cancer
A stream of consciousness diary of a man slumming it in Paris. Writing is incredible but if you need a plot then this book is definitely not for you.

Fight Club
The only book I have read where the movie was better. Skip.

The Sun Also Rises
It had a couple moments, but mostly a snoozefest.

One Day In The Life Of Ivan Denisovich
What a slog. Hated it.

On The Road
The most tedious book I’ve ever read in my life. Cheesy dialogue and characters. I dare you to finish it.

Honeymoon With My Brother
The main character couldn’t stop whining about how his fiance dumped him. Get over it loser.

The Art Of Travel
If the art of travel can only be figured out by going to the Bahamas with your girlfriend then I’m doing it all wrong. Utter tripe.

Book recommendations are most welcome.