As we wait for @RedPillSchool to get this post back up on TRP proper, here is what was to be today's, maybe controversial, post (for some inb4 feedback):

"The Cult of Self-Improvement"

This series should not only be us dissecting the dense and esoteric aspects of BAP, but also interacting and responding to what we see- the English teacher in me wants to remind you all, this is how we should read everything! As such, this post will be part one of my interactions from a quote that struck me from Part One of BAP:

"It's in this world and almost only in this world today that you can start to polish the claws nature gave you, assuming it gave you any." (33)

The first place my mind went after reading this is our very subreddit, "The Red Pill," that I can truthfully say, without a hint of hyperbole, that my life would not be the same had I not found it- quite randomly- in the spring of 2013. That said, my margin note next to this underlined quote reads: "the cult of self-improvement." Let's look at the popularity of self-help, or self-improvement, which some have tried to rebrand as the less losery sounding "self-development," from both angles.

As a nerd, I was first attracted to TRP for all the theory talk. I was already lifting, and decent enough with girls, but felt alone with how I perceived the world- losing friends by the day, making observations on Facebook (don't do this), I felt like i genuinely had esoteric knowledge, like some kind of modern-day prophet (sitting on my throne, in front of my computer) seeing things that went unseen! Things hiding in plain sight! Finding TRP finally made me feel like I wasn't going through some so smart I've become insane kind of scenario- and before I knew any better, in that awful between time, I started linking my (remaining) Facebook friends to articles I found off of TRP (really don't do this).

But no one is snorting a line of the greatest drug in the world and rolling up the bag of potato chips and putting them away for the night. Before I knew it, even if I was already damn good at talking to girls, I was on-to "game advice." I was watching RSD videos. I was reading Roosh. I was reading Rollo. I was amping my lifting game. I began to be conscious of using my free more wisely- almost to the minute. I only wanted to take part in activities that would yield value, not consumption. I am not being disparaging about any of the above- on its face, these are all good things.

Maybe in a different time, in a different place, things would have been different- but I can only speak to here and now.

Something funny would happen, as I became sharper with all things- better shape, better game, better overall package- my results would not coincide in a 1:1 basis with these improvements. I became obsessed with understanding why.

Ironic that, what I came to know as the sexual marketplace- the gap between men and women would widen at a higher-rate than I was capable of improving. When I found the manosphere, it was said that 80% of women fuck the top 20% of men- and seven years later, it feels closer to the top 10%. Very tangible and concrete reasons for this, of course- the general acceptance of online dating apps, specifically online hook-up apps, and the stigma surrounding promiscuity all but extinguished for women under forty. We'll talk about the wall in part two- but if you think women in their forties aren't getting pounded out by mid-twenties Chads, well, welcome to the modern world.

So, self-improvement is a chicken-and-egg issue. Are we spending all of our time improving to dominate the market, or are we boxed in constant improving, value building, and glass-chewing discipline to chase diminishing returns? Yes, we can take a step back and say: IF YOU'RE CHASING WOMEN, YOU'RE DOING IT WRONG. And there's certainly truth in that- I would be doing all the same things at this point, at forty-years-old, whether I was getting laid or not... but let's also be real here, we're here because we want to be successful in an increasingly aggressive sexual marketplace.

My cigarette smoking grandfather escaped Belarus after getting in a bit of trouble with whatever their version of the mafia was, killing the man who was sent to kill him, and catching a boat to America- where he paid our version of the mafia for his papers, keeping the long and very foreign last name I am blessed with (first name given after him too). He had two children, and many girlfriends- not something I'm necessarily glorifying, but it is what it is. He did not spend all of his time self-improving. I doubt he ever set foot inside a gym.

Is it wrong to spend all of your time improving? You're smarter, fitter, and cooler than your Grandpa- yet he likely found a higher return and degree of satisfaction than you. I don't have an answer for you- but it's interesting to think: are you improving because you want to, or are you improving because you have to?

@adam-l It's so nice to throw back to terms like NRx and Dark Enlightenment- it feels very pre-Twitter, pre-Alt-Right, which I definitely appreciate. A lot of those guys never been the foundation for understanding their own memes. Sad!

The foundation for the NRx lense is understanding the world through power as a limited resource that groups collectively fight over (this is called "community organizing" sometimes, when it involved black neighborhoods). With this understanding, "white genocide" isn't such a big leap. It's about destroying cohesion in one group, while maintaining cohesion in your own group. This is why monarchy also isn't such a tremendous leap for NRx, even if it sounds insane to the normie. Monarchy fixes this problem entirely!

Unfortunately, it seems as though Mr. Yarvin- who I've had the pleasure of meeting; very nice guy- has turned dark side on his own ideas, and now has become part of those fighting for power- only his "community" is silicon valley tech. He wants tech overlords! Probably better than what we have now, tbh, but still not great.

If you've never read his "Open Letter to Open-minded Progressives," it is a fantastic starting point: www.thedarkenlightenment.com/moldbugs-open-letter/

@adam-l I'm a little booked up for the time being- after BAP, I'm going to give Landry the book dissection treatment on TRP... but, you know, I've had a lot of fun riffing on BAP, that I'm thinking this can be a permanent approach to TRP content that is truly unique to what I do over on KTP. Pulling quotes from sphere works, and writing short dissections on them. Might just drum up sales too! Win/win!

As far as NRx- interesting you put it that way- but I found r/DarkEnlightenment from TRP, around 2014ish, and build a firm basis by reading Moldbug. My introduction to right wing politics! If everyone was so lucky! RamZPaul also, who used to be far more intellectually sound, gave a wonderful synopsis of "The Dark Enlightenment" that I recommend to people still, to get a big-picture foundation of what we're talking about: www.youtube.com/watch?v=q-eaknvggbi

Still worth a watch, if you've never seen it, IMHO

Thinking about today's BAP post over on Reddit, "The Invisible Hand of Human Nature," and specifically women as human animal, I'm drawn to BAP's comparison of women to dogs:

"We love dogs because they express so honestly and without dissimulation what we also are and want. They and other pets calm us because promote a kind of carelessness normal to animal life, unencumbered by thoughts of the past or worries about the future, none of which actually exist. Women are, in their natural state, close to this condition as well, or closer on the whole, which is where they get much of their charm and power from (the modern education, that teaches women to be hyper-aware, anxious for the future, abstract, neurotic, etc., actually takes away from their power to a great degree, while tricking them into thinking they are being tough or sassy; but a hyper-conscious woman is made powerless and charmless)."

BAP hits on something here that I feel like the Manosphere has been aware of for a long time, but never explained so elegantly. Women, in their natural state, are foremost creatures of emotion- which isn't necessarily a BAD THING, when paired with a highly rational husband. They complete each other, the yin-and-yang. Since women are so reliant on feelings, with this comes a highly developed kind of sixth-sense. Think of it as a subconscious flow state, where women are able to be hyper-aware of VIBES. This is why PUA's will always tell you CONGRUENCY IS KING. You can only "fake it" so far- women have evolved to detect authenticity! This is the gift of the woman- as men are about thinking and brain-speak, women are about subconscious flow-state and emotion-speak. With this comes a strong body-mind connection, and an ability to be highly present (worry-free & childlike)- this is the beauty of feminine energy that men have fought for, and died for, for an eternity. This is the charm of a woman!

College education makes woman self-conscious! Suddenly, instead of living a care-free life of comfort, women become convinced to define their existence through the EGO fulfillment they get from competing in the male space! A lot of pressure for this comes from Feminism being so dominant of an ideology that it's taken for nature- women are convinced that it is their place to get a college education, a meme career, and behead all male competition along the way- and with that, gone is their ability to be carefree and present.

I hope everyone is enjoying our dive into BAP! Dissection of Part II will be coming next week as I tie up a few loose ends on Part I this weekend over on Reddit!

A few things I found interesting-

On YouTube, user "Survive the Jive" posted a stream dissecting and reviewing BAP. He seems to be outside of our sphere, but, looks like a big nordic bastard & I found his insight interesting: www.youtube.com/watch?v=ddpfl5danpy

If you didn't know, BAP was in the new last year as "The alt-right manifesto that has Trumpworld talking"- I believe because Moldbug (Curtis Yarvin) gave connections his has in Trumpworld a copy of BAP; crazy, crazy shit: www.politico.com/story/2019/08/23/alt-right-book-trump-1472413

Is it an "alt-right manifesto"... well, kind of LOL. What do you guys think?

Finally, the next book we are reviewing "Masculinity Amidst Madness," by my close friend Ryan Landry, is up on Amazon: amzn.to/2ajryba

I've read it, and it's excellent! Will be starting discussion on that in July!