Games are for Children - Reviews

People who need to visit this site

nospam@example.com (Steve) — Thu, 03 Nov 2005 14:54:53 -0800

I was surfing the Internet for a few minutes to alleviate some of the tedium of writing this thesis when I came across another blog entitled "Desparate Dating." The author is a 34-year-old man who never really hit it off with anyone in the long-term and, as the name implies, is desparate to find his "soulmate" (if such a thing even exists).

Be careful if you decide to explore the main page of the blog - I'm not linking to it here because it includes pictures that could be considered mildly inappropriate. But this post is excellent. It details 15,000 words of E-Mails back and forth between the blog's author and someone he met online. If you look at the timestamps of the E-Mails, you wonder how the two can afford to reply so quickly to each other's messages, they go so fast.

If you have a few minutes, you might find it interesting to find out where this story ends up. Read from the bottom up, because the first post is at the bottom. An interesting turnout, to say the least. I say that the woman in the conversation needs to take my view that if you put your real self out there and have no success, it's better than pretending to be someone other than who you are and having success.

Criticism of the seduction community

nospam@example.com (Steve) — Sun, 02 Oct 2005 13:21:00 -0700

Last month, I was somewhat surprised to find an exposé of the seduction community in a prominent position in The New York Times. Apparently, a formerly prestigious journalist named Neil Strauss, who had never had success with women in the past, was lured into the community by an editor who wanted him to summarize the "player's guide" available on many websites.

He did one "better," though - not only reading, but also practicing. He followed the advice of the community's gurus and, as expected, became a master at it, building himself what the author of the article calls a "harem." He went so far as to write about the sex he was having with these women in the book that he published about his experiences. Apparently, he feels that he's a better person now that he's successful with women, although the author disagrees, mentioning that the community is far more "frightening" in real life than it appears on the Internet.

All of a sudden, it seems as if the seduction community has fallen from favor in the media, and I say it's about time the other side has something to say.

The 40-Year-Old Virgin: a surprisingly good movie

nospam@example.com (Steve) — Fri, 02 Sep 2005 11:21:20 -0700

(These goofy head-shot pictures are great, aren't they?)

When I went to see this movie on Monday night, I hadn't initially planned to view it, ever. In fact, the only reason I went was because I was invited by a friend at the last minute. I arrived fully expecting to see a crude comedy glorifying sex as the purpose of all life (see previous post). Instead, I saw a well-written, expertly acted, and somewhat reasonable movie.

"Somewhat reasonable" is a huge compliment to any love story. Most romance movies bring the man and women together somehow through ridiculous circumstances, and behavior that is exhibited in most of these flicks would never be seen in real life. It's not that being unreasonable is bad, because one wouldn't go to the movies if (s)he expects to see real life, but telling an excellent story and managing to be somewhat reasonable about it makes it more powerful.

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"Hitch:" A movie that raises interesting questions

nospam@example.com (Steve) — Mon, 27 Jun 2005 11:36:00 -0700

Recently, I rented the movie Hitch, which features Will Smith as a "date doctor" who hooks up his clients with the women of their dreams. The movie is entirely unrealistic, violating countless known rules, but it does have its moments and raises some interesting questions.

The plot centers around two romances: one between Smith and a tabloid reporter, and another between a businessman and a celebrity. Smith/Hitch helps out the businessman who is completely infatuated with the celebrity. Somehow, she shows up at his office after he quits his job in her defense and things only improve from there. Hitch, on the other hand, dates the tabloid reporter and manages to mess everything up. They fight, and then eventually get back together and everyone lives happily ever after.

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Stalking and its consequences

nospam@example.com (Steve) — Thu, 12 May 2005 05:39:13 -0700

Nothing is more abhorrent in the dating arena than stalking. Most people actually use this term somewhat lightly - if nobody's being hurt by the stalker, then it's not stalking. I beg to disagree, and I will state that stalking is one of the biggest problems that people who are active daters have to deal with. This isn't just a man's or a woman's problem, but instead is a problem for everyone.

Yesterday, I came across this message board post. The woman who made it is attending law school. Apparently, some guy with whom she's never gone out or even heard from has started spreading rumors about her and making life miserable for her. She asks the bulletin board whether she should bring the behavior to the attention of the college dean.

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He'll guarantee you'll be married in 3 months.... for a house?

nospam@example.com (Steve) — Thu, 28 Apr 2005 08:11:51 -0700

Recently, I came across this article, which describes how dating has changed in the 21st century. While a good portion of the article concentrates on online dating, what's moof particular import is the story of the professional matchmakers.

One of these people guarantees that his clients will be married or engaged within three months to the perfect mate - if you're willing to fork up $16,500. According to him, he can make up to $5 million a year simply matching his clients, and claims a 90% success rate of marriages. How is it done? He travels to places such as Fifth Avenue where there are likely to be a lot of women, and "stalks" them for a few minutes to figure out their personalities. If he sees someone that looks like a match, he'll secondhandedly ask her for a date.

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He’s Just Not That Into You

nospam@example.com (Heather) — Mon, 25 Apr 2005 06:58:12 -0700

A girl friend of mine sent me the book He’s Just Not That Into You: The No-Excuses Truth to Understanding Guys by Greg Behrendt and Liz Tuccillo. If you read my blog then you know that I was recently seeing someone that I was having a hard time letting go of, hence the receiving of the book. I opened it to the first page and started reading as would any other book; with an open mind. The book starts with acknowledgments, I skipped those. Then the table of contents, skipped that. Then the introductions, first Liz’s: She talks about how she works for Sex and the City, about how one of her co-workers needed relationship advice and Greg (he’s next) seemed to have all the answers. Then, Greg’s intro: He talks about the co-worker’s situation as well and then goes on to tell you, the reader, that he is a guy. He knows guys and he knows when a guy isn’t into you and it is pretty much always.

So, now I am curious. I flip back to the table of contents and check out what will be in store for me in the coming pages. Let me tell you all the ways, the books says, you can tell if He’s Just Not That Into You. First (and this made me chuckle given all of the past entries about this), He’s Just Not That Into You if he isn’t asking you out. (Don’t worry, I’ll come back to this.) He is also just not that into you if he doesn’t call you, isn’t actually dating you, isn’t having sex with you, is having sex with someone else, only sees you when he is drunk, doesn’t want to marry you, is breaking up with you, disappears on you, if he’s married or otherwise unavailable, or if he is a selfish jerk, bully, or a really big freak. Yeah, I know, I can practically hear you rolling your eyes, but keep reading…

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The silent majority?

nospam@example.com (Steve) — Tue, 19 Apr 2005 08:24:00 -0700

Two days ago, I issued a prediction that I wouldn't receive any comments on my most recent article in The Daily Collegian. Now, I've made some stupid predictions in the past, but I usually don't state something unless I'm almost absolutely sure that it's right.

This statement was the stupidest prediction I ever made.

The response to the article was huge. So far, I alone have received seven letters, and I'm sure that tomorrow there will be at least one response in the "letters to the editor" section as well. In contrast, Kristle Kopacz received two angry letters when she contributed an article to the column a few weeks ago, and that's to my knowledge the largest response before this one. What's most astounding is that all the letters were overwhelmingly positive. In fact, there wasn't one single negative word directed towards me in the entire corpus of E-Mail! I've copied the messages below:

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Things happen when you least expect

nospam@example.com (Steve) — Wed, 13 Apr 2005 04:00:00 -0700

LD did it again.

He posted a comment yesterday that recounts an experience he had while at a club. Reportedly, he was just about to leave when he couldn't find the exit. He talked to a couple of women standing nearby in order to determine where the exit was located. Much to his surprise, they believed he was offering a pickup line and tried to start a conversation. At the time, he had to meet a friend and couldn't talk.

LD (and thousands of others throughout the ages, or at least throughout the past few years) complained about how people seem to approach him when he's least expecting it. However, I don't buy it - not that people try to start conversations with him, but that the majority of opportunities only arise when he has no time.

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An update to "The Final Solution"

nospam@example.com (Steve) — Thu, 07 Apr 2005 07:42:24 -0700

There were a few comments offered about "The Final Solution," both published and in person, that implied that I was asking too much when I suggested that guys stop asking women out for a month. While I still don't think it's too much to ask (especially since it requires doing nothing), I can offer a solution that's even better in just about all aspects. I'm going to submit this idea in combination with "The Final Solution" for my next Collegian column, to see what kind of response I receive.

If you can't be passive in regards to women for a month, then go halfway. If someone who's attractive sits down next to you on the bus, start a conversation. Keep talking and show her that you're interested in her by touching her or giving other flirting signs. When it comes time to get off the bus, state that your stop has arrived, and say goodbye. Then walk off and continue your day.

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Another reason to ignore dating gurus

nospam@example.com (Steve) — Thu, 07 Apr 2005 07:39:00 -0700

I didn't realize how many self-professed dating "gurus" are out there. It's easy to gain the impression when reading a column written by one of these people that what they say is the absolute truth. For example, read this article.

This column responds to a question posed by a reader who wonders how to deal with a woman in whom he's interested. The problem? She's too interested in him. Wait a moment. That's a problem? Apparently, to "Doc Love," it is. He's so fixated with the imaginary "rules" of dating that he feels that instructing this guy to follow along would be a violation of some unwritten law.

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One of the greatest hoaxes...

nospam@example.com (Steve) — Thu, 24 Feb 2005 06:14:18 -0800

You might recall how in the post Blogs I talked about two blogs run by women. The point of the post was that the women posted their pictures prominently in heavy makeup or seductive clothes on the front page. They both had intelligent things to say, but the point was that their blogs would be just as interesting to read without them using their bodies to attract gullible men to the sites.

Well, I was apparently more right than I could have known at the time. Libertarian Girl was a hoax. The guy copied a picture of some random woman from a Russian website and used it for his blog.

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Idiocy

nospam@example.com (Steve) — Mon, 21 Feb 2005 07:32:43 -0800

I just read this article, which basically describes one woman's game-playing with men while at parties. The author seems to believe that such behavior will actually attract more men to her; if she's "unavailable," then people will (supposedly) be falling all over her.

For me, it doesn't work that way, and I told her that in an E-Mail. If someone wants to be unavailable, then I let her be unavailable, plain and simple. There's plenty of other people out there from which to choose.

What do you think? Does she have the right idea, or would you follow my advice?

An incredible story

nospam@example.com (Steve) — Fri, 11 Feb 2005 07:57:51 -0800

There's a lot of great blogs out there, but if I posted every one, there wouldn't be time to visit all of them. But today I came across a story that was so interesting that I just had to post a link.

Visit Ducktape for the Chicken's Soul. Yesterday's post is a story about two people who fell in love during high school after a fight.

It brings up some interesting questions about posts I've made. First, it supports my argument that shyness is attractive. Second, it contradicts what I said about nice guys finishing last.

If you post comments on that site, please copy them here so that we can all discuss them.

Brian: Can't Get A Date? Try Rationalizing!

nospam@example.com (Brian) — Tue, 08 Feb 2005 20:30:00 -0800

I consider myself stronger that I don't have a girlfriend

Those of you that read Steve’s post today might be a little confused. After all, this blog is all about his attempts to get a girlfriend.

I’ve noticed a pattern of sorts in Steve’s posts. He’ll spend a few days writing about his failed attempts (click for my favorite example) to get into a relationship, then he’ll suddenly change gears and decide that relationships are a bad idea after all.

Perhaps I’m overanalyzing… Comments?