(Here’s me standing in front of a hornet’s nest with a stick in my hand thinking, “I probably shouldn’t poke that thing”, but decide do it anyway)
I’m only about a third through the first book.
I haven't read it yet but plan to.
Haven't read Tomassi yet either,
I haven’t read his tweets but I have read his first book.
I’m only about 1/3 of the way into the first book
I'm pleading guilty of ignorance here in regards to not being familiar with Tomassi's work.
I'd rather read a synopsis then.
After a cursory look at Tomassi's blog.
I have not read his book.
since I haven't read the book.
I read all 3 books, and here's my take.
I will join Scottie as an outlier to this conversation, in that I’ve actually read all 3 of the Rational Male books in their entirety. I just finished reading the third volume last night. I very much enjoyed this series of books and learned a lot from them.
The second book is much better than the first, as it fills in many blanks, gives context to some of the terminology, and corrects many of the misinterpretations people sometimes have from reading only the first volume.
The third book is also better than the first, but not quite as good as the second.
Before I say any more, I would like everyone to keep in mind that these books are not written for people engaged in any kind of serious work on the self. They are written for people who are essentially asleep, 99.9% of the population that are mechanical in the sense we understand it here.
But this fact in no way diminishes the value of the information contained inside. And truly valuable I believe this information to be.
This is a book about men, for men.
When I come across provocative books like this, there are really only two things that are necessary for me to appreciate and recommend it.
Is it accurate
and
is it useful?
The answer to both of these questions is a resounding yes!
It is accurate in the sense that many of the ideas presented are based upon the principles contained within evolutionary biology and evolutionary psychology. It has a solid foundation grounded in behavioural science.
It accurately explains and accounts for a great deal of observable human behaviour, that is not only relevant to and has been confirmed by my own experience, but also can be applied to all the people I have known personally.
In addition, it is accurate for the thousands of men currently taking part in discussions happening in online forums. Men who have benefited from sharing their experiences with other men and whose lives have improved by implementing many of these ideas and practices into their daily lives.
Social proof times three.
The books are useful in the sense that they provides an effective antidote and intellectual counter balance to the prevailing “feminine imperative” that currently pervades, influences and controls our modern culture.
For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction.
People like Jordan Peterson and books like the Rational Male exist as a direct and necessary consequence of this phenomena.
The series is useful because the books present material that deals with and is applicable to every stage of a man’s life, from the randy awkward teenager to the mature parent in a long term committed relationship.
The books were useful to me personally because I was finally able to understand (at least in part) why women are motivated to do the things they do. At times, reading these books felt like a revelation!
Some take home lessons from the material for me…
Men are natural leaders. People admire strength. Both sexes are drawn to a man who is relaxed, confident and self-assured. They appreciate a man who is competent and reliable, who can be counted on in times of crisis. A man who is mature and dependable, who is organized, industrious and can keep a level head.
This is a man who knows his own value, and charts his own course in life. A man who takes responsibility for his fate, who is open, engaged, unafraid and willing to take risks. He can be playful and cocky, but never mean. He is both provider and protector. He meets life head on and his inherent value does not depend on the opinion of others.
For him, these traits and behaviours are a reward in and of themselves. That women find these attributes attractive and appealing is just an added bonus, and not the reason or primary motivation for a man’s desire for self-improvement and personal mastery.
Confidence is sometimes mistaken for arrogance, but even though they both exhibit similar external qualities, the two are not the same. True confidence comes from within and has a solid foundation based on acquired skills and accumulated life experience. Arrogance has no such foundation, and comes from a place of entitlement, and thinking oneself above or better than others.
A unabashedly and genuinely confident man has no need to put himself above anyone else, for his goal is overall personal improvement and to embody the best man he can be. The journey itself becomes the destination.
The reason why many feminist women and Blue Pill-conditioned men object to this information is because it shines a harsh and unflattering light on the unconscious motivations and behaviours of women and their dualistic sexual strategy.
That this strategy has become the default norm and is accepted as standard by most of modern society does not make it any less insidious. These books paint a compelling picture of our modern day social reality as defined by the feminist imperative and the picture ain’t pretty.
Up until recently, the feminine imperative-inspired march towards optimal hypergamy has mostly operated behind the scenes and in the shadows. But those days are gone. It’s all out in the open now, with Beta boys and their soy-eating grins posting pictures of themselves proudly boasting how their wife’s boyfriend just bought them a new X-Box.
Pathetic and sad. A veritable sign of the times.
One can see the results of the feminine imperative in the push for total androgynification of society, making men into women and vice versa. Forced unnatural equity onto something that is organically and essentially different and meant to be complementary.
By reading these books, one can see the pernicious hand of culturally accepted and universally promoted values of open hypergamy on prominent display in all forms of media and popular culture.
And once seen, it cannot be unseen.
It is called Red Pill “awareness” for a reason. It is a state of mind more than anything else. Because by reading and analyzing the material, comparing it to your own experience, internalizing and manifesting the realities contained within, is like literally being unplugged from the Matrix.
For most men when faced with Red Pill truths, experiencing denial, anger, bargaining, depression and finally acceptance are all part of this process. These stages are necessary to pass through in order to emerge more fully integrated to the other side.
That’s also why these books are probably best not meant to be read by everyone. For some, this information will simply be too unpleasant and painful to endure.
The truth, unfortunately, is rarely comfortable.
Does this mean I think that these books have all the answers?
Of course not.
Does this mean that the author himself is free from agenda or personal bias?
Not at all. Who among us is?
Does this mean that “hypergamy” can be used as a catch all term to explain all human female behaviour, or be blamed for society’s present ills?
No one ever claimed as such.
But what this material does provide is an important and necessary piece of the puzzle, that we, as group of people engaged in learning the true nature of reality, are behooved to investigate and could potentially benefit from.
It’s a difficult read, no doubt.
It will challenge at at times, shock in others. It will engage, force one to think differently, compel to read further or want to toss the book aside. It will infuriate, illuminate, confound and inspire, but if one can make it through to the end, a picture begins to emerge, and many things previously hidden or misunderstood will become abundantly clear.
The books themselves are amoral, they have to be as a matter of necessity. The science of human behaviour does not discriminate, nor does it judge right from wrong. It is what it is, and whether something is morally good or evil does not affect whether it is true or false. To attach any kind of morality or ideology to the concepts inside would dilute and distort the message. The author is simply making observations, “connecting the dots” - so to speak. It is left up to the reader to put the pieces together and decide for themselves.
It is a form of knowledge after all, and knowledge, like any tool, can be used for good or ill. The choice with what to do with this information rests solely with the agency of the individual person.
I think it is a mistake to to dismiss this material because of how the author presents himself on social media. This becomes another case of “shooting the messenger” because you don’t like or are offended by the message. It’s akin to refusing to eat a meal prepared by renowned chef Gordon Ramsay on account of his acerbic personality. The food still tastes good.
Also, I don’t think it’s fair to judge the entirety of his books on a few random snippets from the internet taken out of context. The essence of this work is best understood and appreciated by reading all three volumes cover to cover, and allowing yourself time to process everything in its proper context.
As for the profanity, personally I couldn’t give a fuck about that!
I don’t expect many here to agree with me, and that’s okay. Taking a firm stand against the majority opinion tends to isolate a person, putting them in the precarious position of having to defend themselves against the group. But, from my perspective, the value of this information takes precedence over any potential personal repercussions. An alternative point of view to the prevailing Blue Pill narrative exhibited so far in this thread simply needed to be expressed.
If any of you have reacted negatively to what I have written or have doubts or questions about my position, I urge you to read all three books first, and see if the answers to your queries might lie there.
And lastly, as a mental exercise, consider the possibility that the degree to which a person finds the material in these books objectionable and offensive, is the same degree in which they are conditioned by and invested in promoting and maintaining their inculcated allegiance to feminine imperative?
And perhaps it is these people that would most benefit from reading The Rational Male series.
For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction.
Something to think about.
As for me, I will recommend these books to every man I know, including my 23 year old son, and plan on referring to them often and reading them again in the near future.
That’s my take on it.
No grain of salt required.
