Category Archives: Socio-Sexual Studies

Non-Fiction/Documentary, Satire, Socio-Sexual Studies

Thoughts That Will Never Occur to a Woman

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Elvis once warned us:

Hard-headed woman/soft-hearted man

Been the cause a trouble ever since the world began.

Any man who’s had any significant interaction with women has suffered intense frustration at one time or another. And probably on a regular basis. But despite what the feminists claim, the way the male and female brains process data  is radically different.

I put together an impromptu list to help demystify the female of the species and hopefully save you some aggravation.

Men tend to assume that thoughts in this list will occur to women.

As a rule, they do not. Especially the feministas.

(A feminista, as I’m using the term, is a woman who doesn’t necessarily consider herself a feminist, but she’s been thoroughly conditioned by feminist dogma nonetheless.)

You may find this list descriptive of some males today, too. With all the gender chaos in our culture, I wouldn’t doubt it.

Any woman who DOES have thoughts like these is probably a keeper.

  • I’m heading east-southeast. I need to head south-southeast. I can always look at the map to be sure.
  • Maybe I should understand how something works before I offer advice on how to fix it.
  • To be honest, he does work harder than I do…
  • Uh-oh, I’m contradicting what I just said five minutes ago.
  • I never heard of this thing/person/ideology until just now, so maybe I’m not the world’s leading expert on it.
  • Our one-year anniversary is coming up, and I have no desire to change my husband/boyfriend.
  • The human race survived for thousands of years without cell phones and social networks. So can I for a few hours.
  • Hmm…if it’s wrong when they do it, it’s probably wrong when I do it, too.
  • Oh, I get it! He’s operating in accordance with what I told him that I want, in that conversation we had. I should give him credit for that.
  • Maybe I should carry my argument to its logical conclusion.
  • Wait a minute…I’m judging him by what I felt at the time; not by what he actually said/did.
  • Lashing out with this remark might score some points in this argument, but it’s not true, therefore I just won’t say it.
  • When I honestly add up all the qualities of my imagined perfect man, I come up with a skitzophrenic transgender Jeckle/Hyde. Maybe I should reevaluate.

Crime, Reviews, Socio-Sexual Studies

Some Red Pill Truths in Gone Girl

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There’s no way to avoid spoilers in this post, so if you plan on watching Gone Girl but haven’t yet, read no further.

The author/screenwriter (same person, as I understand it) had fun messing with the audience’s mind. There is a series of revelations which has you, at first, liking the Ben Affleck character (Nick Dunne), then despising him, then sympathizing with him again. Feelings toward the character of his wife (Amy Dunne, played by Rosamund Pike) will be mirror-opposite at each stage.

So first of all, Nick uses alpha game to woo and seduce Amy. My damaged old ears didn’t catch all their witty banter, but apparently Nick taylored his game just right for her. He fell into the wonitus (“1-itus”) trap that so many men do, and after dating her for a couple years, married her.

Here’s where it gets kinda muddy from the red pill perspective, because she had the money, not him, which makes her the provider I guess. They do wind up living on her money; she makes him sign a pre-nup; and she buys a bar for Nick and his sister to run. What you learn about Amy over the course of the flick is, on top of being a diabolical psychotic mastermind, she’s also a domineering skank who likes to keep her man on a leash. This isn’t always obvious because the plot unfolds partially from her point of view…and she’s an accomplished, remorseless liar.

It seems Nick becomes a lot more beta once he’s married to Amy and, predictably, she grows to despise him because of it. There are other complications too, like losing jobs, a sick mother, and a relocation from New York to Missouri. After finding work as a teacher, Nick begins an affair with a former student. This is what kicks Amy’s twisted psyche into high gear.

Amy masterminds the faking of her own murder and framing Nick for the crime. And it works pretty well for most of the movie–both on the police and the audience. But Nick catches wise and there’s a bit of a cat-and-mouse dynamic for a while.

There are a couple especially noteworthy scenes for the manosphere.

In one, Amy admits privately to Nick that she became disgusted with him when he stopped using game; and when he demonstrated a form of game again (during a television interview), she just had to get him back, and so came out of hiding.

In another scene, we see that another woman (a detective) is the only one in law enforcement who sees right through Amy. But Amy’s got the white knight federal agents eating out of the palm of her hand, and they stifle the valid suspicions of the detective because V.

(V for Vagina; victim… take your pick. One equals the other to a white knight.)

I confess that, the way the movie ended, I felt like a rape victim myself. I have no intention of reading the novel it was based on. Nick resigns himself to staying in the clutches of this evil, murderous whore, and confessing on national TV to crimes he never committed (abusing her; money-grubbing; etc.) because, after faking a pregnancy earlier, it turns out she really is pregnant now.

It’s tempting to wonder if the author/screenwriter pulled all these themes right out of the manosphere.

And yet the author/screenwriter is a woman. Is this a warning, or what?

Adventure, Historical, Socio-Sexual Studies

John Wayne: Textbook Alpha Male?

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For those who know who John Wayne was, the typical assumption is probably that the characters he played were alpha males (for those familiar with the term “alpha male” anyway).

Having seen my share of Duke flicks, I can testify that his characters were never pick-up artists (PUAs)–something that seems to go hand-in-hand with alpha behavior. (In fact, it was usually the woman who pursued and approached him–especially in the Howard Hawks movies.) That and a few other personality traits perhaps make a further study of the John Wayne persona worthwhile in the future.

waynerifle

 

But I used the word “persona” intentionally, rather than mention any specific role he played. Critics of the Duke point out that he wasn’t really an actor, but a movie star. There’s some truth to that, because the characters he played were usually the same guy, just with different names and historic contexts for the different movies.

To over-simplify it for a moment: John Wayne was almost always the hero.  I say “almost” because there are a couple exceptions when he was called on to play an antihero.

One of those exceptions occurred when he was curiously cast as Ghengis Khan in The Conqueror. The most interesting exception was the role he played in a John Ford western called The Searchers, and that’s what we’ll look at now.

The Searchers is a great film for many reasons. One of the most basic of those reasons is the characters it is built around.

The role of Ethan Edwards was a real departure in the screen career of the Duke. Yes, he still exuded toughness, strength and cocksurity, but underneath that was a vengeful, bitter racism that made him the darkest character Wayne ever played.

Unless you watch carefully for details, you’ll miss that Ethan’s

The tombstones in this scene reveal that Ethan's parents were killed by Commanche, but you have to be a speed-reader to catch it.
The tombstones in this scene reveal that Ethan’s parents were killed by Commanche, but you have to be a speed-reader to catch it.

parents were murdered by Commanche. Ethan Edwards is a fanatic. His hatred of the Commanche has caused him to learn their language and customs, and even think the way they do. Ironically, this obsessive racism has made him a perpetual outsider among the white settlers in 1868 Texas.

The clip below reveals a lot about the plot, the characters, and what’s gone on behind the scenes. Watch carefully and take special note of how the hierarchy shines through.

You can spot the alpha dog right away, can’t you?  Ward Bond’s swaggering alpha bravado is right at home in…nay, demands to be…the center of attention. He’s a natural leader, and he barks orders at everyone lest they forget who’s in charge. The posse he’s putting together is made up of betas and arguably a couple delta males. Then you can feel the power shift as Ethan Edwards makes his presence known.

Ethan Edwards at this stage of his life is a “sigma male.” He’s the only one in the film the Reverend/Captain Samuel Johnson Clayton (Bond) can’t bully, intimidate, or inspire to follow his leadership. Not only that, but Ethan overrules his authority without hesitation or apology, and turns the impromptu interrogation around on Clayton by questioning his loyalty to the Confederacy.

Exhibit B is Ethan’s sister-in-law Martha. Notice how she caresses Ethan’s coat, and all the unspoken feeling that passes between them when she hands it to Ethan? Important subtext was revealed right there:

Martha married and bore children to stable beta-male provider Aaron Edwards, but her desire is (and always has been) for bad boy Ethan, who left her to go fight in the Civil War.

Female hypergamy hasn’t changed at all since 1868.

Also notice how Sam Clayton witnesses this, but doesn’t find it surprising at all.

Another interesting character is Martin Pawley, played by Jeffrey Hunter. He’s an adopted orphan, in his late teens. He’s an outsider when the story begins. Seems like a beta male, with some alpha tendencies that grow as he matures into a man. (Unfortunately, he fights like a girl.)

Back to Ethan Edwards and the Reverend/Captain Sam Clayton: waynes&bondThere’s a scene leading into the climax of the film where a young cavalry officer finds Ethan and Martin who have just crashed a wedding (and Martin took back the bride-to-be from his beta rival, Texas Ranger Charlie McRory). The cavalryman is looking for the Captain of the Texas Rangers, and, upon observing those present, he assumes it’s Ethan Edwards until corrected.

Something about Ethan just makes people assume he’s in charge. Sam Clayton is miffed about this and takes to humiliating the young lieutenant. Ethan, who is often amused by the drama that goes on between other people (most of whom he regards with barely-hidden contempt), actually joins in on the roast of the young Yankee officer (who is played by Wayne’s son and becomes an increasingly comedic/pathetic character as the film goes on).

There are a lot of reasons to watch The Searchers, re-watch it, and analyze it visually and thematically. One reason is that, half a century before there was a “manosphere” or any discussion of the socio-sexual hierarchy, director John Ford knew how it all plays out in the theater of life.

 

Non-Fiction/Documentary, Socio-Sexual Studies

Alpha Males in Pop Culture

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I’m not sure if I’d even heard the term “alpha male” a couple years ago.  But enough people have bandied it about in conversation recently that my curiosity was piqued.

Turns out there’s a whole alphabet used to rank men by their personality and status. Not surprising that many disagree on the definitions. This breakdown of the hierarchy might not be the most accurate or popular, but I did find it to be the best articulated.

So in an effort to better understand this classification system, I’m gonna attempt to identify and label some well-known characters from the big and small screen.

The Original Star Wars Trilogy:

Han Solo is an obvious alpha. Loud, bold, overconfident-bordering-on-arrogant and with a big selfish streak. I don’t remember him ever accepting second-fiddle position to anyone. His alpha traits were watered down occasionally for comedic or dramatic effect, so he’s not 100% consistent…but that will probably be true for any fictitious hero.

Chewbacca, being content as Han’s sidekick, might be a beta. But his low SMV (sexual marketplace value) might make him an omega–at least among non-Wookies.

Luke Skywalker looks like the textbook beta. He’s intelligent, competent, with a high SMV, but also comfortable in the sidekick role. After the wars are over and he retires from the Rebel Space Force, he’ll probably settle down in the suburbs behind a white picket laser fence and raise some spoiled brats with a reasonably attractive wife who gazes lustfully at the old holograms of a young Han Solo when Luke isn’t looking. In fact, she was probably one of Han’s conquests, once.

Princess Leia will eventually settle down with a beta provider suitable for her class and status, after breaking up with Han. Han will eventually be caught smuggling Tattooine moonshine and die in prison, or be killed in a bar fight at Mos Isely Space Port.

C3PO may be a droid, but he sure comes off like a delta. I don’t know how to classify R2D2–he’s more like a child or a pet.

Meanwhile, over on the Dark Side of the Force, Darth Vader looks a lot like a sigma, while the Emperor is more like a gamma with latent lambda tendencies.

Shallow Hal:

I bring this up because I couldn’t help picturing the title character when reading Vox Day’s definition of a delta. Jack Black’s role was textbook delta. Textbook.

Famous Detectives:

Achieving clear-cut definitions is tougher than I thought it would be. Still, I’m fairly confident that Mike Hammer is an Alpha. Sam Spade is probably a sigma. And Magnum, P.I. might be a beta who just whines a lot and likes to talk about his feelings.

Classic Westerns:

Generalities are necessary here for the sake of brevity, but I’ll probably go into more depth in the future.

Like most people, my gut instinct is to classify the typical John Wayne screen portrayal as alpha, but this deserves at least one entire blog post of its own, so I’ll leave it at that for now.

Jimmie Stewart seems to fit the beta mold. Maybe I’ll analyze that some day, too.

Clint Eastwood…I’m thinking maybe a sigma. Or maybe just the darker side of the Jimmie Stewart beta?

The villains played by Jack Elam were probably textbook omega, with occasional promotions to gamma.

The “Road” Movies:

I’m referring specifically to the Bob Hope/Bing Crosby comedies all titled “The Road to ______________”.

Bing Crosby’s characters were the obvious alpha of the pair, while Bob Hope invariably played a delta.

Politics/Current Events, Socio-Sexual Studies

Fisking the Feminist Thought Police

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I think I remember reading or hearing once, years ago, that the word “hysterical” derived from a Latin root phrase which means, roughly, “wandering uterus.” In that light, a partner in crime here at Virtual Pulp directed my attention to a post on some site called “XO Jane” titled: 35 Practical Steps Men Can Take To Support Feminism.

(Maybe “hysterical” came from Greek instead of Latin. Does it matter? It’s all Greco-Roman to me. Who can really differentiate between all those ancient skirt-wearing metrosexuals, anyway?)

If you have the stomach for it, you can read the entire manifesto here…just in case you thought the list items below are another of my parodies because surely nobody would come out and actually spew B-Movie (femi)Nazi dogma like this in public.

Well, they have come out, and stop calling me Shirley!

Frankly, it’s hysterical–the parts that don’t either put you to sleep or induce vomiting, that is. So I’m going to pull priceless nuggets of sage advice from this hysterical masterpiece and apply some perspective in Two-Fisted Blogging style.

Of the 35 nuggets on this list, here are the highlights:

3. Consume cultural products produced by women.

Unless it’s food or clothes, because that would be helping “the Patriarchy” force her into an oppressive gender role.

6. When a woman tells you something is sexist, believe her.

And when a Democrat tells you something is racist, believe them.

10. Have progressive name politics.

What this refers to is a male taking a female’s last name when they get married. It’s news to me that people are doing this in our “oppressive patriarchy,” and even have a name for it. I wonder how happy a woman could be married to the blue pill spineless pantywaist (or gamma-male mangina, if you prefer) willing to go through with this. Well, she probably only wants the alleged man for his income anyway.

15. Don’t be an online bystander in the face of sexism.

Be proactive and willing to turn in your cyber-neighbors, because the NSA can’t watch everyone every second that they might be committing thoughtcrime.

19. Pay attention to the sex of experts and key figures presenting information to you in the media.

Because a cornerstone of equality is judging somebody by their sex (or race or ethnicity) rather than the validity of their claims.

20. Ensure that some of your heroes and role models are women.

Don’t worry–the entertainment industry has got this covered. You have no choice–even if you want to watch or read an action-adventure about a male protagonist, the obligatory amazon superninja will be rammed down your throat EVERY SINGLE TIME.

Appearances notwithstanding, this is the most macho character in Iron Man II.

21. Praise the virtues and accomplishments of women in your life to others.

Whether they deserve praise or not. In fact, women should never be criticized for ANYTHING they say or do because that’s sexism. Unless they’re politically right-of-center, of course.

24. Know that acknowledging your own sexist opinions and stereotypes you hold is not enough. Do something about them.

If you’re already meeting your quota of television viewing but still cling to the bigoted notion that men and women are different, a lobotomy and castration may be in order.

26. Find female mentors/leaders. (i.e., Be subordinate to women.)

Change careers if necessary…or sign on with a professional dominatrix. Sorry, there’s just too many potential responses to # 26 and most of them involve throwing up.

29. Offer to accompany female friends if they have to walk home alone at night…or in a public space where they may be likely to feel unsafe.

Some agent provacateur from the Patriarchy must have inserted this one, since it’s so obviously sexist–presuming that a woman needs a man for protection, to feel safe, or for anything else. We know from popular culture that women are superior to us in every way, after all.

30. Inject feminism into your daily conversations with other men.

Don’t just police your own thoughts–make sure everyone else is thinking correctly, too.

32. Women still earn about 77% as much as men. If you are in a position where you are financially able to do so, consider donating a symbolic 23% of your income to social justice-oriented causes.

No worries: For those who work for a living, the IRS is already doing this with your money.

34. Get in the habit of treating your maleness as an unearned privilege that you have to actively work to cede rather than femaleness being an unearned disadvantage that women have to work to overcome.

It’s hard to imagine a comparative statement with assumptions more myopic on both sides of the comparison.

35. Self-identify as a feminist.

I’m guessing anyone born male who is candy-assed enough to follow any of these directions has already self-identified, at every opportunity. It’s probable he already carries membership cards in his purse to establish bona fides (while somebody else carries his testicles in her purse).

BTW, as an antidote to this (and many other cultural ills) I shamelessly plug my satirical E-Book The Greater Good.