I think a lot of folks have felt some tension in seddit recently, and I'm going to posit a solution. This is not a rant, I am by no means an expert, and I hope this is will be a discussion. I only care because seddit literally changed my life and made me a better version of myself.

First off:

What's "wrong": the old guard is handing off to the new guard. When Seddit first started, this whole sub was PUA--guys who had just read The Game and were sharing tips on how to execute PUA tactics perfectly.

As Seddit evolved, it became more sophisticated and began to focus on inner game and natural game.

The thing is, PUA and inner/natural game are not mutually exclusive, and in fact, if everyone will recall The Game for a second, the goal was to improve yourself and become a natural. Neil Strauss's number one tip was dress better, exercise, take voice lessons, anything to improve who you are first! And the end goal is to internalize and stop overthinking--aka become the best natural you can be.

Let me back up. There are two types of reasoning: inductive and deductive.

  • Inductive: observe individual instances, take them as evidence, draw a conclusion.
  • Deductive: start with a hypothesis, find evidence to support or discredit the hypothesis, come to a conclusion.

The PUA guys who literally wrote the book on the subject inductively came to their conclusions. They went out and "opened" thousands of "sets." In the process, they invented a stilted vernacular, inspired you to come here (whether you know it or not), and filled out the fucking answer sheet to the question: "How do you attract women?"

//

Now say I'm a 22 year old nerd who was lucky to have sex once in college and I've just read the game (as was my case). Now I'm like holy fuck--I just found the cheat sheet!

And I start trying the cheat sheet. AND IT WORKS. I have no idea why it works, but it works. Not all of it--that silly hats and earrings thing sounds dumb, and I hate insulting girls, but on the whole, gee golly, I'm approaching people, trying things, and attracting women!

//

Over time, I start shaving away the things that don't work for me. Over time, I find that there are PUA strategies that suit my personality better. Over time, I stop thinking about it. Over time, I start attracting the women I want--a lot.

And all of a sudden I look back and I say, PUA was retarded! Those terms and routines are cold and calculating and stupid and immature and I'm so glad I'm past that time in my life and now I'm a natural. All you need to do is be yourself!

But my current self is a product of that system. It. Fucking. Worked. And that is deductive reasoning. You start with the answer. You don't know whether the answer is right, you just have it. So you try it, and tweak it, and over time you figure out the all-important why.

//

So what does this mean for this sub? PUA is 100% the foundation of this entire community. I personally HATE PUA terminology (notice how I put it all in quotations). I think routines are unnatural and fake.

But I recognize that, without getting the answer sheet first, I never would have gotten to where I am inductively. I needed the what before the why, and I suspect everyone who's not a true natural here feels the same way.

So yes--inner game and self-improvement have always been pre-requisites for seduction. However, those things are NOT sufficient for attraction.

Being the best version of yourself is table-stakes. Knowing how, and eventually learning how to attract women--that's what this sub is about.

//

Post-script: Here's a chart (shoutout to /r/dataisbeautiful) I made about the impact of seddit on my life: http://i.imgur.com/99h2ab5.png