Why is Red pill so additive? I don't understand how it sucks in so many people?

luridlurker · 2022-01-12T08:27:49+00:00

Inducing anger/bitterness/anxiety + defining an "in" group and "out" groups + a little decent self help advice is the foundation of a lot of cults.

RedPillDetox · 2022-01-12T09:07:19+00:00

Why is TRP intoxicating?:

It's pseudo-cientific jargon makes it look legit and valid;
It presenting itself as "secret knowledge" only a "select few" are aware of feeds to people's own sense of narcisism and being special;
It presenting itself as a secret "club" appeals to people sense of belongingness and identity;
It selling you a "dystopic" view of reality and how dating is fucked appeals to people's sense of urgency and insecurities. It then presenting itself as the "solution" to navigate this said dystopia appeals to people desire for self-protection and "for turning tables";
It makes people feel like victims of a dystopic world where women are out there to get you. This appeals to their sense of morality and self-rightousness, as if they are just the "fair people" trying to cope with the injustice society subjects them to;
It preemptively invalidates all criticism by claiming that everybody who is against them is just an ill intended sjw, feminist or someone that is part of the "enemy" that is fueling this dystopia, hence all criticism can't be trusted.
The theory is very simple to understand and sounds coherent enough to make people feel like they can accurately predict dating, when they can't and most of the theories are just generalizations and circular logic fallacies.
All failure is simply rationalized as "you not doing things well enough" or you "faling to take responsibility for your actions", largely ignoring that if failure happens it may very well be because the theory itself is wrong.
Most guys have trouble with dating. After applying a few of the techniques they may start getting some minor positive responses from women. For the average dude, this may not look like much but for the dude who has always struggled with dating, having women laughing at their jokes or replying back to them on social media may be almost like a life changing moment.
It relies heavily on cultic tactics: Trying to convince you that if you're a red pill you can't "unsee" it and will always be one of them, etc.

seeingredagain · 2022-01-12T08:37:45+00:00

People are desperate for easy answers and quick fixes. We are a culture of immediate gratification.

HGW86 · 2022-01-12T08:59:49+00:00

From my own personal experience, The manosphere advertised itself as a solution or a pathway to a solution to problems I was struggling with that I couldn't find good resources for. In my case, I had fell into a long dry spell and I got rejected constantly, especially after one rejection that was especially soul crushing to me paired with a couple other unfortunately timed events in my life, I was suicidally depressed, I felt alone, worthless and I felt like I was weak. I wanted to fix my problems and become more attractive because I didn't want to feel so unwanted, so weak, so useless, so...unmanly, you know?

Some of the boards I started to frequent pushed the whole beta/alpha narrative which felt like it made sense to me at the time and I trusted it because it felt it was trying to give me straight up and harsh truth in a sea of the fluffy, yet dismissive hand-wavy bullshit that constitutes a majority of dating advice for straight men. It made me feel like I wasn't alone and it sort of paved a roadmap for me to improve on my problems. Eliminate beta-behavior and become more alpha, I would rise from my depression a stronger, more confident and more attractive man! Right?

But unfortunately, that was just the bait, because the red-pill doesn't really give you a solution and instead dumps a bunch of awful ideological baggage on you at the same time. It's like that commercial/meme of that guy with the fishing pole with a dollar on the hook who keeps jerking it away as someone's trying to grab the dollar and yelling "oh! You almost had it! You gotta be quicker than that!!". They totally fuck with you that way!!

Red pill exploits the insecurities of men and baits them with a solution to either sell them products such as books and seminars and shit or to spread a political ideology that can't be rationalized on merit, which is disgusting I hope we can find ways to effectively combat the red pill's influence!I appreciate you wanting to support your friend. He probably needs your support more than he realizes and I hope what I wrote was helpful to you.

w1gw4m · 2022-01-12T11:19:25+00:00

It provides simple explanations to difficult problems, it absolves men of responsibility for personal failures by blaming bad genetic luck and women in general, it plays on age old stereotypes that people mistakenly think is common sense etc

RacingPlant · 2022-01-12T12:01:24+00:00

They use cult tactics to hoodwink young vulnerable guys with various issues, even though all their leaders are frauds and losers

spankyourkopita · 2022-01-12T11:16:13+00:00

They have a way of making catchy phrases like "don't date women over 25" and of course you're gonna look and wonder what the heck they're gonna say. The more crazy they sound the better.

Meme-Man-Dan · 2022-01-12T14:40:12+00:00

Simple answers to complex problems + appealing to anger and similar emotions. On the surface it seems half decent, but upon deeper inspection the arguments fall apart.

whatsthecosmicjoke · 2022-01-12T14:53:22+00:00

A lot of men want a reason they are being rejected that doesn’t involve looking at themselves. Misery loves company.

vaporwav3r · 2022-01-12T15:51:41+00:00

Many people these days are looking for something to believe in, I feel. They believe mostly nothing and stand for nothing… makes it’s easy for grifters and con artists to seep through and fill up that empty space in their heads.

Fungled · 2022-01-12T19:28:58+00:00

From my point of view, TRP gave me a convenient way to hide myself away, and avoid being vulnerable in new relationships. Didn’t realise this so clearly at the time, but I’d recently had a rejection after “diving in” a bit too fast with someone before I’d had a chance to check her intentions were good - actually she was one of the first women I’d encountered who potentially had “bad” intentions; was happy to string me along, that hadn’t happened before

So I was looking for an explanation that shifted blame away from me simply falling too fast for the wrong person, and a way to avoid the sting of rejection by being open and vulnerable with a potential partner

As a phase it didn’t last that long, but I suffered side effects until recently, and I may have only completely cleared them now. Of course, now I’m back to having the normal problem of finding someone, and forging an authentic relationship. Plus I’m now 40 :(

Sigh. Wish me luck

Carloverguy20 · 2022-01-12T23:07:56+00:00

It preys into your insecurities as a young male. When you are in your teens and early 20s, you are going through a developmental time, and redpill is a driving factor of it.

They will tell you that you have to be "Alpha" to get women, and put her in her place.

It's kind of a revenge of the nerds type of thing, and it turns boys into raging misogynists who are mad at women in existence.

I almost got sucked into it and was a follower of it. Redpill tactics only work on problematic damaged people, and not good people.

PrincessTiaraLove · 2022-01-12T14:34:34+00:00

Its the confirmation bias. You want someone to confirm all your woes and give you solutions on how to confirm them even if the solutions are absolutely unrealistic and ludicrous

Darklillies · 2022-01-12T16:36:25+00:00

Just like any cult or religion. It claims to answer all of your problems. Understand the secrets of the world, and the best part is that you’re above it all, better than the rest, and it’s everybody Else’s fault.

cunningcaring · 2022-01-12T23:40:20+00:00

Lies are often addictive, telling people what they want to hear rather than what is.

Kingdionethethird · 2022-01-12T09:18:02+00:00

It’s basically just entertainment now. Something like 11 years ago the red pill was about financially peaking, hitting the gym, and respecting yourself. Not much to it and also solid advice right? Well some where along the way RP content creation became very profitable. They realized they could clean the content up just enough to have access to YouTube ad revenue while also being able to sell courses and consulting calls. That was the second wave (which we’re still in). Then when Kevin Samuels came along and created more of a stylized version of it all, thus partially showing what the RP will look like in the next 5 years.

sernamedeleted · 2022-01-12T20:41:35+00:00

It's a cult that targets a vulnerable group: insecure young men who have been hurt by rejection. It then fills their heads with nonsense about how the world is against them to radicalize them to hatred and violence against anyone who doesn't share their beliefs, primarily women.

AvalancheReturns · 2022-01-12T09:20:20+00:00

I think cause a) its sounds very sure of itself, combined with b) placing all the "blame" on outside factors. Allowing one to feel very self rightious in doing the same, not having to look at the beam in their own eye before very loudly condemning the speck in the others' eye.

Its a -faulty- technique as old as... well the bible at least...

WestAtmosphere · 2022-01-12T13:11:34+00:00

Gases them up to think they are going to hit the jackpot down the road basically.

samanthamolina · 2022-01-12T21:45:19+00:00

I joined this group because of a friend that started to follow Red pill ideology and has now changed in so many ways, and not for the better.

What are some of these changes? If you feel comfortable sharing.

PhilosopherHistorian · 2022-01-13T04:53:42+00:00

It feeds on the insecurities and grievances of guys like your friend and they develop a codependent relationship with the ideology. It serves them the way a drug like heroine or meth does. Guys who were dragged into RP though feel that the ideology is helping them when in fact, it is destroying them.

That has basically been my experience with it at least.

WannaBeA_Vata · 2022-01-12T12:45:32+00:00

It displaces (inappropriate) shame and remove the need for exploring the nuance inherent in relationships.

absolutebeginners · 2022-01-12T14:10:43+00:00

It's actually not that many people

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Illustrious_Wish_383 · 2022-01-13T20:41:15+00:00

I think the biggest advantage is it doesn't trivialize or invalidate the problems many men have. It at least takes them seriously

Platinum_Touch · 2022-01-14T05:47:18+00:00

It saves men. That's the simple answer to your question.

Casper_N_Homies · 2022-01-17T10:37:38+00:00

simplest answer is that it fills a void.

vptran31 · 2022-01-19T06:28:33+00:00

i think its our need for certainty as humans. there are the standard psychological techs to build a internet community.

but there is a market for this cuz we all suck at intergendered dynamics. and this provides some semblance of an answer.

odd_cloud · 2022-01-23T22:55:14+00:00

Because it resonates with experience of many men.

2022-01-12T18:33:40+00:00

Because it’s truth. And truth is addictive

AutoModerator · 2022-01-13T08:37:38+00:00

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Title	Why is Red pill so additive? I don't understand how it sucks in so many people?
Author	alexbrove
Upvotes	29
Comments	43
Date	January 12, 2022 8:00 AM UTC (2 years ago)
Subreddit	Posted in /r/ExRedPill
Original Link	https://old.reddit.com/r/exredpill/comments/s20vl3/why_is_red_pill_so_additive_i_dont_understand_how/
Archive Link	https://theredarchive.com/r/ExRedPill/why-is-red-pill-so-additive-i-dont-understand-how.1095727 https://theredarchive.com/post/1095727