Note: semi-satire ahead.

Cherryblue's guide for avoiding red pill men:

Hello ladies :)

You're single and you're looking for a guy to date. The dating world can be treacherous even under the best of circumstances, but as chance would have it, you happen upon this internet forum full of men who have gathered to compare notes and share stories about ways to manipulate you into having sex with them. You are horrified! Sure, you've encountered a few assholes in your time, but you had no idea there were guys out there who hate women so much they have made a hobby of tricking girls into bed. But fear not, because there are ways of avoiding these men. Here are some tricks and heuristics for minimizing the time you waste dating a TRP guy:

  1. When you meet a guy, don't have sex with him right away.

I don't care how horny you are. Don't have sex with him until at least the 3rd or 4th date! Why? Because TRP men (and those like them) are mostly just looking for sex, and if they don't get it right away they'll probably move on. Remember, TRP men aren't interested in you, they are interested in your vagina. But you're not looking for casual sex, you're looking for a guy who likes you; the complete package that is you - your personality, your wit, your intelligence and yes, your vagina. A guy who just wants to pump and dump you probably won't stick around for 3 or 4 dates if he isn't getting any poontang, so it's a good way to weed them out. If you do decide to have sex with a guy right away, be ok with the fact that you may never see him again.

  1. See if he picks up the tab on the first date.

The egalitarian in me thinks that you should always split the bill. But TRP men are trying to get sex while expending as few resources as possible, so if he picks up the tab, it's a good sign he's not going that route. Of course if he does pick up the whole tab on the first date, you should pick up the whole tab on the second date, and then split it from then onward, because fair is fair :)

  1. Casually mention early on that you are a feminist

You need to be careful with this one, because you don't want to come across as an extremist and scare off a good guy. But TRPers loath feminists and feminism, so with any luck if you throw that one out there, even casually and without saying anything extreme, he will run for the hills. Or he might take it as a challenge, so make sure to stick with rule #1.

  1. Consider it a red flag if he's overly concerned with your partner count.

Questions about partner count usually come up at some point in a new relationship, but if your guy seems overly concerned about it, or seems unusually paranoid that you are lying about your partner count, that's a bad sign. Especially if your partner count is less than or around equal to his. A double standard like that is sure to be trouble down the road, and if he assumes you are lying, it suggests that he has trust issues either with women or with people in general. Save yourself the headache and get out!

  1. Don't date a guy who makes you feel bad about yourself.

This is just good advice in general, but it's especially useful for avoiding TRP men because they like using techniques such as "negging" and "dread game" and "amused mastery" that are designed to set up a power differential with you on the bottom and them on top (and not in a good way). You are looking for an equal partnership, so run for the hills if your new love interest seems intent on putting you down.

With any luck, these tricks and women's intuition will help you avoid wasting time on a closet misogynist who's just looking to score some tail. Of course nothing is foolproof, but just remember, it is far better to be single than to be some jerk's plate, so don't ever be afraid to next him!