The stated goal of a man in The Red Pill community, generally speaking, is to "become alpha." John Romaniello, a coach and author of Man 2.0: Becoming The Alpha, gives his take on what an alpha attitude is all about.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, he hadn't exactly swallowed the Red Pill.

"My definition of an alpha is someone who wants to become the best version of themselves so that they can best serve the world. Obviously, there's nothing wrong with motivating guys to become better men, but The Red Pill seems to be doing so in an aggressive and adversarial sort of way. From an outside perspective, it seems like they're a bit too vocal about categorizing themselves as alphas and others as betas ... there doesn't seem to be an attitude of wanting to bring other people into the fold. It seems divisive rather than inclusive."

Romaniello referenced a post he saw where a Red Piller wrote something to the effect of "if you focus on self-improvement, you'll attract a higher-quality woman."

"There's nothing controversial to this statement," he said. "And, speaking personally, I agree with it. I think there are many Red Pill members who see it that way. But there are a lot of voices decrying this sentiment in favor of an attitude of ... degradation, I guess. It seems like The Red Pill is generally taking the idea of alpha from the pickup artist perspective and running in an extreme direction with it. Like any group or belief system, there's a lot of value to be found with the reasonable stuff. But also like any other group, The Red Pill has some extremists who are fervent in their beliefs and incredibly vocal. Oh, and batshit crazy. I think that's likely the reason The Red Pill has gotten the reputation of being misogynistic. "

Romaniello added, "I want to like the Red Pill. They're helping guys find confidence and actively seek self-edification. It's a good idea, I'm just not in love with the execution. The goal of an alpha should be to serve the world and improve other people – not to tear men down and hate women. Maybe the Red Pillers just have a bit more growing to do. I think they'll get there."

To be fair, TRP is relatively new and its mods and members young. Is there hope they will mature over time? Possibly. They are either headed for a very lonely middle age (no LTR, no children) or for a deviation in attitude that embraces women for more than fucking. I think there are significant numbers of subscribers willing to take that step but the mods actively prevent discussion or encouragement of that attitude. Personally, I foresee a schism where the extremists will remain at TRP and "Alphas with Honor" leave to form their own sub.

Thoughts?