I use the term 'gilded' to reference Mark Twain's description of late 18th century America's "Gilded Age" - a period of prosperity that appeared golden while harboring serious structural problems beneath its attractive exterior.

Young men who swallow the pill will immediately understand the delta between what they are and what they want (need) to be in order to attain the success they desire. Aware initiates see an immense body of work in undertaking "supremification" -- that path toward summiting the mountain of self-improvement.

Among these labors in transitioning from average to good and from good to great (ala the 12 labors of Hercules):

  • Building a successful career (not job) that is fulfilling and rewarding
  • Achieving financial stability (and savings)
  • Physical empowerment (appearance, looking great naked, in one word "steaze")
  • Gain experience (via relationships, failure, international travel etc.: "increasing information and your personal relationship to it")
  • "Know thyself" (strengths & weaknesses)
  • Improving social acumen (conversation, appeal, sociability)
  • Education (knowledge for self-improvement: eg sexpertise, skills like cooking, books)
  • Increasing general coolness (social magnetism, frame)
  • Building a network of worthy allies (friend, colleagues, mentors, associates, contacts)
  • Increasing resources (time, freedom, happiness)
  • Self-reliance and actualization: Abundance mentality
  • Achieving respect (from grandmothers, nieces, uncles, cousins, mother, the 9 at the bar, your best friend, your enemy, your frienemy, your girlfriend, your ex-girlfriend)

This is quite an undertaking. So much so that to do these things requires an immense investment of focus, time, money and effort (resources) in accomplishing. If you have decided you need to lift Friday morning before work you cannot stay out drinking until 2 AM the night before (sic).

Whereas bright young Jedi initiates understand as much, a young sith will find a more immediate payoff worthwhile; essentially The Marshmallow test. Additionally I wonder if such obvious stop-gap of the Gilded Alpha can readily evolve as an "evolutionary behavior" (See Richard Dawkin's 'The Selfish Gene' for a fascinating corollary to evolutionary opportunism) -- that instead of actually undertaking these foundational challenges inherent in becoming the best man you can be, there will be a perceived advantage in cutting corners or in becoming a "Gilded Alpha". Such a behavior will have certain benefits and disadvantages.

While you are home asleep on Thursday night conserving your energy for lifting weights the next morning a confident, chubby man is at a bar, taking 9 chick home, banging her and again the next morning while you are at the gym. This man will be less Red Pill than you; yet on this night he was more successful than you were. It will happen.

What is the effect of the platitude "fake it until you make it"? In comparison to the requisite body of work for a supreme man (above), a gilded alpha instead reduces resource costs while maximizing returns:

  • Maximizing visibility of successes while not actively working to be more successful
  • Impresses others with wealth (expenditures that don't bring inherent worth while decreasing resources for improvement and goals)
  • Uses fashion to disguise physical deficiencies instead of enhancing prowess (reduces physical hardship)
  • Avoids opportunities to increase experience by avoiding costs, risks, defeat, embarrassment (not failing is not losing)
  • Ignores personal deficiencies and improvement opportunity while championing strengths (and a corollary: dunning-krugering)
  • Avoids socialization, confrontation to avoid stress and discomfort; crutches on PUA
  • "TLDR", TED talks, editorials and viral feeds as replacement to learning
  • Postures to appear more than he is (social media abuse)
  • Replaces person connections with virtual communities for ease and comfort
  • Half-asses commitments, prioritizes convenience, flakes when desirable
  • Sour grapes mentality
  • Demands respect from those who don't (and often gets it)

Side effects of the Red Pill may include gilded alpha. A Gilded Alpha is not a natural alpha and neither is he Red Pill. He looks to benefit from tenants of self-improvement and the sexual strategy that is Red Pill (because he understands it) but without the associated investment of resource costs.

Are Gilded Alphas bad people? Should they be castigated for favoring opportunism? That's not what I am advocating - but rather acknowledgement and understanding of the phenomenon. The cuckoo bird cannot be faulted for evolving to fill the niche of its environment; but all birds who want to succeed should recognize them.