Spring Break
Playing 'The Game'
Neil Strauss sends his readers on a mission to pick up women
Yasmine Bikul and Jessie Fernandez
Issue date: 2/1/08 Section: Features
Pick-up artist Neil Strauss, author of "The Game," a New York Times best selling book that chronicles Strauss's journey from having very little success with women to being arguably the world's best pick-up artist, has a new tip-giving MySpace page. Therein he provides pointers and strategies on his blog and videos to men who'd like help with picking up women.
Strauss, once a writer for the New York Times and contributing editor for Rolling Stone, gained his ranks as a pick-up artist in the seduction community under the pseudonym "Style." The seduction community is a loose-knit group of men who seek better sex lives and romantic success with women through self-improvement. Three years after joining the community, Strauss wrote about his experiences for the New York Times.
Strauss has recently released a new book called "Rules of the Game," which is a two-book set that includes tips for how to pick up women and also contains stories for what not to do when picking up women.
Reporters Yasmine Bikul and Jesse Fernandez have cataloged their feelings about his MySpace page:
Yasmine Bikul: As a women reading "The Game," I found his book to be more genuine than his MySpace page. When you enter his profile in the "about me" section, his first words are, "I am a selfish prick." At first I was totally turned off by this remark but as I continued to read, Strauss revealed that this was the most successful personal ad that he put in a newspaper.
As you continue on, you find his blogs which give out pointers on how to pick up women. In his explanation of what techniques work the best to pick up women, he references women as an object rather than a person. Strauss was more into women as a prize rather than a gift, which is demeaning and disrespectful to women everywhere.
Jesse Fernandez: I don't think his MySpace page is necessarily disingenuous. "The Game" is about his personal journey as a person, so I can see how his personality would show through, and in turn, why he would seem more genuine. What he's done in his MySpace page is separate the tactics he learned on his journey from the journey itself. His MySpace page is simply an informative resource so it can't really be held to the same standards of being genuine. Sophomore psychology major Michael Stearns said that pick ups are "not degrading unless your pick-up involves something degrading. It's just a way to initiate conversation."
Strauss, once a writer for the New York Times and contributing editor for Rolling Stone, gained his ranks as a pick-up artist in the seduction community under the pseudonym "Style." The seduction community is a loose-knit group of men who seek better sex lives and romantic success with women through self-improvement. Three years after joining the community, Strauss wrote about his experiences for the New York Times.
Strauss has recently released a new book called "Rules of the Game," which is a two-book set that includes tips for how to pick up women and also contains stories for what not to do when picking up women.
Reporters Yasmine Bikul and Jesse Fernandez have cataloged their feelings about his MySpace page:
Yasmine Bikul: As a women reading "The Game," I found his book to be more genuine than his MySpace page. When you enter his profile in the "about me" section, his first words are, "I am a selfish prick." At first I was totally turned off by this remark but as I continued to read, Strauss revealed that this was the most successful personal ad that he put in a newspaper.
As you continue on, you find his blogs which give out pointers on how to pick up women. In his explanation of what techniques work the best to pick up women, he references women as an object rather than a person. Strauss was more into women as a prize rather than a gift, which is demeaning and disrespectful to women everywhere.
Jesse Fernandez: I don't think his MySpace page is necessarily disingenuous. "The Game" is about his personal journey as a person, so I can see how his personality would show through, and in turn, why he would seem more genuine. What he's done in his MySpace page is separate the tactics he learned on his journey from the journey itself. His MySpace page is simply an informative resource so it can't really be held to the same standards of being genuine. Sophomore psychology major Michael Stearns said that pick ups are "not degrading unless your pick-up involves something degrading. It's just a way to initiate conversation."
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