text:
Home repair services can fix everything from a leaky faucet to a loose porch rail or a fence. They can also replace light bulbs and weather-stripping. Even a broken shutter can be repaired by a home repair service. Here are some of the most common problems that home repair services can solve for you:. And if you're not sure where to start, here are some tips. You might even find a deal or two in the process!
Find out if the company you're considering offers any online scheduling. Some companies even offer apps that allow customers to schedule repairs and view their invoices. This can be very convenient for people who frequently use their cell phones for multiple purposes. However, keep in mind that not all repairs go according to plan, so you'll probably need to contact customer service once in a while. Some home repair services only respond to phone calls while others encourage customers to email them or text them with questions.
Research home repair services thoroughly. Often, these services charge more than specialized ones, so be sure to compare prices and experience. Fortunately, these companies are usually available 24/7, and you'll find them on the Internet. Some of them even have apps for smartphones that will allow you to schedule repairs, view invoices, and pay online. This is especially convenient if you frequently use your phone for multiple tasks. Lastly, remember that sometimes things don't go as planned, so you'll need to contact the home repair service company. Some home repair services require you to call them while others encourage you to email them. Some even respond to texts, so be sure to know which one you're hiring before scheduling an appointment. Find the best home building and repairs experts on this website.
After you've narrowed down a list of home repair services, it's time to hire one. There are many reasons to hire a home repair service, and it can make your life easier and more convenient. Some companies even offer apps so you can schedule an appointment and pay your bill online. These apps can be useful for busy people, as you'll be able to see your invoices and track your repairs from your phone.
You'll also want to consider the convenience of home repair services. Some of them offer apps to schedule an appointment and pay for repairs. These apps can make life much easier, especially if you don't have a computer. Another benefit is the price. Some home repair services are more expensive than others. You'll have to travel out of your area to hire a service. Having a list of home repair services available will help you choose the best company for your needs.
Some companies offer home repair services over the phone. These companies are great for general repairs, but they may not be as specialized as a specialized plumbing service. They will also work with your insurance provider to ensure that you get the best price possible. You'll want to make sure to choose a home repair service that guarantees its work. There are many advantages to having a home repair service, and it's not difficult to find the right one.
If you want to know more about this topic, visit: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Home_construction.


text:
FORUM Bittersweet Vinegar 250ml
per item
Forum Cabernet Sauvignon wine vinegar is aged in oak barrels, the bittersweet flavors allows it to marry well with the majority of dishes, both classical and contemporary. Try adding Forum wine vinegar to any of your favorite recipes and discover culinary possibilities that will gain you a reputation for gastronomic creativity. Forum Cabernet Sauvignon Wine Vinegar is unfiltered to retain to retain the full flavor of the grape and it is produced in limited quantities at Cellers Puig & Rocain in El Vendrell, a famous wine growing region in Cataluña, Spain.
Shipping weight 600 g
Shipping not included ▶
Shipping weight 600 g
Shipping not included ▶

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Gibbons Music
Submit video to the
"We Should Be United" VIDEO CONTEST
Scroll down for contest info. and rules:
Video Contest
This is a great, big country. Understanding for those who seem different is essential for the well-being of our nation. It's needed everywhere by everyone.
The "We Should Be United" Video Contest aims to create a stunning official video that reminds Americans to emphasize the positive and that we all share a common humanity. I want YOU to be a part of this video!
1. Please stream or download "We Should Be United" by Matt Gibbons and the Elevators so you can get the feel for the project. (See the links below.) The Unofficial Short-Edit of the video is also on this page.
2. Use your smartphone and, for 10 - 20 seconds, video yourself either in harmony with someone you know is safe or by yourself singing along or simply dancing or smiling. You can wear a mask or face-shield. Those certainly fit the times. A full-length video submissions is acceptable if you're that ambitious.
3. Save the video as an MP4 and email a downloadable link to me at firstname.lastname@example.com. An app like Drop Box or Google Drive make it easy to send downloadable links. By sharing this link with me, you grant me first-publishing rights. That means I get to use it in my video to be memorialized for all time, yet after I publish it, it's yours to publish anywhere you wish.
4. Download, fill out and email the information and release form to me at email@example.com, along with the link to your video. A signature can be added using a mouse, stylus, or touch-screen, as long as it is your signature. Each person in the video must sign the document, and I can't accept video submissions that aren't sent with one. For anyone under 18 years of age, a guardian must also email a verifiable letter of consent.
5. There is no entry fee. Participation in this contest is voluntary, an act of good will and patriotism, and, as the budget's already in the red, winners that become part of the official video will receive screen credit if they want it. All participants also get to say they were part of something really good for the country.
Download: The Information and Release Form.
Get the full-length version of "We Should Be United" by Matt Gibbons and the Elevators on...
Amazon (or ask Alexa!)
"We Should Be United" is a rock song that moves in and out of rap with a strong reggae groove and the lyrics of an anthem. It calls for tolerance, heart and bipartisanship for the greater good in the U.S.A.
The unofficial
"Short EdiT"
Matt has worn the hats of actor, musician, composer and poet in New York and New Jersey for past 25 years, never being the hat itself, but a man, first, who wears them. Most recently Matt has re-released and is promoting his single "We Should Be United" for the 2020 elections. This website, in fact, is hosting the "We Should Be United Video Contest," a project that Matt hopes will be healing for the country. Matt wrote, recorded and released "We Should Be United" for the 2018 midterm elections, and is now on the Divine Wine Music label. In acting, Matt starred in Hari Kapoor's Diamonds, a dramatic short film that premiered at the Hollywood Reel Independent Film Festival, Thursday, February 22 2018. In 2012, Matt released a full-band alternative rock cd called Dance in Your Kitchen under the name, Matt Gibbons & the Elevators. In 2017 Matt played a lucky 13 solo gigs, featuring many of the songs from the cd, along with rock standards and Irish Pub songs. Matt's poetry has been published twice in written form, and can be heard and felt in sound form. To make money, Matt works in NYC doing HVAC service and maintenance. Matt does dance in the kitchen, in his home, work place, on ladders, in machine rooms, on trains... and more! To hit all the beats and notes of life, that's what it takes.


text:
Having a Thailand bride is a desirable dream of many guys from all over the planet. This is a type of spouse who will make you happier and more successful, bringing a light into your life. If you want to meet a lady who will share her love, passion, and admiration, such a girl will be a wonderful choice for you.
Thailand: What Are The Best Totally Dating Sites
|Dating Site
|User Rating
|Our Score
|Visit Site
Most Popular Choice 😍
Girls online: 2.2K
Girls online: 2.2K
Editor's choice 👍
Girls online: 2.2K
Girls online: 2.2K
Girls online: 2.2K
Girls online: 2.2K
Females from Thailand belong to the most desirable brides and such marriages are considered being very successful. They prefer foreign men more than their local and a significant number of them are looking for love on different online dating portals. Thai males were bombarded with critiques regarding their treatment towards Thai ladies. Thus, marrying such a girl, you can be certain that your beloved partner will be devoted only to you.
If you're curious about the idea of blinding your life with one of the most gorgeous and open-minded Thai cuties out there, simply continue reading to find out some of the many reasons why you can't go wrong marrying a such a captivating and warm-hearted lady.
Why Thai belles are so popular?
They are healthy and astonishing
Mail order Thai wives rare well-know as gorgeous and stylish. These ladies try to keep a healthy diet and do various activities to stay fit. Owing to it, they can boast of ideal shapes and sexy look. Generally, these belles are middle-height, have sun-kissed skin, and dark hair. Just imagine the portrait of your potential spouse, her charming smile and deep bright eyes! Your wife probably will have soft facial features and a stylish look. Yes, your soulmate will be modern and attractive, because she knows how to highlight the brightest of her features.
These women are submissive
If you are keen on exotic and humble girls, Thai brides can satisfy all your search preferences. Such a spouse will listen to you without giving you an attitude. Submissiveness is a common feature of these ladies that can make your family life stable and long-termed. For example, If you talk to a western wife with a raised voice, she will either respond with the same intensity or keep quiet and tell her friend later that you are becoming a pain in the butt. Remember please that submissiveness of your spouse is not a reason to disrespect her. You have to be polite and think about her feelings.
Perfect housewives
Thailand women looking for marriage have good housewives skills inherited from their mothers and grandmothers. They know how to keep their household clean and cozy. If you choose such a lady for a family life, you can be certain that all clothes will be pressed, the utensils will be sparkling clean, and the garage will be in order by the time you arrive from work. Besides, she will be waiting for your return from work with a hot and tasty dinner. A significant number of these cuties were raised according to the local customs and must cook for you and do a few more things before finally resting. Even if you tell them not to bother with it, they might not listen.
Mix of traditional and western style of life
Females in this country were raised to be respectful to their husbands, parents, and older people. In our fast-developing world international marriages have become very popular, and today these foreign cuties are inclined to search for their ideal partner overseas. Especially, they appreciate dating American guys and after having such an experience, they don't agree to start a romantic affair with local guys. These cuties prefer western men because they gain more respect, compliments, and attention they deserve for.
How to attract such a foreign lady?
Hot Thai girls are in great demand among foreign men, and if you want to catch the attention of one of these cuties, you have to bear in mind several advice. In order to melt the heart of your beloved girl, please follow some tips:
- Be good-mannered
- Say compliments to her
- Take things slowly
- Surprise her.
If you want to attract your foreign girl, you have to show your serious intentions. Females from Thailand are looking for reliable and long-lasting romance, and of course, they dream about marriage. Also, little presents can amaze your future belle. It can be accessories, sweets, some pretty toys, and more. Probably, she will be keen on delicious food, so that cooking some unusual dishes or romantic dinner in a restaurant is one of the keys to your girl's heart.
Sometimes it can be difficult to make such a lady sincere because she can hide her emotions and feelings. If you are honest, open-minded, and caring, your desirable belle can become more open and give you a try!


text:
Jay-Z is an American rapper, songwriter, record producer, and businessman who is regarded as one of the greatest rappers of all time as well as one of the best showmen. Credited as one of the most influential hip-hop artists, he has won at least 22 Grammy Awards, the first rapper to achieve the feat, and also became the first rapper to be honored into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2017.
Born Name
Shawn Corey Carter
Nick Name
S-dot, Young Hov, Jazzy (or Jay-Z), Hova, Jigga, J-Hova, Jiggaman, Iceberg Slim, Lucky Lefty, Joe Camel, Hov, The Carter Administration, El Presidente
Sun Sign
Born Place
Brooklyn, New York City, New York, United States
Brooklyn, New York City, New York, United States
Shawn Corey Carter attended Eli Whitney High School in Brooklyn. Post that, he went to George Westinghouse Career and Technical Education High School in Downtown Brooklyn. Finally, Corey enrolled himself into Trenton Central High School in Trenton, New Jersey. But, he did not graduate from that school.
Rapper, Singer, Songwriter, Record Producer, Record Executive, Entrepreneur
- Father – Adnes Reeves
- Mother – Gloria Carter
- Siblings – Eric Carter (Older Brother), Michelle Carter (Sister), Andrea Carter (Sister)
Hip hop
Def Jam, Roc-A-Fella, Roc Nation, Atlantic, Priority Records
6 ft 2 in or 188 cm
85 kg or 187.5 pounds
Girlfriend / Spouse
Jay-Z has dated –
- Ananda Lewis – RUMOR
- Maia Campbell – RUMOR
- Chrissy Lampkin – RUMOR
- Amil – RUMOR
- Tionne 'T-Boz' Watkins (1995-1998) – Between the years 1995 and 1998, he went out with singer, songwriter, and actress Tionne 'T-Boz' Watkins.
- Carmen Bryan (1997-1999)
- (1998-2000) – From 1998 to 2000, the two rappers were romantically linked to each other. Lil' Kim is more than 1 feet shorter than Jay-Z. She stands 4 ft 11 in.
- Charlie Baltimore (1999) – In 1999, Jay-Z was RUMORed to have had a fling with Charlie.
- (1999) – He had a fling with actress, singer, and songwriter, Christina Milian, in 1999.
- – Jay-Z was rumored to be dating rapper Foxy Brown in the past.
- (1999) – Jay-Z had a short relationship with singer Aaliyah in 1999. She died two years later, after that.
- (2000) – He had a fling with actress Rosario Dawson in 2000.
- (2000)
- Shenelle Scott (2000-2001) – Jay-Z met the Trinidadian and Tobagonian glamour model during the Big Pimpin video shoot in 2000. They dated for a year from 2000 to 2001. It is assumed that he is the father of Shenelle's child, Isa Jael.
- (2001) – The two singers were romantically linked to each other in 2001.
- (2002-Present) – American singer Beyonce after, many years of dating with Jay-Z married him. They first met each other when they were on a tour in 2002 and soon they started dating. The duo, then engaged in May 2005 and married on April 4, 2008, secretly in New York City. Beyonce gave birth to the couple's first child, a daughter – (born – January 7, 2012). Later, on June 13, 2017, the couple welcomed twins Rumi Carter (daughter) and Sir Carter (son). Rumi is older than Sir.
- Free (2004) – RUMOR
- (2006-2007)
- Yes Liv Can (2008)
- (2009) – He had an encounter with English singer-songwriter Rita Ora in 2009.
- (2014) – In 2014, Jay-Z was rumored to have hooked up with fashion designer Rachel Roy before the Met Gala.
Race / Ethnicity
He is of African-American descent.
Hair Color
Eye Color
Dark Brown
Sexual Orientation
Distinctive Features
- Multi-talented personality
- Broad nose
Brand Endorsements
Budweiser Select, American Red Cross, Reebok (2005), Hewlett-Packard (2006), Ace of Spades, etc.
Best Known For
His various albums such as The Blueprint 3 (2009), Vol. 3… Life and Times of S. Carter (1999), In My Lifetime, Vol. 1 (1997) and others.
First Album
Jay-Z released his debut album Reasonable Doubt on June 25, 1996, in the USA via Roc-A-Fella records. It charted at #23 in the USA. It got the certification of Platinum in America.
Jay-Z sold 1,514,000 copies of the album in the U.S.
First Film
Jay-Z starred in his debut film Streets Is Watching. The musical film, which is written by Jay-Z himself was released in 1998.
Personal Trainer
For Grammys 2014, Beyonce and Jay Z did the workout together, which mainly involved dance moves to shed off pounds. No doubt, there were running sessions and other exercises too.
Marco Borges is the man behind their amazing bodies. He made Jay-Z eat the to prepare for the music show, Grammys 2014.
Check out his .
Jay-Z Favorite Things
- Album (Personal) – Reasonable Doubt
- Song – Toxic
- Song – Human Nature
- Movies – Cliche (2003), Godfather II (1974), True Romance (1993)
- Cereal – Cap'n Crunch
- Pasta – Linguine with clam
Source – , Idolator.com
Jay-Z Facts
- Jay-Z owns a record label company "Roc Nation".
- His father left the family when Jay-Z was very young. So, he is primarily raised by his mother.
- In 1982 (when Jay-Z was 12), he shot his older brother in the shoulder for stealing his jewelry.
- Via his music, Jay-Z revealed that he had been involved in selling crack cocaine in the past.
- He received the nickname Jazzy in his childhood. It gradually turned into Jay-Z. On July 18, 2013, he dropped the hyphen in Jay-Z and now wants to be known as Jay Z.
- He does not like puns.
- He had a great interest in music since childhood and due to that reason, her mother bought him a boom box for his birthday.
- He is the co-owner of his clothing line Rocawear. He also owns a sports bar called 40/40 Club.
- He has held the record for the most number-one albums by a solo artist on the Billboard 200, with a total of 14.
- He has credited musicians like Marvin Gaye and Donny Hathaway as his influences.
- Jaz-O is his musical mentor and that is why Jay-Z adopted the stage name as Jay-Z.
- In November 2020, he invested in a fitness equipment startup, CLMBR in which (tennis player) and YouTube co-founder Chad Hurley have also invested.
- Jay-Z started his own blog like lifestyle website in April 2011, which covers a wide variety of topics. Visit his official website @ lifeandtimes.com.
Facts of Jay-Z
- full nameJay-Z
- Date of Birth December 04, 1969
- Age 53 years 9 months
- Horoscope Sagittarius
- Lucky Number 5
- Lucky Stone Turquoise
- Lucky Color Orange
- Best Match for Marriage Leo, Aquarius
- weight85 kg
- height6 ft 2 in


text:
We never think it will happen to us. When we fall in love, we figure there may be rocky stretches, but we don't plan on the really hard times, when the pain of love gone wrong throws us off balance, threatens our self-esteem, and destroys our peace of mind. As we grapple through the dark tunnel of despair, we often ask ourselves, why, if we once loved each other so deeply, must we hurt each other so much? What can we do to feel better again? How can we find a loving way through the darkness?
There is often truth in the old saying, "Rejection is God's protection," and what we think is a disaster can turn out to be one of life's greatest gifts. It is easy to say that but how do we actually travel through our tortured feelings of anger, betrayal, depression, jealousy, or obsession to find peace and calm? How do we use unimaginable sorrow to strengthen us and focus our energies on a better tomorrow? How can we go through the hard times and remain loving to our partners and ourselves?
This is devoted to helping you express your deepest, darkest feelings about the person you are meant to love. Putting our angry thoughts into words can be difficult for those of us who habitually deny our true feelings. Often we try to suppress our emotions. We sedate ourselves with antidepressants and gorge ourselves with food, literally swallowing our anger. we drown our sorrows, exercise obsessively, or find escape in drugs, affairs, or just working too hard – anything to numb the pain.
There is a far better way to bring love and peace back into your life. This time, take a moment to retreat to a quiet place. Cry. Rage. Scream. Then write or draw your feelings in your journal, using crayons or magic markers to help you express your hurt or frustration. Don't hold back. This is a safe place to be honest with yourself. As you write, surrender to the wisdom inside you, the limitless, eternal loving energy that is there to help you flow through the heavy emotions.
Breathe, meditate, and find counselors or spiritual mentors to help you on the journey. Cultivate new friends, volunteer, exercise, drink lots of water, and nourish your body, your mind, and your spirit. You will get through this, and one day you will look back and understand what really happened and why, but for now there is no way out but through. Although your partner may be angry, do your best not to retaliate. Either find a way to heal the relationship or leave it. Forgive and move on. No matter what, acknowledge the humanity of the other person and seek the highest, most loving solution for both of you. Throughout this period, always remember "this too shall pass" and strive to look forward to the day that you will emerge from the tunnel, blinking in the light.
by Kathy Eldon
In 1997, Kathy Eldon moved with her husband and two children from England to Kenya, where she found freedom as she had never known it before and was ready to push back from her old, restrictive life. Diving into this tumultuous new world as a journalist and writer, she embraced the energy and creativity of Kenyans, both black and white. But her world collapsed when her twenty-two-year-old son, Dan – an artist and photojournalist on assignment for Reuters – was stoned to death by an angry mob in Somalia, killed by the very people he was trying to help. Kathy's journey through this tragic loss was deeply spiritual as she discovered that, in many ways, Dan was still ever – present in her life. This gripping international saga includes a passionate love, a dangerous coup in Kenya, and a compelling glimpse into a woman on the brink of self-discovery. After her son's murder, Kathy began to publish his art, which gained popularity worldwide and – together with her daughter, Amy – launched a global foundation celebrating Dan's work as a creative activist. Throughout Kathy's exploration of profound tragedy, we find the secrets to not only surviving, but being truly, gloriously alive.
by Chronicle Books LLC Staff, Kathy Eldon and Amy Eldon
This journal is designed to help you examine the way you approach love and romantic relationships. Guided prompts discuss topics ranging from characteristics your past partners have shared, to dreams you have for you and your partner.
by Kathy Eldon & Amy Eldon, Illustrations by Michelle Barnes
Soul Catcher takes you on a self-guided journey along a spiritual path forged from the realization of your own dreams and wishes, and the utilization of the wisdom of your own inner voice. This beautiful journal will help you find ways to break through the barriers that stand in your way and offer support as you shape and define your true values and goals so you can live life to its fullest.
by Kathy Eldon & Amy Eldon Turteltaub
Over the past decade, this classic work has helped thousands find meaningful ways to overcome the despair of losing a loved one. Now, Angel Catcher has been revised and updated to convey its powerful message of hope to a new audience. Featuring brand new illustrations and a fresh updated look, the tasteful pages of this journal guide the user through the process of mourning and onward to a lasting sense of peace in the face of loss.
by Jennifer New & Kathy Eldon
Only 22 when he lost his life on assignment in Somalia, photojournalist Dan Eldon left behind much more than the journals that became the basis for Chronicle's best-seller The Journey is the Destination. He left a lifetime of adventures that continue to inspire. Raised in Kenya, he took numerous expeditions across Africa that helped him to understand and love the continent. Through his safaris and benevolent crusades – and with interludes of study and work in the US and London, and trips around the world – he crafted a philosophy of curiosity, creativity, adventure and charity. Intensely visual, like the life it describes, Dan Eldon: The Art of Life is more than a biography. It is an exploration of one man's will to take in everything life has to offer; an example of a life lived for and art experienced as life."
by Jennifer New
Photojournalist Dan Eldon left behind much more than the astonishing illustrated journals that would form The Journey is the Destination when he lost his life at age twenty-two while on assignment in Somalia. He also bequeathed a life story that has inspired students, teachers, artists and creative activists – as well as a forthcoming film, an apparel line and the Spring 2011 collection from Tom's Shoes. Raised in Kenya, Dan grew up with a unique outlook on life. Through adventurous safaris and benevolent crusades around the world, he crafted a philosophy of curiosity, creativity and charity. This unique visual biography showcases previously unpublished artwork from Dan's acclaimed journals, letters and snapshots that take readers on a journey through Dan's life and beyond, exploring the impact made by this remarkable artist on everyone who has encountered his story.
by Dan Eldon & Kathy Eldon
The best-selling and critically acclaimed book The Journey is the Destination features a selection of over 200 pages from the journals of photojournalist Dan Eldon. It is a legacy of a young artist killed just as his creative powers were beginning to be recognized by himself and others. Already an international inspiration for a documentary, feature film, a clothing line, and the Spring 2011 collection of Tom's Shoes. Dan's life sets an admirable example of how to be young, human and alive and will continue to inspire future generations as it has for the past decade.
by Kathy Eldon
Safari as a way of life:
Safari as a way of life: Amy Eldon Turteltaub & Kathy Eldon


text:
"Coats or Keys"
Posted by Kim
With Masters of Sex moving into the late 60s/early 70s, we all knew this one was coming. The Swingers Party. One only need to look at the contents of the fan fiction on my iPad (threesomes in the first 20 pages, y'all. That's some good shit.) to know that I'm not prudish but I have to say that the concept of a party where everyone goes to switch up their sexual partners REALLY pushes the boundaries of my squeamishness. Maybe it's because, like our buddy Art, I am a romantic and believe in monogamy. Maybe it's because I have a terrible ex-boyfriend who had multiple girlfriends in addition to me, making me an unwitting and unwilling participant in a polyamorous relationship. Maybe it's just because I'm a jealous person who doesn't like to share. (KIMMIE DOESN'T SHARE SEX PARTNERS.) Whatever it is, I know that I wouldn't be caught dead at a swingers party because the very concept goes against everything in my nature. I'm not making a judgement at people who participate in polyamory, if it works for them. Everyone has their own sexual boundaries and should be free to explore them, as long as you are open with your partner. To borrow a lesson from my life coach Amy Poehler: great for you, not for me.
All of that said, "Coats or Keys" was the most purely enjoyable episode of Masters of Sex in a long time. In our live tweet of the episode, Sage compared it to the fantastic Dawson's Creek episode "Sex, She Wrote," in which the gang has to deduce just who had sex the previous night based on a mysterious letter. "Coats or Keys" opens in a similar manner, showing us the aftermath of the party, leaving us in the dark as to how all of our characters got there. We see Lester passed out in his car, with the windows fogged up and a phone number scrawled in the condensation. We see Virginia calling for a cab and a mysterious hand sporting a wedding band dangling her keys. She later wanders through the wrecked living room and picks up an abandoned black and white coat. We see Bill in his boxers with his shirt half unbuttoned issuing an ultimatum to an unseen person. WHAT EXACTLY HAPPENED LAST NIGHT?
Flashback to 24 hours before where we see Art and Nancy making final preparations for the party that night. Nancy is making a final number count and stressing about whether or not Bill is coming that night (he's not) and whether or not Virginia knows she's supposed to bring a date (she does). WHICH BEGS THE QUESTION: why the hell did they invite Virginia, THEIR BOSS, to a swingers party? And why the paranoia about Bill being there? That's some shady shit, my friends. I don't trust these two at all, even if the episode really endeared me to Art by the end.
At the office, we see HOW everyone ends up at the party. Bill has the kids that night. Gini and Libby have a movie date, only planning on making a drive-by appearance at the party. Gini invites Lester, who in turn (I assume) invites Betty. They all think it's just going to be a normal party (because why wouldn't you?) and it's adorable. Libby storms into the office (wearing a familiar black and white plaid coat) to yell at Bill about the divorce guilt-gift dog that he got the kids that SHE now has to take care of. Just a typical day at the Masters and Johnson clinic, really.
At the party, no one seems to take notice of Nancy's sudden panic that Gini's plus one is Libby, therefore throwing off her precise numbers (nor do they notice her relief when she learns that one man came alone because he and his wife broke up). Libby goes on the prowl for single guys, chatting up said divorced guy and indulging in many cocktails and some casual pot. She's then cockblocked by Graham, who I once had such high hopes for, but is proving to just be a sleazy douchebag. He's incredibly smug when he realized that Libby has no idea what kind of party she's attending and makes lewd comments about his own date's Beaver (coat). GROSS. Lester bemoans the fact that Jane is cheating on him to every single woman he comes in contact with. And Gini's carefully constructed lie about her marriage to Dan comes perilously close to collapsing when she encounters a couple that KNOWS him and is supposed to be having drinks with him and his wife the next week. WHOOPS. I love that, unlike in episode 2, when Betty confronts Gini about this, she doesn't show any rage or judgement. She's simply like "Gurl, you can't keep this up, you have to tell people." She warns Gini (who went straight for the whiskey after telling Betty the full truth) that it will be better that Bill finds out about it directly from her as opposed to hearing it through the grapevine. (Of course, she has no idea that Bill actually KNOWS.) Gini tells her that she's working up to it and Betty replies that there is no time like the present, as Bill has just arrived at the party.
Do you guys think Libby intentionally shuffled the kids off on the night Bill was supposed to have them so Bill could get to the house and see the havoc the dog has wreaked? Because I sure as hell do and passive-aggressively WELL PLAYED, Libby. I live for this shit. "It must have slipped my mind, Bill," she says, not so innocently. "I'm sorry, Bill. Did I selfishly inconvenience you? Did I thoughtlessly capitulate to the children without any concern for how it affected you?" Between Graham and Bill, Libby's buzz is sufficiently killed, so she storms out of the party, leaving her coat behind (AHA!). Bill follows and they continue to argue as Libby drunkenly searches for her car. Bill insists that he drive her home while Libby argues that Bill doesn't even have a license to do so. "I think the options are I risk going to jail or you risk ending up in a ditch." "How long do you think they'd put you away for?" Me, I'm just like "GO HOME AND HAVE ANGRY AND HOT EX-SEX PLEASE."
Back inside, the party is FINALLY getting started, as Nancy and Art bring out the pile of all the ladies' coats for the men to choose from. Gini, Betty, and Lester's reactions are PRICELESS. ("It's a fucking key party with coats." "Holy shit." "What does that mean?" "It means, Lester, dear, your night is about to get much better.") Art, being the host, opts to choose first. He pulls a white coat from the pile with a flourish…and it's Virginia's. Aw, shit. She tries to hang back, basically praying that someone else steps forward, but after a long moment comes forward and claims her coat, giving the eye roll of the century. "Enjoy him," Nancy purrs. EW. Lester takes his turn but the woman whose coat he pulls begs off for a pass. POOR LESTER YOU GUYS. Meanwhile, Betty has somehow managed to get her coat out of the pile and she thrusts it into the hands of the obviously gay piano player. "I don't mean to burst your bubble, but I'm not trying to get into your pants. Look, if it were up to me, I'd be out the door, but my ride has apparently up and disappeared right at the moment that everyone has lost their mind and decided to start playing sexual roulette." Straight people, amirite?
Naturally, Virginia is furious and plans on leaving as soon as she finds her keys. (Would she have been had someone other than Art taken her coat? Discuss.) Art tries to throw the whole bar run-in in her face but she snaps that it is her PRIVATE life. She also brings up the fact that she is among co-workers, himself included, and it's not appropriate. "You know, I think the damage is done whether we mess around or not. If you leave in two minutes or two hours, it's not gonna change what people think." And this, my friends, is why you never party with casual work acquaintances without doing though research first.
Gini's ranting is interrupted by Nancy's orgasmic moaning in the next room (seriously, she got there RIGHT AWAY with the sex moans, damn, slow your roll.) and Art flinches ever so slightly and something clicks in Virginia. She sees that Art is clearly trying to be okay with what's going on in the next room, so she apologizes that he has to hear it. "That's not my wife," he says. "She's someone else with him. She's pretending." Sounds like someone is trying to rationalize away the pain, yes? "It's just gears and pistons. She doesn't care about him. It's a game." OH, ART. It sounds like he's given himself this kind of pep talk before and it's heartbreaking. Gini gently asks if he pretends too and he replies that he's pretending to enjoy it. UGH. "Is it impossible to believe that she's into it and I'm not?" Gini wonders why he DOES it then and honestly, same. That's why I can't wrap my head around swinging. It's one thing to explore kinks with your partner (and it should be done) but it's an entirely different thing when the kinks involve other people because people and feelings can't be boxed, no matter how much you tell yourself that it's "just sex".
Art tells Gini that he knew this about Nancy going in. He knew that she didn't believe in monogamy and he knew that she wanted him to sleep with other women so she would feel less guilty about wanting other men. Sure, if he knew that from the start and thought he could handle it, that's fine. But surely at some point he has the right to say that this isn't working for him, right? Clearly the arrangement is hurting him and no matter how much he loves Nancy, he should take care of himself, even if that means ending the relationship. RIGHT? (I also have to take a moment to praise Jeremy Strong's performance this entire episode. There is SO MUCH going on beneath the surface here and he expertly shows the cracks beneath Art's confident facade. He's so vulnerable with Gini, it physically pains me.)
Art ponders that perhaps separating sex and love is too modern of a concept, which causes Gini to scoff. That's how Gini LIVES, after all, or at least it's how she claims to live. (Personally, I think it's all a defense mechanism and a way for her to feel like she's in control of her life.) "I'm taking care of myself, partaking in pleasure when I choose to, without romantic encumbrances." She claims that there are infinite ways to engage in sex without love and Art asks her to tell him and he's being entirely serious. (THIS POOR GUY.) Gini's answer is SO her too. It's such an accurate picture of how she sees herself. "You want to test your wattage, see if you can turn a guy's head enough so all other women recede into the background. And in bed, you want to be the best he's ever had so no other woman can compare. Can you leave a mark that's indelible? That's the challenge. You dazzle them, and then you leave them ruined. Or you just want to get laid because it feels good or there's nothing on TV." Nancy continues to wail in the background and every moan is like a punch in Art's gut and you see his resolve rapidly crumbling. "Just talk to me about…fuck…anything," he begs Virginia. "Art, you're a romantic," she replies. "That's…I'm so sorry."
Meanwhile, Bill and Libby arrive home, where Bill left the mess that guilt-gift puppy Baxter made untouched. Naturally, this sets Libby off because she sees it as just another mess that Bill has left her to clean up. "You don't get to blame me for everything. You know, not everything I do deserves to be seen as a slap in the face to you. I'm not making decisions to deliberately hurt you," Bill fires back at her accusations. While Libby DOES have a point in regards to the dog, I love that Bill stands up for himself here. They are both doing their best here and they are getting nowhere by being angry at each other. Bill doesn't want to live in this constant state of anger and despite her decapitation fantasies, I think Libby doesn't want to keep this up either. So Bill offers her three wishes that he will abide by in order to make things better. The first two are easy. One, she doesn't want to always be the bad guy with the kids AKA don't give any more guilt gifts. Two, she doesn't want to be treated like a piece of business. I think it's so telling of Libby's character that she's perfectly willing to postpone the divorce to help Bill's legal troubles. She just wants to be treated like a person and she wants Bill to come directly to her instead of speaking through Graham. And the third thing? "I want you to go down on me." I LITERALLY SCREAMED. "I want to know what it feels like and I want you to do something for the sole purpose of giving me pleasure." YAS GIRL OH MY GOD.
God Bless everything good in the world because Bill actually DOES it. And her response when he's done? "Thanks." I LIVE. She basically pat him on the head and told him he did a good job and then left him with blue balls. ("Is that uncomfortable?" "Just, you know, a tad." "Good." MY QUEEN.) Aside from the blue balls, Bill gets a little pissy at her reaction because he just gave her an orgasm and she's still mad at him. Why? "Why? Because that was great. That was great, okay? We could've been doing that for the past 20 years, and we never did it once." Bill babbles that it seemed like Libby never wanted to try things which is infuriating because it's clear he never wanted to SHOW her things. She was a virgin when they got married, she didn't KNOW any better. But the point is that he DID and he kept sex polite and sterile between them. (Madonna/Whore complex much?) She didn't know what she was missing, so she didn't know what she was missing out on until she found it with someone other than her husband. "I am actually a carnal woman, Bill. I want a man to tear my clothes off, and I want to have sex in the shower, and if I am gonna go to a five-hour charity dinner, at some point, I want to be felt up under the goddamn table." How endearing and infuriating was it when Bill replied that he WOULD have felt her up under the table? Bill and Libby are just a sad case of a woman not knowing she had the right to demand passion and a man too emotionally stunted to give it to her. They are both at fault for what went wrong with them and it's so refreshing to see them realize that. "We did our best," Bill says, kissing her hand. "We made three children. And I loved you, Libby. Maybe not in the right way, maybe not enough. But know that I loved you." Then finally finally FINALLY these two have some hot and passionate sex. Better late than never?
source: invisibleicewands.tumblr.com
Back at the House of the Sexual Revolution, Nancy's moans have stopped but Art and Gini continue to dissect their respective situations over whiskey. "Doesn't a part of you think that if she truly loved you that you'd be enough for her?" It's important to note that Gini's question lacks any trace of malice. She just genuinely wants to know and all the barriers between them are down, so why not ask the important questions. Art tells her that he knows what he signed up for. Gini points out that deals can and should be renegotiated when they are not equally beneficial. "You tell me, Virginia, when is it ever absolutely equal between partners anyway? Huh? Where you both feel exactly the same thing for each other at the same time, in the same amount?" WELP. Gini confesses that she's ALWAYS been the one who has been loved more and for the first time in her life I think she realizes how sad that is. In the name of dazzling all the men in her life, she's kept them from seeing her flaws. She's enjoyed being on the pedestal and is just now realizing what a lonely place that is. So Gini turns to Art and while she's asking about Nancy, she's also asking about herself. " You think you know her, but you don't. Not really. If you really did know her, her true self, then maybe she wouldn't be so dazzling?"
source: invisibleicewands.tumblr.com
Virginia and Art sprawl on the bed, over the covers, and Gini tries to joke that Art has gotten her into bed at last and this whole reluctant swinger thing is an act. Then Art drops the truth that we knew all along: he picked Virginia's coat on purpose, knowing that there was no risk of them having sex. "You're my boss, and bosses shouldn't sleep with their employees. Not ever. Isn't that right?" Okay that raises a SLIGHT red flag because it feels like he's fishing for info? I want to believe that his motives are pure, after how they've laid their souls bare but I DON'T KNOW. Virginia clearly thinks it's a safe space because she admits that it DOES happen. She doesn't name names obviously, but who else would she be talking about if not Bill? Art asks her to indulge him a little roleplay so she can tell him how it happens. And that's how we get an entire recap of Bill and Virginia's relationship through HER eyes and it's fucking beautiful.
source: michaelsheen.tumblr.com
source: michaelsheen.tumblr.com
source: invisibleicewands.tumblr.com
- We got a follow-up with last week's Dom/Sub gone wrong couple. In individual sessions with Virginia and Bill, Franny and Gary delve into the reasons why things went down the way they did. It turns out Franny had a very domineering mother who emasculated her father on a regular basis. (There's a whole conversation about people ordering for their partners in restaurants and it's all gross. Honestly, who finds that appealing? I can order my own damn Lo Mein, thank you very much.) In her desperation to NOT be like her mother, she wanted Gary to "act like a real man" by just taking what he wanted from her so SHE could be the weak one. Conversely, Gary wants a respectful "Honey I'm home" kind of marriage where the husband always asks for sex first because his father was abusive and he doesn't want to become that kind of man. Yeesh. "They couldn't be more wrong for each other," Bill ponders in a post-mortem with Virginia. "Each one wanting something the other is constitutionally incapable of giving them."
- " Well, I'm not sure that a woman who's truly demure would insist on being dominated." Excuse you, Virginia.
- Virginia blatantly seeking praise in her post-session discussion with Bill made me a little sad. Even in their strained relationship, she is still seeking affirmation from him.
- I really hope we explore more of how Betty is dealing with Helen being closeted to her family.
- I love that Betty and Lester are so work married they finish each other's sob stories.
- "You'd think prim and proper, wouldn't you, Ike, just based on outward appearances? But I am telling you, this one, inside, is a roiling cauldron of rage." I may hate Graham, but I love this.
- Twins Kyle and Lyle WERE GROSS. (Also how did they factor into Nancy's numbers, considering they are a twofer?)
- "May I be frank, Bill? I fantasize about you getting decapitated."
- "But first, put the dog in the bathtub."
- Fashion moment of the episode: Libby's floral bra and slip ensemble.
- Lester ended up getting some after all and it's glorious. He sits on the curb outside the party, dejected and smoking when he's joined by the cocktail waitress from the party. He tries to play everything off as the appetizers not sitting well with him, but she knows better. "You need to stop wallowing in it and just go punch the guy. Be better than those people and their protest against boredom." She can stay.
- THIS LINE THOUGH. And look at Lester's sweet face.
- But seriously, I love how she basically tells Lester that this is middle-aged bored upper middle class white people nonsense and he should pay no mind to it. These people aren't radicals. They aren't doing anything important or standing up for what's right. They are simply fucking each other's partners because they're bored with their lives and who wants a part of that? AND THEN THEY DO IT IN THE BACK OF HIS CAR and I guarantee it was hotter than any of those assholes at the party. My favorite thing was when she asked him to say something sexy and he said "Civil disobedience" and she came. BLESS.
- I love how Betty spent the rest of the party singing with Guy the Pianist. More opportunities for Tony Winner Annaleigh Ashford to sing please.
- We also learn that Betty sleeps at the office whenever Helen's family is in town and that she bills those hours as overtime. Guy crashes at the clinic with her and then Betty observes him answering the phone in the morning. OH MY GOD CAN SHE HIRE HIM. That woman needs an assistant like she needs air.
What did YOU think of "Coats or Keys"? Let us know in the comments!


text:
Eric Farache
Chemise, after Picasso
Regular price $100.00
Unit price
Shipping calculated at checkout.
This is a small acrylic on Birch panel after a painting by Picasso in his so called Blue Period.
Now that the original has sold, I am offering this image as a limited edition print. Only 25 copies


text:
Learning2Fly is proud to be offering HOMESCHOOL and K-12 PUBLIC and PRIVATE SCHOOL FIELD TRIPS! If you are an educator, teacher, or administrator and would like to tour our studio to see what we offer, call 913-262-2600 or email email@example.com.
Our passion is health education! This is imperative in our world right now. Learning about health is a necessity. We teach kids 7 habits of health through creative, energetic activities and play! Health is wealth!


text:
This article describes the "three pillars of learning".
The "three pillars of learning" is an approach to comprehension and knowledge designed to provide the most thorough, realistic, and effective representation of reality.
It's based on three pillars, each representing the most important and necessary elements for knowledge and comprehension -and, next, for mastery and life-effectiveness-.
Each pillar is then broken down into sub-components, and this article describes how the general method works, as well as how to optimize each pillar.
- Experience
- First-hand experience: actively doing it, or being on the receiving end
- Observation: from your environment, from society, and from others
- Science
- Data: the quantitative results of studies and experiments, including data analysis to properly assess those results (probability, intervals, chi squares, etc.)
- Scientific method: to properly structure the collection of data. Knowledge of the scientific method also improves critical thinking, as well as supporting the critical analysis of other people's work
- Critical analysis
- Analysis: reflecting, and seeking to make sense of experiences and science
- Logic: makes sure that the process of connecting the dots is rational
- Critical thinking: a meta-level analysis (analysis of analysis). It looks for holes in the data, possible blind spots, biases, personal biases, what data sets to prioritize, and keeps the three pillars in balance. It's also the "watchdog" of analysis, making sure analysis remains logical as well as grounded in experience, science, and doesn't wander off to create systems and theories based on thought processes alone (which is the philosopher approach / pies in the skies)
Systems are higher-level rules and tendencies organized within a coherent narrative. Systems explain reality and allow to make predictions.
They are produced at level 3, the critical analysis, but good systems are based on a combination of all three pillars.
- 1. Experience
- 2. Science
- 3. Critical Analysis
- End Game: Systemic Automation
- Failures of The 3-Pillars Approach
- Picking The Right Teachers
1. Experience
First-hand experience includes everything that one sees, does, or experience himself.
There are two levels of first-hand experience:
- Personal experience
- Observation
1.2. First-Hand Experience
Very simply:
- For socialization, your experience socializing
- For dating, your dating experience
- For relationships, your relationship experiences
1.2.2. What Counts Most for Mastery
Not all personal experiences are created equal.
For example"experience" in workplace politics after 30 years doing the same job, with no upward movement, with no self-development, and with no experimentation… Well, that's generally poor experience.
As a rule of thumb, good personal exerience comes from:
- Successful experience: to learn advanced social skills, one must have been either a leader in his social group(s), or near the top of several social groups, and/or enjoy several solid friendships
- Repeated success: "every dog has its day", goes the saying.
The best experience comes from repeated successes, which shows that the strategies do work. Repeated success also means repeated experience, which provides more data points for learning.
In the case of social group strategies, successful experience could mean that one has entered different social groups, and climbed to the top or near the very top in all of them
- Repeated successes in different environments: to broaden one's own experience, one has ideal experienced and succeeded in many different environments, with different types of people, and within different cultures
1.2.3. Broaden Experience With External Feedback
First-hand experience that relies only on results misses a lot of data points.
A simple way of making up some of those data points it is to ask others for feedback.
For example, what they think of our actions, words, and general personality.
People who don't ask are going to either guess, and possibly get it wrong, or completely miss out on data-points they might have never considered.
It's important to pay particular attention to people who have gotten especially close to us, since they provide a vantage position to provide feedback on our behavior and strategies.
Asking things like:
- "What did you think when first saw me…"
- "What did you think when we first spoke…"
- "How did you feel when I… "
- "What did you like/dislike.. "
More than once some people -and some ladies- it was strange of me to ask so many questions.
But a good chunk of my personal development came from asking and listening.
1.3. Observation
Experience is not limited to what happens to us or what we do ourselves.
Observation of others and of the world around us is also part of experience.
Good observation skills allow to multiply our first-hand observation points by 10x.
The good social-researcher "in the field" observes others attentively, and seeks to link their behaviors, mindsets, and the results they obtain.
Special attention goes to people who act and/or obtain out of the ordinary results.
To deepen his understanding, the social researcher seeks to get close to them, engage with them, ask questions, and learn even more.
The best experience combines personal experience, plus observation.
But great observation skills make it possible to reach a mastery-level of understanding without necessarily having personally done the same.
1.3.2. Observation Added Value
Observation complements first hand experience in many important ways:
- Learning from people different than we are
The social researcher actively seeks to behave differently and act out of character sometimes, just to learn how different behaviors and action perform.
But there is a limit to how differently he can act, since he can't change his physiology, or might have difficulties and/or moral be mean or value-taking.
And that's why observing people who are very different than us provides the biggest bang forthe bug in terms of data-gathering.
- Learning from negative examples
As Anon said, removing bad knowledge, as well as removing behavior and strategies -"negative knowledge"- is as important as adding new one.
This is also important when you actually know what's poor behavior.
People don't study how to perform better in order to fail.
And social researchers don't learn social strategies to fail.
So, especially when their skills grow further, their best personal experiences when it comes to failures might come from other people. And they're as precious as the positive examples
Advice to Expand Experience
Some tips to learn from personal experience:
- Try different things: the more you get stuck in behaving all the same, the more difficult it will be to change. But trying you must
- Push yourself out of your comfort zone: do or say something that you wouldn't otherwise do or say
- Seek different environments: join people who are very different than you are, see how you can get along with them
- Seek different people: especially when you're learning, seek to engage with people are as different than you are as possible
Advantages of Experience
Experience is the first of our pillars.
It's not always and necessarily the first pillar of any discipline, but it is so for social skills, social strategies, and general social success.
Personal experience when it comes to social skill and social strategies is a "condition sine qua non": there can't be social mastery without social experience.
Among the benefits of first-hand experience:
Experience can be reliable if it's based on repeated successes
If the results have been reproduced many times over, then life experience is possibly the most effective approach to tease out the best strategies for achieving outcomes.
However, three caveats must be added right away:
- Those results might not necessarily be generalizable to someone else
- Those results might be limited to the environment in which the experiences have taken place
- Teasing out those strategies also requires good analysis and critical thinking, especially so if one wants to generalize them to different environment, and t different individuals
With especially poor analysis, one might even ascribe his success to different causes, and teach others the wrong strategies.
And personal biases are always a risk when it comes to analyzing success.
For example, the CEO says he succeeded "because of his intelligence", and the fact that he was the son of the company's founder never enters into his biased analysis.
Experience provides highest-quality data points for social intelligence
Few people are born socially intelligent.
Even those who are, they must go through many social interactions before they can become really good.
And for most other people who were born with average social intelligence, we must go through a lot of different social environments to properly develop our social intelligence.
Again, we must note here to develop social intelligence from experience, good critical analysis is necessary.
Experience provides the highest-quality data for pattern recognition
As a rule of thumb:
The deeper broader the experience, the more patterns people can spot and recognize.
And patterns allow for good predictions and strategies, as well as forming the basis for theories and systems.
Again, forming patterns requires analysis and critical thinking. Forming patterns is about "connecting the dots".
The personal experiences are the dots, and the analysis allows to build bridges and meaning based on those dots, which in turn will lead to greater understanding, and eventually to overarching theories.
Limitations of Experience
For all its importance, there are also important limitations to personal experience, including:
Some results cannot be reproduced many times over
Good experience, as we said, is repeated experience.
Some experiences can be repeated, like:
- Talking to strangers can be reproduced over and over
- Approaching the opposite sex can also be repeated over and over
And so can seduction, making friends, developing social groups, or climbing social hierarchies.
But some experienced cannot be repeated nearly as often.
As a matter of fact, in some human endeavors, qualitative success can be inversely proportional to quantity of experience.
Take for example relationships.
While one might say that the most successful relationship is the happy relationship that lasted from a young age till death did them apart, that time together also "crowded out" the possibility of experiencing different relationships.
And if a guy is so successful in climbing a social and work hierarchy that he stays in there for all of his life… That also limits his experience in different social and work hierarchies.
Some successful experiences can be borne out of chance, leading to poor mental models
With one-time successes, there is also the possibility that one "lucked it out".
If a guy teaches entrepreneurship after he's had one successful business, couldn't it be that he was just at the right time, with the right product?
Critical thinking can help differentiate those who lucked it out, from those who won because of mindsets and effective strategies.
Personal experience needs critical thinking for higher-level mastery
Experience ca nnever stand alone.
Not for personal mastery, and even less so for teaching master.
Personal experience without good analysis is limited by one's own experience.
If one is not able to tease out general principles from experience, he will fail as soon as some elements in his life or environment change.
Experience that is very deep, but not broad, leads to one-trick ponies
In "Antifragile" Nassim Taleb says that trained fighters are poor street fighters because of their over-experience in a specific environment (deep experience, but not broad).
I don't necessarily agree with the example, but the general rule holds.
There is an inverse proportion between the uniqueness of the environment in which the experiences took place, and the transferability of those results to different environments and different people.
Experiences based on unique environments lead to poor general understanding and to poor theories
A successful individual within a specific environment who doesn't understand the peculiarities of his situation (lack of critical thinking) will likely lead some people astray when he teaches the method that worked for him and within his environment.
Critical thinking can help mitigate this factor.
Personal experience is limited by the individual's specific conditions
Same as above, but applied to the uniqueness of personality traits, rathern than environments.
In general terms:
The results of the specimen do not generalize to the species, and his strategies for success do not necessarily apply to any other random specimen
As an example, take the handsome and financially well-off guy teaching seduction.
Can a handsome man's strategies also extend to less attractive, jobless men?
Well, some of it, yes, but not all of it.
The handsome man cannot teach effective strategies to everyone unless he also expands his understanding beyond his personal experience.
2. Science
- Studies
- Surveys
- Experiments
- Big data
- Tracking data
As well as:
- Scientific method, approach, and attitude
Science and data complement personal experience and observation and, in some fields, but not in social skills, it takes the lion's share of the data points.
In social skills, science can be used to confirm or disprove personal experiences or theories.
In the case of confirmation, one can rest safer about the validity and reproducibility of his experience and observation. And the opposite is true: if science disproves his experience-based first-level conclusions, then he knows he must dig deeper.
Also note that the scientific method overlaps with logic and critical thinking skills.
That approach can be applied to both personal experience and analysis, and it enhances the individual's ability to get to the truth.
Science Added Value
Evidence and data provide a few things that personal experience can't, including:
Mitigates the risks of inductive reasoning (Fooled by Randomness)
Whenver I hear someone:
- Rely too heavily on their own experience
- Base their advice on what they saw, heard, or what someone said to them
- Rely too heavily on anecdotal evidence
It's a red flag of someone with little systemic thinking and relying too heavily on "inductive reasoning", such as going from one case -or a small number of cases-, to the general rule.
And those people are the most liable to be fooled by randomness, such as to jump to conclusions from too small a sample.
Enter, science.
Science allows analyses to be based on more quantitative data than personal experience, and that makes it a central pillar for any good theory.
High quantity of data at once
Data and surveys can provide quantitative data points that more qualitative personal experience can't match.
For example, it would be hard to estimate, say, the average sexual partner in a specific country just by asking around.
And yet, that's very important information to assess the sexual dynamics of a given sexual market place (on average: high partner count means easier access to casual sex, higher incidence of cheating, and fewer life-lasting marriages).
Science can provide structured or structur-able data
Same example as above, imagine the social researcher who's all about real-life experience would stick to asking around.
By the time he's reached 100 women, he forgot what the first 10 said, he mostly forgot what the next 30 said, and he mostly remembers, and overblows, what the last couple of them said (recency effect & salience effect).
Result: he gets an idea, but it's such a rough idea, that it's as likely to lead him astray, as to lead him to a good conclusion.
Instead, with a survey, he can get reliable data about his market, plus subgroup the data into different cohorts (say: religious VS non-religious women), plus compare it with other markets.
And that allows to develop far better theories and systems, which in turn make him a far better strategist.
Experiments offer insights on situations one could hardly replicate in real life
Some real-life situation are difficult to replicate in the lab.
but the opposite is also true: some important notions of human psychology and behavior might be easier to tease out in a lab, than in real life.
Take for example the famous Milgram experiment on obedience.
One could have hardly tested it in real life how dramatically submissive most people get in front of a highly assertive authority figure.
But thanks to the lab, the social researcher can use that information to craft better persuasion strategies (or defenses against persuasion).
Science can help quantify phenomena that would be hard to quantify in real life
While good social researchers have a "feel" for social dynamics, sometimes you need more than a "feel", and you need to quantify things more precisely.
Studies can help isolate single variables, re-run the experiment with several different people, and provide a more accurate measurement.
For example, measuring the effect of "priming" on persuasion and behavioral change is nearly impossible in real life.
But a series of smart experiments can find out whether -and how well- priming actually works.
Limitations of Science
Recent populist movements aside, our world reveres science.
And, if you ask me, that's a great thing, and mostly well deserved. Science is a true engine of progress.
However, "revering" anything is actually very un-scientific.
Proper science includes knowledge and awareness of the limits of science and, even more so, of the limits of a specific paper, experiment, or survey.
This is all the truer in the social sciences, where measuring things like influence, power dynamics, and social strategies is particularly difficult.
Some of the limitations of science when it comes to social mastery:
Research-specific limitations
Research limitations and biases can make poorly-designed research not only meaningless, but sometimes actively misleading.
Take the example of priming we've just mentioned.
It was exactly when priming failed to replicate that the world of psychology was thrown upside down -and that, too, was largely an overreaction-.
That's where critical thinking can help: looking at the methodology, or the number of people involved, provide precious infrmation on how much weight to assign to a study.
And the more advanced one becomes, the more he'll be able to assess a specific study against his large knowledge and experience.
In social sciences, some research application to the real world can be dubious (external validity)
Some studies can be perfectly executed, and still not provide great insights about real-world dynamics -"external validity".
Studies and researches of human behavior in the lab can be particularly prone to weak external validity, since many real-world factors are distorted or eliminated.
As a matter of fact, renowned psychologist Martin Seligman says that external validity is one of the banes of psychology research.
He says:
This is the "white rats and college sophomore" issue: researchers can control and measure what rats and sophomores do in the laboratory, but any finding's application to real human problems is always a strain
And he goes on saying that "public doubts about the applicability of basic, rigorous science are often warranted, and this is because the rules of external validity are not clear".
So also research must be taken with a grain of salt.
Critical thinking, supported by personal experience, can step in and help separate the scientific wisdom from the scientific noise.
The Tree-Researcher Can Lose The Forest
Another issue is the specificy of many studies.
And if you were to look at a series of studies alone, without having or without developing a critical-thinking driven higher system, then you'd be missing out on the real wisdom that allows for practical strategies.
It would be like the man trying to find a way out of a forest, with a million coordinates of individual trees, rather than a map of the whole forest. If that man could load all the million maps in his head and connect them all, he'd have huge knowledge. But the human brain doesn't work that way, so that man is better off losing some individual-specific information, for a more actionable, higher-level picture.
Lots of false positives & false negatives for complex & high-variance
This is another issue connected to specificity of many studies and experiments.
I'll give you an example:
Betsy Prioleau in "Swoon" says that women prefer women with feminine faces.
So imagine you want to know the "truth" to date better.
Better to look more feminine, or more masculine?
I thought Prioleau was a bit biased and not too experienced herself, so I started researching. Turns out, there are plenty of studies that seem to suggest that women prefer more feminine faces.
And there are also plenty of studies that seem to suggest that women prefer more masculine faces.
This is often the case when we are investigating more complex issues with lots of variance -ie.: different individuals have very different preferences-.
So you will hardly get a final answer by looking at individual studies alone.
A meta-analysis may help. But that needs the critical thinking of those who compile those meta-analyses.
What also helps is a man with critical thinking skills who can spot trends. For example, a man hypothesizes that younger women tend to prefer more feminine faces based on boyband fandom, while older ones prefer more masculine faces based on rock bands fans and personal experience.
Science Power Dynamics & Incentives Do NOT Align With Truth
Scientists are humans, and just like any other human pursue personal interest.
And, often, may place personal interest above "candid descriptions of truth".
Some of the issue with published research
- The full published literature is inherently biased towards larger effect sizes because
- Publishers are more likely to publish largely significant, shocking, or significant results rather than mild, confirming, or "null" results. That skewes the results of ALL published -and available- studies, including
- Researchers seek not truth, but results that are most likely to be published. So they "massage" the data or experiment ("p-hacking"). This is probably very, very common in the last decades of published research (and the reason why only a minority of published research replicated, or replicated at similar levels of significance).
- Fraud, or wholly made-up data
See for example the cases of Francesca Gino and the Stanford Scandal. Albeit without any concrete evidence, even more worrying to me are the comments I've read of many former researchers who have been threatened or mobbed into ignoring data fudging.
- Go from scientist to "guru", publish too early, over-promote already fudged data, or over-sell smallish (and little effective) findings.
For example, Amy Cuddy and her power poses. Or Angela Duckworth and "grit". Even valid tools like a "growth mindset" can turn ineffective when taken to an extreme and when forgetting about the cons.
The popularization -or bastardization- of science is often the hardest to correct because it acquires huge megaphones when it trickles down to various clueless but popular self-help gurus.
3. Critical Analysis
Once upon a time, I used to think:
The Power Moves' popularity comes from combining experience, with science.
And while those are two important elements of this website's (relative) popularity, today I believe that the true added value of this website is in the critical analysis.
When seeking truth, good critical analysis is generally rational, following solid principles of logic, and also applying -or checking for the presence of- principles from the scientific method.
There are two levels to critical analysis:
- Analysis
- Critical thinking
Analysis and critical thinking are the two aspects that allow for systems to emerge (this third pillar was at first called "systemic thinking").
Critical analysis includes:
- Analyzing and reflecting on one's own, as well as others' behavior and results
- Asking "what if", "what could have I done… "
- Asking others for opinion and strategies
- Comparing own experience and results with research
- Comparing own experience and results with other people's advice / theories
- Incorporating latest experiences with general understanding / theories
- Reinforcing the theory if the experience matches
- Revising and improving the theory if the experience fits but adds a different shade
- Or asking "why this time it was so different" if the experience goes against the theory and the previous experiences
3.2. Analysis
Analysis is the mental engine processing and structuring the data.
There are two levels of analysis, one is to connect the dots, and the other is to raise the newly connected web to a higher level (systemic level).
3.2.2. Making sense of the data & deepening understanding
Analysis looks at experiences and data to make sense of them, and learn more from then.
Critical analysis empowers us to learn from experience.
Not all analyses are created equal, so superior analysts make for better theories, strategies, as well as for better teachers.
On top of learning more from each example, analysis helps to "generalize" the single instances into theories.
That's the 'systemic analysis aspect.
3.2.3. Systemic Analysis
Systemic analysis, or systemic thinking, seeks to turn data into coherent theories and actionable strategies.
This is why analyzing one's own actions and results are so important: it helps to internalize the learning, as well as to place the data points into a larger and coherent picture of "how things work".
Systemic analysis is fundamental but, as a rule of thumb, the farther analysis strays from data and experience, the more speculative it becomes.
And the farther it strays from good data, the more prone it becomes to being twisted -or manipulated- by personal biases.
3.3. Critical Thinking
Critical thinking empowers analysis, while also at the same time limiting analysis.
I know, this might sound strange.
Why would you want to limit analys?
Because the overzealous analyst might go off on a tangent if left alone. The tendency of analysis is too keep on going and "build upon itself". That's where critical thinking steps in and brings analysis closer to reality. Such as, closer to both science and experience.
Critical thinking is the watchdog against over-analysis.
It makes sure that analysis stays factual, includes data and experience, chooses which of the two matters most when they diverge, and it makes sure that analysis does not stray off too far, building "pies in the skies" theories.
Good analysis includes critical thinking.
The two go hand in hand.
But, as we shall see, not all analyses are good analyses.
In social sciences, analyses without critical thinking leads to:
- Pop psychology
- Psychologizing (see Freud)
- Pop evolutionary psychology: a good chunk of what you read in the red pill
- Generalizations: which in turn lead to poor sub-standard strategies
In short, analysis without critical thinking is often poor analysis, and leads to poor theories.
Critical Analysis Added Value
Solid critical analyses allows for:
Critical thinking deepens understanding through exception-finding
There is nothing like a nice theory where everything adds up.
Except… theories where everything adds up are often a trap.
Referring to entrepreneurship, Jay Samit says that the best ideas are "zombie ideas". Such as, they are left standing after they survived a thousand attacks, and look ugly and maimed, but… Are still standing, and have potential.
General theories are the same.
Proper critical thinking is not about finding out "why the theory is true", but more about finding out "why it's not true".
And this is why mismatchers -people looking at exceptions, rather than confirmation-, often make for better critical thinkers than matchers.
Simple-minded investment analyses tell you "over the long run the stock market will (always) go up (because it has always gone up)".
Similarly, simple-minded analyses of human history say that "humanity is in constant improvement".
Personal experience and data both might confirm that.
But critical thinking is what allows you to find the fault in both data and experience.
Critical thinking tells you that per each increment of future time horizon in a project, our lifespans become progressively more meaningless, until it won't mean anything anymore when we're talking about infinity.
And critical thinking tells you can rarely make reliable future predictions by looking at the past because the past might be a good indicator, but (almost) never the past can be the proof of what will happen in the future.
With the same approach, critical thinking can also help unearth the blind spots that data and experience hadn't even touched.
By looking at what lay outside your data and view, you can sometimes find out that piece you were missing that you can't even examine… but that you need to research indirectly, or maybe by asking someone else.
The Cherry-Picking Trap
There is an approach very popular these days among self-help gurus.
The approach says that you take "everything that is good" from what someone says, and leave the rest.
That seems to suggest that:
- There is always something to take
- Any criticism is pointless, since there is always something good to take
That mindset is akin to "taking what's good from the rotten fruit".
But at the first hitten of rotten, the fungi spores of the have likely spread across the whole fruit, so there is little "good left".
This is a bit of an exaggeration, but the main concept is that if you're not critical enough while doing your wisdom-cherry picking, you're probably also ingesting a lot of crap.
Furthermore, the moment you spot rotten, you've also stumbled upon important signals of poor critical thinking, bias, and generally shaky systems (more on systems later).
Time is limited. So instead of "cherry-picking" among the trash, why not leaving the trash altogether?
Of course there might be one good thing in a book like "The Secret", which tells you not to work on things but just to "manifest" them -you know, you might have a wobbly table :)-. But you'll find a much higher
You're far better off looking for high quality, pristine fruits (theories and authors), than trying to salvage the "good parts" of a rotten theory.
Critical analysis troubleshooter inconsistencies
A poor researcher looks for confirmations.
A great researcher looks for exceptions and inconsistencies, and see if they disprove the theory or not.
There are many types of inconsistencies.
For example, between past and new experiences, or between first-hand experience and personal observation, or between experience and data.
The sign of a great theory indeed is not in having no inconsistences.
The sign of a great theory is the ability to explain the inconsistencies in a way that either reinforces, or remain consistent, with the general rue.
Critical analysis decides whether those inconsistencies weaken, undo, or generally leave a theory intact.
Some inconsistencies can also strengthen a theory, if one realizes they are extremely rare. For example, male attraction for very old women is so rare that it does not undo, but reinforces the general theories that men generally prefer fertile-age women.
Critical analysis tells if personal experience or science shall prevail
In the battle for "data" or personal experience, in today's world, "science" seems to always bludgeon personal experience.
Yet, that is not always the case.
And critical thinking can help you understand what you should give more weight to, as well as why the two diverge (since in a good theory, they shouldn't diverge)
For example, imagine in a survey 95% of men say they have more power in their relationship.
And 73% of the women confirm it.
Alright "the data is in", one might think. But what if personal experience suggests otherwise?
Critical thinking sees a potential for bias in the data: most men wouldn't feel comfortable to come out and admit "my wife has more power".
The disparity of the results between genders is also an indicator of "male pride" getting in the way of proper analysis.
And if we are living in a country where femininity and "being a good housewife" is still associated with submissiveness, then that might also explain why most women would actively avoid stating that they have more (soft) power than men have.
In this case, personal observation might be a better analytical tool than data.
And there are of course cases in which data and science trump personal experience.
For example, in deciding which sales page works better, personal experience need not apply against tracking conversion rates.
Critical analysis turns data into theories
We've already seen this one scattered in the "experience" pillar.
Good analsis:
- Makes sense of data points
- Connect the dots between different data points
- Generalizes from many experiences and data sets into general theories
Later we will see the benefits of theories.
Advice to Improve Critical Analysis
Since critical analysis is so crucial, here are some ideas to develop it:
- Let go of biases
You can either learn the truth and in turn develop effective strategies to win, or you can hold to your biases.
To learn more about your biases, read here.
- Let go of politics
Maybe you're conservative.
But dismissing off-hand any research showing the positive effects of minimum wages doen't make you any more right, it makes you more ignorant.
You can accept discordant information with your beliefs while still holding to your political preferences. But by accepting all information you will develop better models of reality, which in turn make you more effective.
- When disliking somene, ask yourself: what if he was right
Close-minds and biases are the anathema of development, improvement, and good theories and strategies.
If you don't like someone, or what he says, it's all the more important you truly consider they might be right -at least about something-.
- When disagreeing about something, ask "what if it was true"
Similar as above.
There is of course a level at which you can say "OK, I'm not willing to investigate this any further and I'll consider it not true for now".
For example, I personally considered "law of attraction" in the sense that you can "manifest" things not true and unworthy of my investigative time.
I still keep a small window open to the possibility that it might be true, but don't waste time investigating it or researching it.
The day someone proves to me you can manifest shit, I'll change my mind immediately -and boy, would that be a shocker :)-.
For more, also read:
- Critical thinking analysis of news
- Critical thinking analyss of an ad
- Critical thinking against journalist's games
Limitations of Analysis
Good analyses depends on:
- Good analysis needs good data points
Critical thinking without real-world experience and/or data is based on… Nothing.
General theories produced without solid data and personal experience are the equivalent of big castles built on shaky foundations.
No matter how great the architect -or the thinker- was, the theory is empty elucubrations with untested hypotheses and strategies.
The same goes for bad data points, including limited, or biased.
Stystems based on very poor data lead to poor real-world predictions, and poor strategies.
- Good analysis requires absence of personal biases
Good analysis must be unbiased analysis.
Biased analysts make for poor systems, theories, and strategies.
Biased thinkers can stil acquire power with their biased theories though. Their bias does not appeal to anyone who wants truth, but it's appealing appeal within certain politically-moitvated organizations, hate-based groups, or people looking for an excuse or outlet for theri frustrations.
As a matter of fact, the more skilled a biased thinker is, the more he can twist reality and mislead people -and sometimes himeslf- to believe that his theory is factually "correct" .
End Game: Systemic Automation
And finally, we get to the end results of the 3 pillars.
The end game is the formation of higher-level systems that allow for quicker processing, automatic behavior, high-level strategic thinking, and replicable results in different environments.
This final end goal is developed in the "critical analysis" pillar, and that's why the system proper is still three pillars, albeit one might add a fourth layer above them just to outline the "final result" (see this example).
There have been different and overlapping ways of defining higer-level representations in psychology, including:
- Mental representations (Anderson, 2016): Anderson defines it as "pre-existing patterns of information that make it possible to process large amount of information to answer quickly and effectively in certain types of situations"
- General theories of mind (Fallon, 2013): more tailored to empathy and interpersonal relationships, and it's the ability to understand what others think and feel
- Systemic thinking (Gallon, 2009): the ability to think and observe at a higher level of abstraction
They're all similar.
In simple words, without making things unnecessary complicated, high-level system thinking means that you understand, and have internalized, how things work (don't you just love it when you say the exact same thing, but in simple words?).
And whichever name you prefer, this is what system-level allows you to achieve:
- Pattern recognition: you meet someone, and can quickly draw conclusions about his/her character. Or you're in a new social situation, and can and recognize the social and power dynamics
- Effective information handling: you make sense of the new information coming in and can think faster than others can
- Effective responses: your actions and responses tend to be more effective than most other people in achieving certain (social) goals, and more and more of your responses become automatic
To stick with our predilection for simpler words, in our case of people skills, higher-level system thinking also means that you have reached advanced social skills level, including:
- Good general grasp of human nature
- Advanced understanding of general social dynamics
- Good undersanding of each subset of socialization (dating, relationships, persuasion, business, etc.)
Different social exchanges, like dating, relationships, friendships, or business relationships, all have their own peculiarities.
But they also share a more general, higher-level system of "how people are" and "general rules of socialization" that apply to every single sub-system.
It's similar to what we said for mating intelligence with this chart:
Once you develop the higher level, the ones below all draw from the top one.
In the case of social skills, on top you'd have "general psychology", then "social skills" rather than "mating intelligence", and then all different realms of socialization.
For more on reaching social mastery, see Matthew's post:
Systems Added Value
The advantages of higher-level systems include:
Versatility: turning general principles into quick actions even in unknown situations
High-level social skills turns a bunch of one-trick ponies -your single-entries data points- into a purebred, all-terrain beast that performs in any environment.
A guy who doesn't connect dots would only be able to perform based on what he's experienced in the past. Such as, he is limited by his past experience, rather than empowered.
But a guy who connects the dots develops higher-level theories and general principles.
Those higher-level principles allow him to perform even when the environment changes, since he can go from the general theory, to the new specific situation.
For example, you might have never experienced a boss yelling at you, and you might have never seen any research based on "the most effective responses to a boss yelling at you".
But based on similar experiences, as well as a general good understanding of social and power dynamics, you can come up with a fairly good response even if it's your first time.
First-time responses might not be perfect, even for guys with general high social intelligence, but they are usually effective enough to perform well.
System-level understanding makes for great teachers
System-level thinking allows people to teach well, since they can apply the general principles to different people, in different situations.
That's why it's better to not just choose people who are good at doing something, but people who are good at doing something because they understand the principles and dynamics.
The former are "just" good performers. The latter are also good teachers.
Speaking of teachers:
Failures of The 3-Pillars Approach
The three pillars need to be in balance.
Any excess into one of them without being balanced by the others can lead to serious distortions.
Let's now look at some examples of failing to apply the 3 pillars apprach;
Freud: Little Data, Over-Analysis
- Personal experience: medium to high
- Science: low to very low
- Analysis: very high
- Critical thinking: very low
Freud's personal experience came from his own praxis mostly, so it's medium/high.
The data was also from his own praxis, but it wasn't properly quantified and systematized, so it's very low in scientific relevance.
Freud is very telling, since he was, in a way, a genius and a trailblazer.
But he went too far, and history proved him to be a genius… Who was also full of BS.
It's an important cautionary tale: no matter how "genius" you are, if you stray too far away from measurable data, you're almost bound to get out of touch with reality and build too many "castles in the skies".
Freud's castles in the skies sounded like coherent theories, but they only had internal validity within his own theoretical system. They had little grounding in real-life experience since few people got better discovering about their "repressed sexuality", and it had no grounding whatesover in the scientific method.
Freud may have been more after power, than after truth. Jordan Peterson, for example, lists him as an example of an ideologue that over-simplified reality and started a semi-cult (Peterson, 2021).
Freud closed himself off to different views, and he lost the true power of critical thinking.
Says Seligman his views grounded in data (Seligman, 2002):
The events of childhood are overrated (in Freudian psychoanalysis).
It has turned out to be difficult to find even small effects of childhood events on adult personality, and there is no evidence at all of large—to say nothing of determining—effects.
This means that the promissory note that Freud and his followers wrote about childhood events determining the course of adult lives is worthless.Marting Seligman
This is also the quadrant of philosophers. Philosophers build big intellectual pies in the skies, and albeit those pies can be very interesting, they're still lacking science and experience.
And that's why, in my reading, I never prioritize philosophers.
Tucker Max: High Experience, Non-Replicable
- Personal experience: very high
- Science: low
- Analysis: medium
- Critical thinking: low
Tucker Max is the author of a few books on "being an asshole", and he launched a few products on dating seduction.
Tucker has lots of first-hand experience in his field, since he was sexually successful as a frat boy and, once he became famous, he passed the thousand on partners' count.
Yet, his experience is limited to:
- University
- Asshole style
- With women who sought him because he was famous
That type of experience is extensive in depth, but limited in breadth.
Tucker's teaching could still be very useful for frat boys and people who became famous.
But most guys are not frat boys, and they're not famous.
That makes Tucker Max an example of a personally successful man, with high experience, but a poor teacher ofr others.
Economists: High Science, Ivory Tower Trapped
- Personal experience: low
- Science: very high
- Analysis: high
- Critical thinking: very low
We are referring to the Chicago school economists who were behind the "homo economicus" theories.
The "homo economicus" was a perfectly rational human being, optimizing his decisions in perfect rationality, and with the goal of maximizing his returns.
Says Richard Thaler, the man who more than anyone showed the limitations of the "homo economicus" theories:
As economists became more mathematically sophisticated and their models incorporated their new methods of sophistication, the people they described evolved as well.
Calculate the present value of social security benefits that will start 20 years from now? No problem!
Thaler, "Misbehaving"
Stop by the tavern on payday and spend intended for food? Never!
Perfect example of science getting out of touch with personal experience, as well as analysis building upon itself unchecked by critical thinking behind.
That data and science was good in terms of internal validity, but very poor in actually describing reality (poor external validity).
A proper critical thinking function should have stepped in and said: "wait a second, do the people I see every day around me act like perfect rational creatures? Actually they don't… "
Picking The Right Teachers
Now we'll explore a few ideas on how to pick the best teachers.
Spot the Marketing
It's common for marketers to present one of the approaches as a selling proposition:
- Experience: "I've got tons of experience in this", "I've seen my students crush it with this"
- Science: "This is science-backed", "all based on hard-data"
- Systemic: "It all adds up, just plain-sense advice", "prove it wrong, if you can" (and gets into a dialectic diatribe)
Obviously, marketing is marketing, and it's fair game. This website also markets PU as "evidence-backed" in some of its sales copy.
But your task is to make sure that the individual who wants to teach has all the 3 pillars well in place.
In my experience, pushing too hard on a single pillar is a red flag that one might be lacking in the other two.
In this example marketer Derek Drake plays down his personal experience, which makes him come across as (fake) genuine, while playing up the science & systemic pillars of his product:
Spot the Over-Reliance on One Pillar
Rule of thumbs:
- When you see someone relying only or too much on anecdotal evidence and events in their lives…
- When you see someone quoting study after study, dropping references left and right, and saying things like "the data says… "
- When you see someone building overly complex and convoluted systems and theories, with little experience and little data…
Then make sure your critical thinking is activated.
Spot the Bias
The most dangerous teachers seem to have all 3 pillars, but are marred but high personal bais.
Personal biases include:
- Theories developed to justify personal anger / jealousies ("that race is inferior", "that gender is bad", etc.)
- Theories developed to justify personal interest / political beliefs
- Sharing what's good for the teacher, not what works (feminism is an example)
- Information presented to increase people's dependency on the teacher, rather than independence (keep in mind the conflict of interest)
Albeit this website is very "red pill", the red pill itself is biased, so we'll take some popular red pill theorists as examples:
- Little or no exceptions, the general rule always apply
There is almost no rule without exceptions.
Making little pace in one's theory for exceptions is either the sign of poor critical thinking, or of bias.
- One party is almost always virtuous, the other almost always bad
In the red pill there is a constant message of women being amoral, while men are virtuous.
Albeit it's certainly possible that is the case, when one group is depicted as "generally OK" and the other as "generally bad", that should at least raise a big red flag of bias.
- Lots of black and white, few grey areas
Like Robert Sapolsky says in his monumental review of human nature:
It's complex
Actually, once you reach a good level of understanding, things are not that complex. System-level thinking after all is about simplifying information into higher-level, coherent narratives.
Still, the higher you go in abstraction, the more exceptions you'll have.
And, as a rule of thumb, things with people are rarely binary and black and white, and it's more shades of grey.
So when someone's theory or teaching is very black and white, it's usuall a sign of poor understanding of the deeper complexities -or of bias-.
The Power Moves Approach
Three-pillars, or nothing
Here at The Power Moves I have chosen some time ago to only share strategies and information when I have reached high-levels of quantity and quality in all 3 pillars.
That's not always possible, though.
In some fields, not all 3 sources are available.
For example, when it comes to career strategies, there is little science and research available, and I personally have a brief experience (albeit large in breadth and deep observation).
But since most mainstream advice is full of platitudes, such as very low in analysis and critical thinking, I believe The Power Moves can still add lots of value there.
Finally, much of power dynamics as a discipline is not codified.
So part of this website's work is to put together the body of knowledge around power dynamics, and systematize it.