Competition can either build a man up or bring him down.

Readership: All
Theme: Redemptive Headship and Masculinity
Length: 900 words
Reading Time: 5 minutes

The Black Pill is Competitive

In The Status Signaling Narrative (2022-3-21), I described how many Manospherian personalities avoid talking about their personal lives and will say and do things that signal status, such as AMOGing, c0ck blocking, competitive bullying, being condescending, criticizing, making comparisons, mocking, and showing contempt.

My larger point was that men who signal status and habitually deliver a narrative that is more or less a “man up” lecture are usually Black Pilled.

In this context, being Black Pilled means that a specific goal or ideal is set up, and it is expected that every man should jump through the required hoops to reach that goal. This competitive social arena arises from the inherent nature of men to challenge each other, to develop character, and to refine the tribe. This is a good thing in itself and gives rise to hierarchies of authority. But for men who aren’t set up to achieve those goals, the future is bleak — not because they can’t reach those goals, but because they just don’t “Get It” without any tutelage. Thus, these less competitive Men are summarily dismissed as hopeless wussified losers — not because they lack masculine attributes like character, courage, or discipline, but simply because they can’t or won’t engage in the competition for the particular goals that have been set forth as a standard.

As an example, I identified Ted Beale (AKA Vox Day) as Black Pilled according to this understanding. We might suppose that Vox expresses his faith and life-purpose through his blogs (Alpha Game, Vox Popoli) and other enterprises (e.g. Arkhaven comics, Infogalactic), but he still maintains some vestiges of the Black Pill in his competitive and discriminatory attitude towards other men. IOW, he has no sense of The Great Commission / evangelism.

More broadly speaking, a man who engages in this kind of status signaling could be in any one of Rollo’s 5 stages of self-awareness. IOW, he has not yet reached the stage of having a Redemptive Purpose.

img-1783680886-6a50cf76c92f69.10987412.jpg“Can you compete with these guys for the chicks? If not, then you’re a loser! INCEL!!! Go stand over there and lick up your bitter tears of misery! Wouldn’t want to be you!”
Those who buy into this line of reasoning are Black Pilled.

Black Knight Competition

OTOH, Men who go all out in the competition and break all the social rules and tenets of civility and decency to reach those goals could also be considered Black Pill, as anonymous_ng described,

“I always thought of the Black Pill as the black knight equivalent, the “Burn it all down and sow salt on the remains”.

Or, the “Have sex with her sister, her mother, and all of her friends”, etc.”

Faux-Masculine archetypes that match this description include, Bad@ss Chads*, The Abusive Criminal / Thug*, The Dark Triad, Antimonianists, Ressentimentalists, Legalists*, certain types of Incels*, and some of the more dominant types of Male Feminists*. The worst antagonists (indicated by an asterisk) share the same Harbinger of Masculine Doom in their constitutive identities — Rejection. In addition to these male archetypes, women are among the worst practitioners of rejection as a tactic of personal defense and social dominance. Thus, they all coopt, choreograph, and propagate Rejection as an ego cathexis in how they treat others. As a result, the other Faux-Masculine identities that are built on Rejection suffer the worst within this paradigm; specifically, Mopey Dopeys, Bungling Husbands, Boring Loyal Dudes, generic Incels, Low Power Male Feminists, Soy Boys, Simps, and Workaholics.

Men need to overcome this fear of rejection through approaching and talking to both men and women, and thereby learning about one’s nature, and how to exercise self-control and social graces. In the best case scenario, these efforts are met with acceptance and increased fellowship, and so this practice can build confidence and charisma. The problem is when other men and women pour on the rejection so hard and heavy that a man cannot face and overcome his inner fears. In the worst case scenario, this leads to anger and bitterness and thus more E11iots and Jasons are created. Black Knight wins and the Black Pill is propagated to others.

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Choose Goals and Peers Wisely

Perhaps fixing this situation could be as easy as changing one’s goals and choosing to associate with social groups that share the same goals. Men can improve their situation by placing themselves in those particular arenas of competition in which they can demonstrate their natural proficiencies and therefore stand a good chance of excelling and succeeding.

Being able to showcase his own competencies among those who share compatible goals would also facilitate his finding a more appropriate mate. In this case, even a simp can get a girlfriend!

We also need to remember that many of the goals pressed forth by the world stand in opposition to the ultimate goal for Christians, which has been given to us in scripture.

13 Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, 14 I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.

15 Therefore let us, as many as are mature, have this mind; and if in anything you think otherwise, God will reveal even this to you.

Philippians 3:13-15 (NKJV)

What this ‘upward calling’ looks like is different for each man, but I’d be willing to bet it requires most men to break away from the goals and competitions imposed by the world, take an honest look at himself, and then pursue enterprises that employ each man’s unique abilities, competencies, proficiencies, skills, and strengths.

If you don’t know what your competencies are, then you need to be trying new things on a regular basis. Keep hunting until you find something you’re really good at.

In any case, don’t stay in a situation where you’re not trusted or seen to be a loser.

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