I don't hold it in high esteem, this is what I mean, you seem to assume my perspective just like you're assuming Rollo's. Rather than keeping an open speculative mind you've classified his book as having one and only one interpretation, the one you have. I'll entertain you for a moment.
The principle is that you can not expect motherly love(which weak willed men tend to expect from a partner) without some major sacrifices to your self respect.
If it were obvious to everyone than the book would not be talked about as much as it is. It's not an indictment because there is nothing wrong with women not providing a motherly love, that is not their role. Again not a dramatic thought.
I don't remember reading anything that said men are victims. This is what I mean when I say you're attempting to read between the lines and projecting something, distorting the message. You are projecting your opinion(you think it's hammed-up), then arguing against your own opinion. That's a straw-man.
This is not the tone I interpreted at all. I also don't praise it as gospel, but I certainly didn't sense hostility or resentment. It's a serious topic portrayed in a serious tone, which is kind of a boring read.
You don't seem open-minded, but that's my opinion. I can agree that it may come across as a bit pessimistic, but I haven't read it in a long time. Have you read any other books? I don't think I've talked to anyone here that sees it as gospel. Most people hear that do read relationship books read many and take nuggets from each. No one book is on a massive pedestal set far above the rest.
The styles cultivated here are generally sprinkled along a spectrum of two extremes. On the one end are people that will let women do pretty much anything and constantly waste precious time contemplating strategies on how to chase and qualify themselves(they try to qualify themselves to others on the forum by 'flexing nuts' in a sense), we attribute this to coming from a place of fear and scarcity, seeking an easy solution to hard internal problems, on the other end are people that have focused strictly on self improvement and letting the game and women come naturally as a by-product. Sadly some have lost hope in themselves or have become so deluded in chasing that they are doomed to forever brood in the former, sometimes BSing themselves into thinking they are chasing because they are 'alphas', sometimes becoming extremely salty and resenting women. I would say these are the ones that would see something like Rollo's work as gospel, but I would like to hope these are a minority. A more senior member will probably tell you they are the majority.
My point is interpretation is everything with relationships. The topic is so open-ended that people on this forum constantly misunderstand each other. Your interpretation of Rollo's work is appreciated, but that book is a small fish in a very big pond. Rather than criticize one book(which is easy) why not expand on and defend your 'balanced' approach to relationships. That's where the real work is done. Where is the line for you? The line between respect and disrespect? Give me something better than a vague "it has to be balanced' statement. What has to be balanced? To what degree? Why?
When you say re-calibrate it sounds like you mean to lower one's standards, is that right?
Your reply is appreciated, although I won't go through each of your quotes as bullet points.
I haven't classified the book as having only one interpretation. I have my own interpretation of the book's tone, under which I have classified it. I have shared my viewpoints. I haven't presented any of my viewpoints as facts.
I don't have the time to comb through the book for citations here. If any of my arguments or viewpoints require citations, well, sorry. I'll just gloss over it for now.
Rule #6 is one of many instances throughout the book where a simple, obvious, almost mundane fact of life is presented in some sensationalist way. Sexual attraction is conditional. We all know that. I am not sure why he chose to make this an 'iron rule' other than for this purpose. I do not believe that the 'hammed up' sensationalism of the author's language is my own projection. This sensationalism, I feel, serves the agenda of his narrative which largely paints men as hapless victims of female machiavellanism, and serves as a PSA against their hypergamy. Language like
driven insane in denial for the rest of their lives when they fail to come to terms with the disillusionment when addressing a fairly mundane fact of human attraction is clearly intended for almost theatrical effect. It's hammy. I've made no straw man here. There's a lot of this in TRM.
I read between the lines because much of communication isn't explicitly verbalized. Tone and inflection can offer a lot of insight into an author's mindset beyond the prose he writes. In the case of TRM, I get the sense the Rollo Tomassi has some hangups with women.
He presents a general dichotomy of male personae -- the alpha and the beta -- with various sub-categories offering nuance, ie. alpha vs. alpha providers vs. blue pill alpha vs. betas etc. He doesn't offer women the same nuance. They are all the same, all imposing the female imperative in their pursuit of their own selfish reproductive strategy. According to TRM, in relationships with them, it's your will against theirs, and beware of losing.
Reading through this forum, and other similar forums, TRM is held in very high regard by the same people who also harbor resentment and bitterness toward women. I believe they feed off of, and are thus validated by, the angry undertone of TRM. I don't believe the resentment in TRM is purely my own interpretation. What you have admitted as pessimistic is what I would call resentment.
My balanced approach rejects feminist brainwashing and the red pill reaction against it. Ironically, the approach I strive for is centered on a primary thesis of TRM -- that a man must appeal to both side of female hypergamy in order to be optimally attractive. This is an approach I haven't gleaned from studying attraction literature, but largely from personal experience.
Again, this is my interpretation of TRM. It offers valid perspective and insight, it is entertaining to read, but the reader should be mindful of the misogynist undertone and discard it if he truly wants to love women. Now, I get that makes me sound like a blue pill feminist beta cuck to a lot of red pill people here, to which you alluded to in your post. But that's my attempt at maintaining balance.