Post: #1

It's the 1st. Can we get our man Mark Minter up in here?

Post: #2

He seems to post comments alot over here - http://rationalmale.wordpress.com/

Has anyone seen him commenting often elsewhere?

Post: #3

I don't know why I'm feeling contrary today, but here goes. I like his writing, and I get where he's coming from, but he's not going to help me get laid, get swole, or get money.

Post: #4

I agree with that, and generally I'm in that camp too (I said exactly that about Heartiste's obnoxious political commentary, for example). But his writing isn't the type of 'woe is me' stuff that a lot of MRA/MGTOW sounds like. I think it's motivational and inspirational, and useful to keep in the back of your mind when you start thinking about dangerous stuff like love and marriage and whatnot.

Post: #5

(03-01-2013 02:12 PM)Menace Wrote:  I don't know why I'm feeling contrary today, but here goes. I like his writing, and I get where he's coming from, but he's not going to help me get laid, get swole, or get money.

It helped me massively when I was getting over my oneitis. Some blogs/people will help you get laid, some will help your inner game which in turn will help you get laid.

I put Mark firmly in the second category and have a lot of respect for him. I don't think you can't not learn from him no matter what stage you're at in your life.

Post: #6

I joined.

I would agree to everything in this post.

I am 57 years old. There is little that I can offer you in direct day to day game to directly help you get laid.

I would also agree that in no way that I would consider anything I have ever written to be in the first tier.

At best I am a collator that copies original ideas into different combinations.

And I use my life as an example of the classic case that Game can help you to avoid. Early on in Game reading, I recognized the potential for Game as a defensive strategy, that a man with options could wrestle with OneItis and win.

I normally do not quote Bill O'reilly but he said "People usually do ok in their professional decisions, in their work life. Where they fail is in choices in their personal life."

Game, and when I say Game, I don't mean only the part from approach to lay. I mean, the whole enchilada of philosophical thought that it entails, the approach to life, attitudes and awareness about the reality of women, biology, culture, and society, is no panacea to keep you from bad decisions in your personal life. But the biological and cultural deck of cards is stacked against you as a man and each of you must admit that you are better off now in facing what you face then you were before you got here.

My dad was born in 1919 in rural Mississippi. Take any conception you might have of life in America in 1920 and then subtract 20 years given where he came from. I can remember thinking during the 90s while he was still alive, "Jeez, with all changes that have come about during his life, what must he think?". Today I would say that even with all the technological changes that came in his life, there was still some social constancy in social structure. But in the last 10 years, that has all changed, and what existed for hundreds of years has washed away in a historical blink of an eye. You are left, as young men, to face an entirely different social regime than what he or I faced.

And collectively we are doing the best job in the world right now at explaining that change, far better, far more accurately with less bullshit, than any other cultural institution.

Inevitably, Return of Kings, specifically, and the whole body of writing in the internet is going to churn through writers and thought. But I am certain that a collection of writers will be found that will add to those that already exist and the sum collection will be the formation of a true body of knowledge that promotes a positive masculinity that is defined by men and for men.

If my position in all of this is no more than a cheerleader, I'm cool with that. Because I'm pretty fucking sure I'm cheering for the right side.

Post: #7

Good to have you here Mark. I have read some of your contributions that have been sprinkled around and enjoyed your comments. I think that they ring true for a lot of men and they certainly provide a lot to reflect on.

Post: #8

Shit yeah.

Post: #9

Cheers Mark. As a young buck of 23, it's good to hear the wisdom of a grizzled vet. When you are about to click "Post" after writing a lengthy comment on a game/lifestyle blog, you should stop yourself and send it to ROK for submission.

(03-02-2013 03:53 AM)Mark Minter Wrote:  I joined.

I would agree to everything in this post.

I am 57 years old. There is little that I can offer you in direct day to day game to directly help you get laid.

I would also agree that in no way that I would consider anything I have ever written to be in the first tier.

At best I am a collator that copies original ideas into different combinations.

And I use my life as an example of the classic case that Game can help you to avoid. Early on in Game reading, I recognized the potential for Game as a defensive strategy, that a man with options could wrestle with OneItis and win.

I normally do not quote Bill O'reilly but he said "People usually do ok in their professional decisions, in their work life. Where they fail is in choices in their personal life."

Game, and when I say Game, I don't mean only the part from approach to lay. I mean, the whole enchilada of philosophical thought that it entails, the approach to life, attitudes and awareness about the reality of women, biology, culture, and society, is no panacea to keep you from bad decisions in your personal life. But the biological and cultural deck of cards is stacked against you as a man and each of you must admit that you are better off now in facing what you face then you were before you got here.

My dad was born in 1919 in rural Mississippi. Take any conception you might have of life in America in 1920 and then subtract 20 years given where he came from. I can remember thinking during the 90s while he was still alive, "Jeez, with all changes that have come about during his life, what must he think?". Today I would say that even with all the technological changes that came in his life, there was still some social constancy in social structure. But in the last 10 years, that has all changed, and what existed for hundreds of years has washed away in a historical blink of an eye. You are left, as young men, to face an entirely different social regime than what he or I faced.

And collectively we are doing the best job in the world right now at explaining that change, far better, far more accurately with less bullshit, than any other cultural institution.

Inevitably, Return of Kings, specifically, and the whole body of writing in the internet is going to churn through writers and thought. But I am certain that a collection of writers will be found that will add to those that already exist and the sum collection will be the formation of a true body of knowledge that promotes a positive masculinity that is defined by men and for men.

If my position in all of this is no more than a cheerleader, I'm cool with that. Because I'm pretty fucking sure I'm cheering for the right side.

Post: #10

Wow - great to have you here, Mark!

You are my favourite manopshere writer around.

Anyway - I really like the Bill O'Reilly quote you gave. Definitely the best thing about the manosphere is to try and help guys look at their personal lives, with the same objectivity they look at their professional lives.

That is about as good a summing up as I have seen.

Thanks once again for joining!

Post: #11

Since we are showing our love for Mark here. I just want to share a recent comment he posted over on the Rational Male blog.

It is really quite moving and has stuck in my mind since I first read it:

One of the uniquely male moments in my life was being a Marine stationed in New River Air Station in NC and the Marine Corp Drill Team came for a performance. You might have seen them in parades and in front of thousands of people in formal performances.

This one performance was rather unique. The word was passed to go over to the flight deck and we all went over there. We formed big oval. Maybe 300 guys. No stands. No seats. Just like we were gonna watch a fight on the playground.

Keep in mind every one of these guys had been through Marine Corps boot camp and had spent countless hours learning drill. The most basic movement of drill is Port Arms, a two motion movement, snapping the rifle from down by your leg, up in front of your chest, grabbing it with a crisp clapping sound on the stock, halfway between the trigger and the tip of the barrel with left hand. The second movement is to move the right hand down and grab the stock on the other side of the trigger again with a crisp clapping sound.

With perfect drill, the two sounds should be pop pop but it almost never was that way. At first, the lack of precision was comical, but after hours it got more precise. When I first arrived at Boot Camp, the Third Phase platoons that were days from graduating looked perfect. And I sure my platoon looked the same close to graduation, but to me, it never seemed that we were like those others. There was always imperfection. It never sounded like Pop Pop. There was always a slight fuzz to it. And I am sure my thoughts were the same in all the other Marines.

The Marine Corps Drill Team came out of the helicopter hanger and marched towards us. The end of the oval opened, they marched in, and the oval closed behind them. I was maybe 20 feet away from them. This Drill Team was silent, no audible commands. The officer marching to the side of the file in the front raised a sword and dropped it and they came to halt. One sound, their heels clicking together, one pop. They did a right face to the flank, one pop.

Then they did a port arms. Pop Pop.

And a roar came up from the guys watching. The loudest roar you could hear from 300 men. For fucking Port Arms. On something that the rest of the millions of people that have seen this group perform for years took for granted and was nothing compared to twirling rifles with bayonets, thrown in the air, and all the theatrics that drill team is known for. But to those Marines watching, those men that had spent countless hours trying to perfect and then see perfection, and know it was perfection, they could not contain their appreciation.

Yeah, well I write and I shit all the web with words. I even put a good deal of time and effort into it.

But when I come here to Rational Male.

Pop Pop.

Post: #12

nice.good to have him around