this post was submitted on 17 Jul 2025
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[–] toofpic@lemmy.world 102 points 17 hours ago (2 children)

I had a goth friend who would always get laid without much trouble. At some point he got a normal job and had to "become a normie", and I learned that it wasn't because he was a goth, it was because he was a complete asshole with women, and some women, for some reason, can't resist assholes.

[–] JackbyDev@programming.dev 22 points 11 hours ago (7 children)

When you say things like "some women can't resist assholes" it sounds like red pill rhetoric. A better way to say it might be like "some assholes prey on women's insecurities". Keep the focus on the person who is the problem, not the victims.

[–] sp3ctr4l@lemmy.dbzer0.com 0 points 12 minutes ago* (last edited 9 minutes ago) (1 children)

How about:

Many men, and women, and every other kind of human, often mistake confidence and decisiveness ... for competence, reliability, trustworthiness, responsibility.

...

This is by no means totally specific to a sex or gender, it applies broadly, in all kinds of social situations, business relationships, etc, between all kinds of genders and sexes.

This innappropriate or overweighted heuristic tendency also tends to lessen with age, as people gain first hand experience and knowledge that this heruistic, this intuition, this assumption... is actually often not accurate.

...

Anybody with decent charisma, which a huge component of is an above average, but not overwhelming level of outwardly displayed confidence, stands a better chance at convincing most people of basically anything, intentionally or unintentionally.

Lots of overly confident people bulldoze into a situation, legitimately believing they were well equipped to handle it in an ethical way, only later to realize... oh, I am in way over my head, I fucked up.

Lots of overly confident people also just know they are full of shit, and intentionally bulldoze through, and then either gaslight about how they did nothing wrong, or just fucking vanish.

This again works beyond just interpersonal romantic relationships:

For every bonafide grifter con artist (crypto for dudes, cosmetics MLMs for gals), there is a well intentioned new boss or manager who basically accidentally fucks up the entire department out of inexperience and hubris...

And both of those are often aided by their natural, above average levels of confidence and charisma.

[–] JackbyDev@programming.dev 1 points 3 minutes ago

I'm fine saying "many people prey on other people's insecurities." I am not "making this about gender." I was mirroring the genders I was replying to.

[–] abbotsbury@lemmy.world 27 points 10 hours ago

A better way to say it might be like “some assholes prey on women’s insecurities”. Keep the focus on the person who is the problem, not the victims.

idk I think that's needlessly condescending to women, not all of them dating assholes are victims, some just like assholes because they like asshole behavior because they're also an asshole.

[–] loudwhisper@infosec.pub 14 points 9 hours ago

This also takes away agency from people. In fact, I am sure that there would be a way to diagnose every single relationship ever as a form of abuse in which someone takes advantage of someone else's something.

Adults are responsible for their choices, and particularly in the case of "assholes", that is often associated with being assertive, dismissive and some people just like that kind of "I am the main character" features. Maybe there are even some deep rooted evolutionary reasons for that, I don't know. Anyway, painting anything as victim-oppressor dichotomy IMHO is nonsense.

[–] Jax@sh.itjust.works 33 points 11 hours ago* (last edited 11 hours ago) (2 children)

When you say things like "some assholes prey on women's insecurities" it's incredibly condescending, especially when you consider that women can also be assholes.

Like begets like. I've known too many couples where both of the people in the relationship are trash.

[–] RaivoKulli@sopuli.xyz 15 points 6 hours ago

The amount of tone policing here is fantastic, everyone is finding something problematic about what is being said even though the actual effect is mostly agreed on

[–] Damage@feddit.it 4 points 9 hours ago (1 children)

Anyone can be a victim, condescension has nothing to do with that.

[–] Jax@sh.itjust.works 1 points 45 minutes ago

And anyone can be an asshole, assuming that all women are simply victims is 100% condescending towards women.

[–] toofpic@lemmy.world 12 points 10 hours ago (1 children)

I keep the focus where I want, that doesn't change the asshole-victim situation, and I won't save anyone if I change the wording.

[–] JackbyDev@programming.dev 1 points 3 hours ago

Obviously you can do what you want, you have free will.

[–] boonhet@sopuli.xyz 2 points 8 hours ago

It's not just preying on their insecurities. Everyone has insecurities, but not everyone will let you into their pants just for calling them a worthless piece of shit or something. The women in question must have some deeper issues. Because I also have a friend who demonstrated to me how you can just go on Tinder and write horrible shit to women and get surprisingly good results.

[–] brown_guy45@lemmy.zip 1 points 9 hours ago

That's just a loop like how people ask which came first.. hen or egg

[–] blarghly@lemmy.world 61 points 16 hours ago (4 children)

Being an asshole implies confidence.

Women like confidence.

[–] But_my_mom_says_im_cool@lemmy.world 39 points 14 hours ago (1 children)

Inexperience and young girls mistake being a dick with confidence

[–] RaivoKulli@sopuli.xyz 1 points 6 hours ago

Alright alright alright

[–] TheReanuKeeves@lemmy.world 26 points 16 hours ago (2 children)

Certain women like asshole confidence. Typically the type to write "I'm a bitch, deal with it" in their bios

[–] Almacca@aussie.zone 12 points 13 hours ago (1 children)

The women that like arseholes, believe it or not, are also probably arseholes.

[–] bstix@feddit.dk 3 points 6 hours ago (2 children)

I wonder if there are more assholes than normal people, so that it only seems that assholes are more successful in dating because there are simply more of them.

[–] Almacca@aussie.zone 1 points 6 hours ago

If there are more arseholes than non-arseholes, then the arseholes are the 'normal' people. That's why I stay inside. I'm also trying reconcile with myself the possibility that I'm also an arsehole, just the wrong sort of arsehole.

[–] blarghly@lemmy.world 23 points 15 hours ago (2 children)

I've known many women who were very nice and intelligent, who dated assholes. Usually they end the relationship thinking "ugh, why did I do that? That guy was such an asshole."

They do this because women are human, and do the very human thing of making mistakes and regretting them.

[–] RaivoKulli@sopuli.xyz 5 points 6 hours ago (1 children)

They do this because women are human

Big if true

[–] blarghly@lemmy.world 2 points 1 hour ago

I find that spanning inferential distances is typically best accomplished by starting from obvious facts. When you say something that sounds dumb because it is so obvious, you've found a good starting point for creating shared understanding.

[–] BigBananaDealer@lemmy.world 13 points 14 hours ago

sometimes you dont realise theyre an asshole until youre already a year plus deep

[–] mojofrododojo@lemmy.world 5 points 11 hours ago (2 children)

implies confidence.

nope. it implies a craven amount of insecurity.

it says something though that so many people assume this, it's certainly not just you.

[–] blarghly@lemmy.world 13 points 9 hours ago

Whatever. It gives off the impression of confidence. We're trying to explain observed phenomena here, not cast moral judgements.

[–] toofpic@lemmy.world 6 points 9 hours ago* (last edited 6 hours ago) (1 children)

In my case, you're wrong, the guy is like a tank, insecurity is not the case. I see some people trying to "dig deeper":

  • "maybe the women have insecurities, so it is them who are to blame"
  • "maybe the asshole is not an asshole, he just has a childhood trauma"
    No, he is a confident asshole, and his "charm" works one some women (and not each of them falls into made-up categories). People look for patterns too much. "I'm a red-piller" - lol, that's a first.
    Note, I'm not protecting the guy, but he is not a comic-book villain with an origin story. He just happens to be successful in finding one-night stands because of a personal trait.
    Edit: forgotten line breaks
[–] mojofrododojo@lemmy.world 2 points 9 hours ago* (last edited 9 hours ago) (1 children)

the guy is like a tank

a lot of people who over-invest on physical attributes have serious insecurities.

I hold to my premise. it in no way discredits him being an asshole in his coping with these issues.

[–] toofpic@lemmy.world 2 points 8 hours ago

Not strong like a tank, I meant by attitude. Ok, you invent whatever person you want in your head.

[–] outhouseperilous@lemmy.dbzer0.com 6 points 13 hours ago (1 children)

No. Hi. Asshole here; zero confidence.

[–] sp3ctr4l@lemmy.dbzer0.com 1 points 52 minutes ago (1 children)

Well I'd ask you to prove you're an asshole, but apparently you don't believe you could?

=P

[–] outhouseperilous@lemmy.dbzer0.com 1 points 51 minutes ago

No, inverse; i think it's self evident.