That there appear to be darker forces at play, depressing elements of human nature, is something that gives me pause. The bad news on human nature, in 10 findings from psychology. 
That said, I could not agree more, Mindysan33.
Just this. The victims of childhood abuse frequently (but not always) become abusers themselves, but we don’t excuse adults for perpetuating that cycle. Similarly, being bullied or teased in HS for being a nerd does not excuse the choice to become a bully in adulthood. This is exactly the choice a lot of these young men* have made at the urging of charlatans – not only to join the manosphere and alt-right but to become the kind of “free” market fundie that dominates the GOP establishment and Fox News.
It’s also a stretch to consider these guys to be “victims” at all. A person who is privileged in many terms but who is upset due to a thwarted sense of entitlement is more accurately described as a “spoiled brat”.
If they were hard-done by, it’s only in the sense that they were told by their parents and/or society that they’d keep enjoying their mid-century-modern Don Draper privilege if they followed the rules of a system that has become rigged against 80%+ of the population or is no longer sustainable. For the most part, though, they’re just bitter that their privilege is being taken away by changing demographics and economic and environmental realities.
[* some here may find it hard to believe, but young women are also bullied for being nerds. Somehow they’re less prone to use it as justification for entering a gateway to the alt-right.]
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Work better at what? Coercing a woman into bed so you can say you “scored”? That you finally “got laid”? The careless self-centeredness of that kind of response is a huge part of the problem with “pick-up techniques.” In fact, I think it’s the main problem with them.
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They might be victims of a culture that limits masculinity to things like violence, sexual conquest, and denigration of the feminine as masculine traits. Tragically, leaning into that definition of masculinity quickly turns those victims into perpetrators.
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I think the first time I learned about “Pick Up Culture” as an organized, monetized endeavor was from seeing Tom Cruise’s character in Magnolia, who led seminars advising men how to “seduce and destroy” targets.
20 years later I wonder how many creeps look to that character as an unironic role model instead of the sick and broken man the filmmakers meant to portray.
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These are not objective facts. Just stereotypes and generalizations.
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Amen; there’s an immature laziness and a serious lack of depth to the ‘PUA’/MRA mentality, which doesn’t see women as actual people with our own agency and that is the core of the problem.
We are not toys, or trophies, or fucking chattel animals that can be easily controlled; and any ‘man’ who approaches the female half of the human population that way is generally only setting himself up for disappointment and failure, regardless of his social standing.
That our society has perpetually facilitated this shitty and inhumane perspective about women speaks volumes about how far we have yet to go as a “civilization.”
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Same number of creeps who think Walter White is a hero instead of a jerk?
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Also the same number of creepers who think ‘Gordon Gecko’ is the good guy?
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Oh, who else can we add to that list of creeps who creeps love to venerate? The President? 
But who else?
Hm.
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On fictional characters, I’d add Don Draper, as I mentioned above. Tony Soprano, too, according to David Chase and the writers (a certain portion of the audience always complained there wasn’t “more whackin’”).
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Yeah, but at least some of that probably came from people who had certain expectations of mobster fiction, though.
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Alas, there are no time machines, (and frankly, that’s probably a good thing.) As for failing a test of morals, we’re all human and fallible; at least you are actually aware that you fell short of your own standards, and at least you have enough of a conscience to feel badly about it.
We can’t change the past, but we can make better choices going forward.
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Seriously THIS!
And speaking as a nerdy geeky engineering sort. You know what worked. Talking to women as just other people and accepting that NO MEANS NO and not getting to sexy times isn’t the end of your life.
Heck after actually getting to know them you sometimes realize oh wait with her/him?.. yeah no. Still fun to hang about with but that is fine.
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… Isn’t that also kind of what this comic is?
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I would just like to remind everybody that it is possible to be BOTH a victim and a victimizer.
ETA: In other words, what several other people, but especially @Magdalene, said.
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No.
The comic is describing and categorizing individuals based on their behavior and the stereotype that @ficuswhisperer is pointing out is saying "all people who are x have quality y " which is pretty much the definition of a stereotype.
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Perhaps if some of those fans spent less time whackin’, they could go out and meet someone.
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Exactly. You can say just what a PUA is. “Nerdy and engineering types” is so vague and general it’s practically meaningless.
I mean am introverted, shy, socially awkward, and bad at picking up verbal cues which doesn’t help much with my social life. Not because I’m a “nerdy and engineering type” (what about those Chaddy brogrammers?). I also have never blamed other women for my shortcomings.
The whole notion of “involuntary celibacy” is so patently ridiculous that I can’t believe anybody actually identifies with this.
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That’s another point that got stuck in my craw about the bullshit ‘poor, socially-awkward nerd!’ excuse that’s used to try to justify the rise of the incels and other misogynistic ‘movements’; it fallaciously presumes that all nerds are dudes.
Like no woman in history has ever been an outcast, or had trouble fitting in with her peer-groups.
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