I don't see the difference in saying the Ladder Theory isn't true and saying it is true. None of us have real data to back it up. All I can say is I've seen events in real life play out according to the ladder theory on multiple occasions, more often that events do not. I don't have any huge sample data to go by and I don't have research papers to back my conclusions. My conclusions are based on me witnessing this theory play out in college over and over and over and over. Maybe it doesn't happen everywhere. But when I personally see it played out a dozen times within my small group of friends, I can't help but agree with it to a certain degree.
Is it exaggerated? Yeah. Is it made partly in jest? Yeah. Does it have a pretty big point fundamentally? Yes.
Maybe the people who go to TFP don't associate with it well because they're logical, reasonable human beings, as the ladder theory is mainly concerned with the general public (not logical, reasonable human beings). It's reasonable that the ladder theory may in fact be played out more than the naysayers admit, it simply gets played out among a different sector of the population.
And I will swear on my life that the guy-can't-be-friends-with-a-girl theorem they have going on has merit.
