Ladder Theory: Referendum
 

Ladder Theory as discovered by Dallas Barabasz-Lynn (Ladder Theory Web Site ) comes up frequently on this board. In general, people seem to either think of it as unadulterated garbage or the straight gospel. I tend to lean towards the "straight gospel" crowd. What do we all think? If you like it, post one or two things you like about it. If you don't like it, say why.

Since Ladder Theory is all about relationship dynamics, I figured this was the right place to bring it up.

For me, I have noticed that several facets of Ladder Theory check out. As I've gotten better jobs and more money, girls come easier. I also think that no man can deny the existence of the females' ladder duality- friends and real.

I think it's a little of half and half. Some truth, some bullshit becuase the guy that wrote it got dumped when he thought he was going to get laid.

Idiotic drivel written by someone who's pissed that he can't get laid. Doesn't apply to me, doesn't apply to anyone I know, therefore it can't be absolute truth.

Don't tell me I'm in denial, that's how it works for me.

While it may not be 100% true, it does have an airness of truth about it.

All theories are based on some truth. The problem with most of these theories is that they don’t cover all the bases. Generally people only see what they want, or what they have been told and ignore any minor or even major discrepancies. It's selective perception and it happens all the time.

People would probably be more receptive to the potential truth in his theory if he didn't present it so caustically. I think there's a lot of truth in it, myself.

I have not found anything in this theory that is truthful for me, thus it can't be gospel. Since I have heard of it, but do not believe it applies to all men (only those who are like the creator of this theory) I think it is crap. Shite. Junk. Garbage. Refuse.

i voted gospel because it holds true for the majority, but i've disproved it personally on mannnny counts. i'm the rare type that is a 'nice guy' but gets the girls :D

I think it has a few good points that were generalized to encompass the whole social spectrum. While most of the points he makes are valid, social interaction is more complicated than his black and white version.

Way over-generalized. Does it hold for some women? Undoubtedly. But I know from direct experience that it doesn't hold for all women...

I think it holds true for some women. Problem is the way he wrote it--I understand its supposed to be funny, but it takes away a lot of his credibility.

It's absolutely true for most women. Once you get put on the straight "friend" ladder, you're hopes are up. The friend ladder means simply that she never feels like she would ever sleep with you - therefore, any possible relationship has ended before it began.

I think there's some truth in it.

Total crapage. I might buy into it a little, but he comes off as a just another loser who can't get girls, and is trying to blame every one else but himself.

I think my daily horoscope has more to do with what happens in my actual life than ladder "theory".

And horoscopes are obviously silly.

So i think ladder theory is nothing but the cynical rantings of a bitter misogynist. Maybe that's too harsh. It's like i've always said, if you want to fuck women you don't respect it's a lot easier to hire a prostitute than to play some stupid fucking head games based on the idea that your main focus in relationships should be getting your knob polished.

I think it's a bunch of over-analyzed crap coming from a guy who is very pissed about the fact that some women aren't attracted to him.

I can't find myself anywhere in his theory.

hfhdfhfxxxffffffffffffffghhh

I don't care if he's bitter. Fuck if i care if Niels Bohr was the most bitter motherfucker since hitler's secret gay jewish lovechild, if a theory holds up it holds up and ladder theory doesn't hold up. Maybe it holds if up your primary source for meeting women is a nightclub, but i can assure that most of america's women aren't in nightclubs every friday night.

He could be the most popular guy in the world with girls, until they see his website and see how he labels 99.999999% of all women bitches. Women do look for the wrong shit in guys, and guys look for the wrong shit in girls.

I have a theory. Maybe i'll get a website too. Here goes, "People in general have emotional problems and in many instances these problems come into play in the course of interpersonal relationships. If you are ever going to hope for a stable, healthy and functional relationship with anybody, let alone someone you are sexually attracted to than you should start by figuring out how you yourself are fucked up emotionally". Actually, right there i think i just came up with a theory that supersedes ladder in both clarity and actual application to reality.

The problem with ladder theory is that is seems to assume:
1. That all men are trying to get laid all of the time.
2. That rule 1 is acceptable and inherent.
3. That all women use their keen vaginally linked knowledge to exploit rules 1 and 2.
and finally
4. Men should, instead of simply not trying to stick their cocks in something warm 24 hours a day, should actually try and exploit women's exploitation of them, i.e. use rule 4 to their advantage.

The problem is that rule one, the lynchpin, is bullshit. The rules certainly apply to people who choose to live in such a manner, but i assure you that most functional adults don't behave that way. Grown up men can have relationships with sexually attractive women that they don't want to fuck. Grown up men don't allow women to use them for emotional stability for the sole reason that they might get a whiff of vagina. Grown up men don't care if they end up on the friend list because they are aware of the statistical certainty that they can indeed find a women who wants to be in a sexual relationship with them.

Aah, thank you.

Aside from how insulting his website is to women, it does men a great disservice as well by cramming them into an equally shallow pigeonhole. I have had complex and fulfilling relationships with a number of men who related to me on various levels. We all seem to be totally off the scale as far as the ladder theory goes, almost as if none of us exist. I can only pity people who believe this theory to be true, for the desperate and shallow world they apparently inhabit.