The Tao of Cockblocking (v 1.7)

liquidocean

Bluelighter
Joined
Nov 8, 1999
Messages
7,865
(I wrote this in March, it was eaten up in the purge. Reposting for discussion.)

----------

In there the beginning there was the cock......

And the cock became horny, so it begged and God created the pussy. And it was good. God then created the human form in a caricature of Her own image, so that it might serve as mobile life support for the cock and pussy. And thus man and woman spent endless days copulating in the golf courses of the Lord, each orgasm a testament of their gratitude for their new-found genital expressions. Until one day, lo, the serpent appeared in the garden and beguiled them, persuading them to suppress their robust natural desires so that they may hoard the bounty of love.

Although living in an infinite valley of treasures beyond description, Adam and Eve were soon decieved. They discovered the insiduous power of sex, ate its fruit, and initiated us into our descent upon a Dark Age. Sex and power, soon came to be inextricably entwined, never to part but for the glowing light of mutual intimacy and trust. Not only the power to deny someone their sex, but to deny it to whomever they may want it from. So it is, and so shall it forever be. From Sisyphus' rock to the modern dating scene, abandon hope, all ye who desire to enter or be entered.

(Of course these generalizations and scenarios are not gender specific, i'm just writing from a guy's point of view and i'm trying to maintain consistency. And some may be intentional, some not. From the viewpoint of the person that's getting closer to finding love, it all sucks. And if they reflect my own personal biases, negativity, or shortcomings, so be it. I'm sure they also reflect some basic truth as well, and i'm always down for improvements or suggestions.)

1.0 - He who Burns More than Cigarettes. My number one personal pet peeve. You and a girl are having a cigarette, and are going outside (california) to have an intimate chat outside of the noisy crowd. You're having a nice private moment. A guy comes up and asks for a smoke or a light. You don't want to seem rude in front of the girl, so you offer. He then uses the offer as an excuse to enter the conversation without being invited, and then just keeps rambling and rambling, destroying your romantic moment. You don't want to seem rude, but he doesn't allow you a way out of the conversation, and the girl doesn't mind the attention from two guys. You are never able to return to the headspace respite of just you and the woman. Say hello to your new best friend.

2.0 - Waster of Critical Time. It's getting 1:30 am (around California bar/club closing time). You are hitting it off with a couple women. One aggressively asks you to take her home, implying she wants sex. You take her home, she suddenly turns cold and denies you. All of a sudden she's really tired or remembers she has to be up early tomorrow. You race back to the bar; it is closed and everyone's gone. All the other women you were hitting it off with are gone. You lose contact with your buddies who would know where the afterhours scene is. The woman she didn't want you to have sex with has probably gone off with some other guy or is jealous because she saw you taking off with the cockblocking woman. The cockblocking woman can be acting as a confederate or a henchwoman. You put your head in your hands and curse god. You go home alone and masturbate over the girl you should have gone for. The way to spoil this one is to not be too eager, and do get a down payment, maybe some making out or an oral committment, to test if their intentions are true.

2.1 - The Unavailable Flirt. When i go out to bars/clubs with good music, i prefer to dance rather than drink/schmooze, and then spend the last half-hour collecting myself and connecting with people who's dancing styles/vibes i liked. I then go outside around last call, and have a few smokes, cool off, dry off, and then finally engage in some conversations with people, away from the music. Then when the place closes down and everyone's on the sidewalk, i find that the best time to make a move, rather than doing it at 10pm. So a woman who knows she's unavailable and proceeds to wrap herself around a man who is looking for action is doing the man a serious disservice. I had a beautiful voluptuous 25-year old german woman yesterday i was talking to several times through the night. She came outside right around 2, and came over to me. It was only 15 critical minutes later (as everybody is pairing and hookin up) that i find out from her friend that she is married and therefore unavailable. Her block is inadvertent; she means me no harm. But i scan around and all i see are dudes. Blah.

2.2 - The Scarecrow Girlfriend. Similarly, a girl who doesn't want you to hook up will have her hands all over you in conspicuous lit places, effectively marking her territory and calling other girls off, then when you try to take her home, she will suddenly turn tired or lose interest. As guys are intimidated to come up to girls who are being hit on by guys, women use this to beat off other women. She is acting as the 'decoy' girlfriend so that other women will assume you are 'taken'. Evil, huh?

2.3 - The Sniper. Your ex doesn't want you hooking up. So she sends word to you directly or indirectly, that she or her allies are going to visit the bar/club/party that was generally considered to be your pre-relationship 'territory', aka your hunting ground for new pussy. You are uncomfortable with her being there and your game goes to shit. You either get used to looking over your shoulder, or you decide to go to a different scene, one less familiar and warm to you. Regardless, you score less. If she doesn't show up, it's a phantom block. She's not there yet she's still able to affect your game.

2.4 - The Pendulum Sways. Your ex doesn't want you hooking up. When it seems like you're close to making a nascent committment with a new woman, she sends you some very warm emotional or sexual vibes. She confuses your emotions and makes it hard for you to decide to start a new relationship. However, she may have no intentions for restarting the relationship, she may just be playing you in the attempt to stymie any new committments.

2.5 - The We Need to Talk Guy. You and this girl are hitting it off. A guy who has been around for a while but hasn't talked to her comes up. She knows him instantly, and he insists he needs a couple minutes to talk. She resists and then complies, and he succeeds in separating you from who happens to be his ex-girlfriend so that she won't hook up with you. Or he just blatantly goes, "who is this guy?", or puts her on the defensive with a "you're not going home with him, are you? (snarl)". Or he just sits in the background staring, making you and the girl nervous and self-conscious, killing the romantic vibe.

3.0 - Le Jerry Springer Drama Ho. You and a woman are hitting it off wonderfully. Another woman who has drama issues with this woman or with you enters the arena, spots the two of you connecting, and decides to disturb the loving waters. She may embarrass either of you with things that shouldn't be said. She may unleash damaging secrets. In any case, she inadvertently destroys the vibe with her presence and the romance dissipates as you and your love interest are dragged into this particular circle of hell. "Fuck her, let's just leave" is the appropriate response. The run. Run far. Any attempt to intervene may cause an eye to be possibly scratched out.

4.0 - Biff, Anti-Wingman. A guy who's eyeing your chick comes in and pulls a Biff. He either splurges on drinks, busts out drugs, name drops, mentions the dope party he's going to, pulls up in his Boxster, or brings up your anus infection. Or asks you how it was havin sex with the last girl he remembered you having sex with. Or asks if you are still going out with [insert ex-girfriend's name here]. Regardless of what he's saying, he's being a terrible wingman, sabotaging your game.

4.1 - The Slandering Philanderer. Biff doesn't say anything to the girl at all. Instead he notices you flirting with the girl, and pulls you aside. He then proceeds to lie and tell you she's seeing somebody else or taken, she has some venereal disease,is a slut, a dramtic head case, not up to your standards, or just plain terrible in bed. You take this to heart and it influences your perception of her. You move on from the her after your mental image of her is trashed. You later notice Biff smooth talking the same girl, schmoozing unobstructed, now that you're gone from the picture. A classic cockblocking play.

5.0 - The Master of Bait. While you're dancing, getting drinks, or taking a pee, a sly guy jumps on your girl and offers her a tempting variety of drugs. She just luuuves drugs, so she follows him to his car or the bathroom, a dark corner, or his car. They don't save any or offer any to you, and she's probably giving the guy a blowjob anyways. Yes, i'm being cynical.

5.1 - The Man with the Black Leather Jacket. A guy physically inserts yourself between you and the girl you're talking with. Or when you go to the bathroom he sits on your on your jacket and your seat. Or you're dancing with or near a potential interest, and he keeps bumping into your physial space and has his torso and face consistently pointed in her direction. When i feel this unwelcome pressure, i tend to dance in a way that 'checks' this sort of violation.

6.0 - The Pit Stop Abducter. When a party group is migrating from one place to another, Biff says he's too drunk to drive or says he doesn't have a car, then proceeds to jump into the car with the most girls. He then redirects the car from it's destination to his home base or allied territory, where they get high or drink until the clothes come off. The other car is not contacted; their phone went 'straight to voicemail' or their battery ran out.

6.01 - The Navigator. Same scenario. Guy usurps your position with girl. Uses the excuse that since you know the directions, you should ride in the other car, or some variant of that excuse.

6.1 - Mr. Just One Drink. You and a girl are hooking up and your about to leave the bar/club/party together. Biff sees this and comes bursting with enthusiasm about this afterparty you both need to come to. The woman is easily swayed by this and says, "why not, let's just stop by for a little bit/onedrink/oneline?" You reluctantly agree. When you get to the afterparty, she is fawned on, drugs are thrown at her, and she is otherwise tied up. It effectively gets late, and the romance and privacy have effectively been derailed. And while you could have been making love since midnight, you're now stuck late at night having to sound like an old fart if you want to attempt to leave with her.

7.0 - The Straggler. This has to be my second worst pet peeve. You are at a girl's house or your house with a couple people, partying mellow. Everyone eventually couples up, and it ends up with you, the girl, and Biff. It's pretty obvious that you have more pull with the girl and that she will end up with you, or you have hooked up before in the past. You are cool with him, letting him get a buzz before leaving. She is hospitable. He stays and stays, oblivious to what you have going on. You and the girl would be in the bedroom by now, but she doesn't want to be rude. The guy plays the strings just right to keep all three of you locked in a limbo. He starts new conversations and puts on a new CD to give himself another hour of working space. You eventually get a little agressive, perhaps pull the guy aside while she's making tea, and say, "Would you mind?". He perhaps eventually leaves, if he's not too drunk to drive, and you and the girl eventually hook up, but she is too tired, seeing as it's almost 4:00 A.M.

7.1 - The Pathos Playa. (This one is like the anti-personnel mine of cockblocking. Far from 'taking one from the team'. This guy emits shrapnel that leaves no one unscarred. I loathe this strategy and never use it and despise anyone that does. I consider it a warcrime worthy of punitive retribution, for these are the slime of the earth.) So here we go. You and Biff are equally competing for the same girl. You have pulled ahead, and the girl has let you overtly know she wants to be with you. And she is implicity letting the other guy know 'maybe some other time' in a polite way. Biff refuses to let go, so he latches on until the tension escalates and the woman is forced into an uncomfortable situation where she must explicitly choose you over him. And you obviously want an end to this competition so you can enjoy her presence without any further disruption. The guy then shrugs, sulks, then goes away, making no secret of the sullen, dejected, depressed, and defeated mood he's now in. He makes a convincing attempt to look like he's going to jump off the nearest bridge. He has essentially rigged explosives onto the body of his dignity and blown himself up, injuring others in the process. He does this as a manipulation to pull the girl's strings, making her feel guilty for rejecting him and making you seem like the meanie. The woman, if indecisive and prone to manipulative tactics will apologetically retract and ask him to join you two in a tearjerking moment of pathos. He may hesitate for one cycle in order to solicit a stronger plea and a more lucrative, reinforcing invitation, then he will take that invitation. The rest of the night will be frustrating and uneventful and you will loathe this guy for taking such a lowball strategy.

7.2 - The Biter of Hands. You are having beers at a girl's place. The competing guy convinces you to go out to hook stuff up or to get beers or food. When you come back, the door is locked, or they're in her bedroom making out. Solution: bring beers first, making it his turn. Or pretend to leave, but go to the bathroom to take a last pee, and see if he stabs you in the back the second he thinks you've left.

7.3 - Charlie sans Angels. You ask your friend or dealer for drugs, let's say blow. He inquires to how you're going to use it. You reluctantly tell him you're going to be with this girl. He insists on coming along to do 'just one line'. Or you try to hook up stuff at a small, private gathering, and the guy insists on delievering instead of you picking it up because he hears female voices in the background. Unfortunately, he is uncouth, and his presence will keep everyone's clothes on. Or you go to a guy's place to hook stuff up, your girl comes along, and he insists on you guys staying for a bit. In the meantime, he's looking her up and down.

7.4 - The Unscrupulous Doser. Everyone's getting loaded. Biff knowingly offers you a drug or drink that is way too potent a dosage for your own good. You are left either passed out, puking, self-conscious, catatonic, sloppy, unable to drive, or just plain stupid acting. You become unappealing and he takes off with her.

7.5 - The Soul that Needs Reeling In. This one works in two directions. This time Biff may be faking or he may be sincere. If he is truthful, it is good to cut him slack. If he's faking, he's slime. The first direction would be for him to be a newbie to E and to be tripping in bliss and to conveniently discover your love interest is a goddess capable of lifting his lowly spirit up to the highest heavens with her angelic touch. No doubt she is flattered by this treatment; she's not used to playing in the realm of the immortals. So he gets a back rub, a hand massage, and her full attention, and no judgement or sharp edges. She may even drop her defenses like she would for a gay man. The other direction is the one where Biff is tripping balls off psychedelics or bad E, or is having some emotional difficulties, and is looking for a sympathetic ear. As inconvenient as this is for you, it is an inadvertent block, and he should be helped. I've had this particular scenario happen to me once, and the guy started trying to feel up my girlfriend until she looked at me to stop this. People do get trippy on drugs, and if people get positive feedback from sympathy and pity in their sober lives and through their childhood, it is not too far of them to do it while under the influence.

7.6 - The Machiavellian Territorialist. Men naturally compete with each other for women. Although we are slow to pick up things, we have realized that if we let our macho sides get the best of us, it ruins the vibe and it makes the ladies less receptive to our advances. So in the interest of gentlemanlyness, sportsmanship, and comradery, it is best to compete in a subtle, casual way that doesn't belie our burning desires and cutthroat tendencies. Likewise, we have resolutions against torture in war, and we shun violence in sports. We always enjoy a good winner. It leaves a good taste in our mouths. So it is best to keep the woman from feeling suffocated, lest she want neither of us. Plus we seem more mature. A good mutual strategy for two men competing over one woman is to alternate between shifting in the foreground and background. If you have confidence, let the guy have his moment in the spotlight, then you'll have yours. This way the woman can see what you two have to offer without the intervention of the other. you get more operating room to be yourself. Then the woman can figure out who she leans towards, and make a clearer decision. This way both guys get a chance to shine, and it increases their standing in her eyes. Plus she doesn't burn out on both of you, and she doesn't feel fought over. And this way she tends to connect with the person she likes better, which is how it should be anyways. However, not all competing men are confident gentlemen. Some men in this situation wage an undeclared Cold War against you, and consider any advance in your standing to be a 'security risk', to be the domino that starts the others crashing down. The guy doesn't let you out of his sight, doesn't give you and the girl a moment alone, and questions and checks every gesture of affection between you two. In his mind he is mapping the territories in Risk, and he is applying Machiavellian principles to romance, a big no-no. The woman is left with the impression that the two of your are merely postmodern Cro-Magnons.

8.0 - The Bidding War. Like a Sotheby's auction war between two rival socialites, Biff approaches and checks the woman's availability status. You step in and explain how you are going to take her wherever and do whatever. Biff then ups the bid by making a higher offer, forcing you to up yours or bow out. You're going back to smoke some weed; then he's got chronic. You're going to listen to a cd, he's got it on dvd. It's a very aggressive move on his part, and is only fair to do when there are no women left or if he really likes this particular woman as well. As far as i can recall, most women don't mind two suitors competing over her attention. So he either takes the woman or leaves you to have her, but after you have promised her so much more.

9.0 - Le Troisième Roue. You're chilling with a girl, out and about or wherever. Biff calls and asks who you're with, what you're doing, etc. You try to shy him off, but he won't take the hint. You eventually tell him who you're with, and he insists on joining. He's magically in the area, and when he meets up, he is a total third wheel, or he brings along friendly allies to drown out your feeble attempt at romance.

10.0 - The Non-Threatening Disarmer. You're chilling with a woman at a club. A guy she knows comes over, introduces himself in a friendly way to you. He asks her to come dance with him. He seems nonaggressive and noninterested enough, perhaps even gay, so you back out. Your naivite ends when you notice this non-threatening friend has got his tongue down the throat of your love interest on the dancefloor. All you can do at this point is dance solo close to them and seem like a stalke (What about me?), or you can find someone new and start over.

10.1 - The Accidental Tourist. You're finally in a private space with a girl in a crowded party. Biff comes in without knocking, 'accidentally' thinking this was the door to the bathroom. He lingers for a moment, making you two feel insecure about your sense of privacy.

11.0 - The Testosterone Bomb. You're chilling with a girl, talking about some sensitive nice-guy subject, say, how you dislike eminem's homophobic comments though you're not gay. Or how mainstream pornography is too biased towards the male ejaculation. Biff comes strolling up with his posse of Italian soccer players, and effectively blows up your game with his testosterone bomb and sinks your battleship. You begin the process of cleaning sand off your bifocals. Where are those damn things?

11.1 - The Bull in a China Shop. You and a girl are having an interesting conversation. The vibe is platonic, yet flirtatious. You are a shy guy and are keen on letting things progress in their own natural time. Biff's suddenly appears, and ups the ante on the level of flirtation, and turns everything into a sexual innuendo. The subtle romance you had no longer holds any taste in your mouths, because the flavor of Biff's cock has invaded your palettes. All he can allude to is sex, and while the girl is visibly squeamish, the conversation is alluring in an itchy way. You can find no effective way to rid yourself of him. Biff plays off of your repulsion and frustration to his advantage. The woman finds herself more attracted to Biff as time goes on.

11.2 - The Freaky Friend. Another inadvertent block. You, Biff, and two women are chilling in privacy. Everything looks rosy. In an overzealous attempt to try to be cool, Biff starts voicing bizarre, inflammatory, and controversial statements. These statements turn off the sensual/sexual vibe, and he reflects badly on you. The women consider him a freak, and assume you're guilty by association.

[ 23 October 2002: Message edited by: liquidocean ]
 
Last edited by a moderator:
and a little tech support from my later postings:

I agree with L O V E L I F E's pointing towards the cultivation of contentedness that will make us more receptive rather than seeking out love or sex like we were hunting wild boars in the jungle. Something as complex as love or even sex tends to slip through your hands the more you try to grasp it. And whenever expectations or pressure are in the picture, the magic slips away as well. The best place to be is yourself, to be comfrotable from the skin out, and to spread that in the world you move through.
I have done that, and i try to cultivate that wherever i go.

However, i live by two constraints. First, sex means a lot to me. Almost as much as love. And i since i can't snap my fingers nad have sex appear, i must strive to 'work it', if you will, in some way, to get myself fulfilled. If i had the ability to ignore my sex drive, i'd proabably pay ten thousand to do it. So until i live in my fantasy world where nubile cherubs parade through my revolving door, or even better, i fall in love with my soulmate, i am stuck on earth, trapped in time and space.

Secondly, i AM trapped in time and space, and part of the toil that is part of the terran package is to be immersed in this matrix we call society. And our society in particular is one built upon the competitive principle. And seeing as other able-bodied men much like myself have their own needs to fulfill that supercede mine, we must compete in the social arena. To the victor go the spoils. All is fair in love and war.

Most people don't like the game. I personally detest it. However, as long as i am stuck in society, which it looks like it will be a long time, i will play the game as effectively and minimally as possible. Don't get your hands dirty, get the job done and bail.

So part of not engaging myself in this state of confusion is to see the rules and the tendencies behind the game, so i can operate without them, or bypass them, or exploit the loopholes. Or at least know what's going on around me.

Imagine a kid who transfers to an american school from a foreign country. For no apparent reason, he is ridiculed, beaten up by a person that doesn't look like him, when he goes to the bathroom people scream, the school administrators start talking in an intelligible dialect he can't understand; perhaps he is in trouble. But for what?

That's what i want to alleviate for myself and those i care about. Perhaps this poor chap is wearing shorts that are too short, he made a hand gesture that looked like he was flashing gang signs, people scream because he can't read english and he goes to the women's bathroom, and he is in trouble because he doesn't realize lunch is after 4th period, not before.

It all makes sense once you see the big picture, so i'm trying to point out what i have seen in my short lifetime.

Fairnymph has echoed the sentiment that cockblocking is ineffectual and does not have the power to influence relations. I believe otherwise, and i hope specifially that women to whom this doesn't make sense to, please read it and look back and try to put yourself in a guy's position and see if you can recall any of these subtle situations happening.

When you're a woman, you're looking through very different glasses. And vice-versa. However, in this society, the norm is for men to compete over women. (If you live where it's otherwise, please let me know, i'll pack my bags right now).

And if you're competing with another person for someone's affection and attention, it is way different than being competed over; there is no doubt about it. It's awesome to be at the top of the triangle, it sucks to be one of the sides. And i'm saying that in this society women are typically at the top of the triangle, and men are on the sides.

I hope you see the difference in perspective this might cause. Although i know some people that have never had to compete, fight, or struggle for anything or anyone in their lives, and they have no idea how the other 95% live.

And although the genders might be different, the concept is the same. This shit applies to both genders equally, no one is innocent, no one is pure, no one is above reproach.

Behind all this bullshit, behind all the social games, an inteliigence emerges. This intelligence is a positive-sum gain force somewhat like the forces that control the evolution of life and the physics of matter. This intelligence is a crude mechanism to match people up as effectively as possible. Our mating mechanisms have some huge britches to fill into, seeing as we have been in a severe state of growing pains for the last 10,000 years.

We should be so lucky that we are merely blocking; our recent cultural myths involve beating our potential mates into submission with clubs and then dragging them to our cave domiciles. My, we've come a long way, baby. :)

-------

Writing and thinking from the perspective of the cockblocker is very helpful. I'm proud to say that i try to keep my cockblocking minimal, and that when i do it, i am conscious of it and try to minimize my impact. If i step on a cool guy's toes, i might even offer an apologetic beer or bowl. At the very least i recognize that behaviour. Guys that don't realize they're intruding on your game suck, and women that don't realize that you're sacrificing your interests to keep the peace, they kinda suck as well.

"Its arranged that my buddy and her sleep in the same place alone, and no luck for him."

Sorry, that's not cockblocking. Guys can't expect to be spoon-fed women.

I'd call yours an inadvertent block. Unless you were acting like nietzche's superman to make him look bad, which you obviously weren't. It's a natural tendency to present a groomed persona when around foxy ladies, at the very least it's just practice. Plus it feels good.

But to point out the more extreme end of the spectrum, i had a gay friend who would tend to trash my chick friends that he'd meet. Not in front of them, but would take me aside and ask what i possibly see in her. Anyways, i got past that, but a couple times when meeting new women with him in tow, he'd totally connect with women i would be interested in (he's a makeup artist and stylist), knowing i'd be left in the dust. He'd give me an evil look just to let me know, and he knew it infuriated me, and that made him happy in a sardonic way.

----

While re-reading this i forgot one of the most fundamental blocks in the ex-girlfriend category. The one where she blacklists you from all her girlfriends, and if she is powerful socially, all women she knows. This one plain sucks. You just have to start diving around new scenes for new women. Time to pick up metal, goth, swing dancing, or some other fringe subcultural tastes. :)

-----

I wanted to add how interesting and difficult it is to try to observe your own behavior from a different and preferably non-biased standpoint. Something I've been trying to do more lately. - tourette

Striving towards objectivity, or eliminating one's bias is a tough but noble pursuit. It's hard because an omniscient viewpoint doesn't exist; the closest you can get is a consensus or a common denominator, or a positive-sum gain (i.e. win-win scenario). And of course each person has their relativistic agenda, which is natural, considering we are somewhat selfish creatures by nature.

I think the most altruistic we can get is to understand the motivations driving each person in the grand relationship and to find the way to maximize everyone's happiness, minimize their suffering, and remain appropriate and true to whatever the situations call for. Sometimes the needs of the one outweigh the many, sometimes it's the opposite. We may be a selfish species, but under it all, we have a core of compassion.

However, it's hard to operate in such a gentle nature when the other people remain opportunistic and see things in only a relative way. I try to avoid those situations, and only bloody my hands as little as i can. It hurts to operate with people who don't see the big picture, and i think we give it enough conscious effort to be able to see past our own personal games and stakes. Hopefully, as no one's perfect.

So i understand my personal bias in writing these. I may be misinterpreting what i may consider 'my chick' as a power grab on my part, and i don't deny i have been greedy or unfair in the past, even knowingly so. But part of my contribution is to illustrate the subtleties in the maneuvers that happen behind-the-scenes, so we may possibly elevate ourselves above the 'game'.
It's my opinion that the cockblocking game that men play in these situations is rather transparent to women, and if they could identify it, they would shut the game down, or bring it to a humane and fun frequency. They have some influence in the scheme of things. Definitely. The person in the middle of the triangle pretty much sets the parameters for how people will interact within the scope of that triangle, and if they recognize what's going on, perhaps we can lay down our weapons and stop jockeying.

It would be a lot more fun, not to mention more productive for everyone involved. I looooove women that can see through the game. Not because it increases my chances of 'scoring'. It's because the frustrations involved in posturing and power-playing cease to exist. I can be myself, so can everyone else, and everything will turn out closer to how it should be.

Getting different perspectives on things can only help. - tourette

So simple, so true.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
After taking all the time to read this incredibly detailed post of he agonising time it must be to be a single guy on the prowl you don’t know how happy I am to be married. It is quite a while since I have had suffer the potential deflating experience of trying to pickup, but I am sure that it wasn’t as difficult or as calculated as you make it out to be.
One thing I do remember quite well is that when I tried to pick up I rarely succeeded, whereas if I was on a bus, walking the dog, juggling in a park or some other unrelated activity was when I usually managed to hook up / exchange a phone number / and then next time we saw each other go from there.
The way you describe it makes it seem downright scary out there (it may be different in America to Australia). I can only recall ever seeing one or two of these tactics, and I would be loath to call them tactics, rather just happenings. And for you to have catalogued so many “cock blocking” traits you sure must have tried to pick up (and failed) many times. Do you have problems trying to stay with the one girl for more than one week or something? I would be very interested to know what your longest relationship is? Just an observation … but sex in a relationship gets better and better the more you know each other and move far beyond the notches in the belt syndrome.
Between what you write and those who believe that women are evil in the other posts ---- what bloody hope do single guys have then?????
- Scrumpytwo –
 
To assume that i'm able to express many detailed angles doesn't necessarily mean that the dating scene is a bloodbath or that i'm a manipulative person who is rightfully getting shot down due to my own power-playing.

However, in my experience, i have seen, witnessed, come across, imagined, been victim of, and have committed certain indiscretions that have amounted to an unfair advantage in what would becoming a zero-sum gain situation (win-lose). Or just an obstacle that ends up interfering in someone's path. I would not automatically jump to the conclusion that the offending party was intentionally trying to be devious, as per the disclaimer i made in the beginning of the post. It may or may not be intentional. And i take responsibility for my own actions as well.

I'm not here to judge, i'm just pointing this out. And as we all know the singles scene is not exactly always a hop in the park, I, as i'm sure there are many of you out there, have felt stiffed by the actions of an insentive Biff out there, whoever he or she may be. Some people might even find that their actions have subconsciously matched these patterns and may be able to draw new conclusions about how they really feel. Who knows?
But overall, i may come out to be overly cynical in this, please don't look into it too deeply. I am pretty analytical, and i'm just letting my brain run the course here. I guess some cynicism does leak out, i would be lying if i said i hold no resentment from anybody who could have possibly denied me from connecting with whoever could have ended up being my true love. Or even my true love for the night, or of the month. When you're anticipating feeling something wonderful and the interference of a third party causes it not happen, it's hard not to invariably draw the conclusion that they were responsible in some regard.
So i'd rather feel vigilance and awareness than regret and victimization. And i'd rather the same for you all as well. So pardon the protagaonizing tone, but in terms of roles, it's us against them.

I'm clued in enough to be pretty aware of the interaction between myself and who i'm connecting or not connecting with, but in a larger social dynamic, things get sticky and complicated, and in terms of finding the truth, it's pretty much who you ask. So, i'm assuming i'm being asked here (i originally was), and i'm using my hypothetical superpowers to draw out as many possible scenarios as i can stand to meditate on. It's what i'm good at.
Thank you for the opinion. I'm a relationship man, not a player. And i feel it's a tragic paradox that people have to go through a competitive system to find love. I think the dating scene changes the nature of relationships in a similar way to natural selection, sometimes evolving off into strange territories. I'm not a big fan of it, and people can do some weird things, whether or not you're cognizant of them doing it.

My recommendation is to check any behaviour that is encroaching on your just rights, identify the game being played, and rise above it. I hope i'm making some sort of contribution to this goal. That is my intention.
[ 23 October 2002: Message edited by: liquidocean ]
 
Last edited by a moderator:
I have to say that given the scenario’s you find yourself in, you are much better off than most guys. I think most of the time I would consider my self lucky to be in the competition. Maybe I'm still young. How old are you btw? But I see it like losing 5 Billion dollars in the stock market. I can only wish I had the money to be able to lose that.. and I can't imagine how bad you can be doing if you have that much money to lose.
While I should be taking advice from you.. not vice versa.. I do have one piece to offer. Consider attempting to get women to want to sleep with you, but not to carry though once she has signaled her interest. I find that when I do this, is when women insist that they sleep with me.
 
Are they all from personal experience? I can't believe you actually pay that much attention when you're out.
I've got a friend who's a lot less subtle, a Biff of my own if you will. A couple of weeks ago, I was about to sit down at a club next to a girl I'd been chatting to earlier... my "friend" literally picked me up out of the seat and started introducing himself to her. Actually worked in my favor since she promptly got up and walked away from him, leaving me to apologise and talk more to her later, away from said friend.
I would expect that between close male friends you can have some sort of rules about what is and isn't acceptable. Though there are some people, the Biffs of this world, who will never play by them.
 
Originally posted by liquidocean:
in my experience, i have seen, witnessed, come across, imagined, been victim of, and have committed certain indiscretions that have amounted to an unfair advantage in what would becoming a zero-sum gain situation (win-lose). Or just an obstacle that ends up interfering in someone's path.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
That's a lot to digest, but I think we've all been there.
From a female point of view I have to say that (I've not been out of the dating scene too long) whenever I've been out enjoying a good conversation and connection with a man, no matter how hard another one tries to 'cockblock', it doesn't work. If another man comes up and tries these moves, in my experience, it only goes against them because it really turns me off. I have never been rude, but I generally call the 'cockblocker' on their actions in a subtle way just to make them aware that it isn't going to work this time and I know what they are doing.
On the other hand, sometimes this is a welcome event. I have found myself in more than one situation where I was talking with a guy and whether it be because of something he said, or just the general vibe, wanted to get away. In this case, the cockblocker helps us out. I've seen these routines used many times to 'help' out a woman who isn't comfortable where she's at and can't find an escape route.
Friends often do this for one another. While we may not appear to be together, or even know each other to strangers in the bar because everyone is mingling apart, we're all in it together. My male friends have bailed me out several times by making it look like they are moving in on me, and my falling for it. Yes, to a point it's a game, but it's a good one in my book. It spares the other persons feelings if you've tried to escape yourself and they just can't take the hint. Instead of being rude, they just think they've been 'cockblocked' by another man. I don't think men take this scenerio into consideration.
 
if I may be so bold as to offer my own amendment...
2.6 - The Best Friend/Ex-Girlfriend - The girl meant a lot of you, and even though you didn't want her in your life romantically, through lots of hard work, pain, and grief, the two of you have managed to remain good friends. Best friends even. But be warned. This cock-blocker is far worse than the Sniper could ever be. Not only does she still maintain feelings for you, though you do not return them, but she's dedicated to making sure that if she can't have your love, no one else will. Some friend, huh? How does this unique, and rarely seen animal work? Well, not only does she employ the tactics oif the Sniper, but she also does something far more insidious that deploying spies, or making sure she's with you whenever you go out. Oh no, that isn't enough. This girl, the sweet, innocent, lovable girl cock blocks outright when she can, but when that iusnt enough...she *befriends* the woman you are trying to engage upon. And for the same reason you maintain your (horribly strained, esteem damaging, game killing) friendship with this girl, your love interests will want to be her friend as well. It an evil ploy, and its one you can only sit back and put up with, through the glare of narrowed eyes as you get to hear lines such as "Oh, I never knew how much he meant to you. You don't have to worry about *us* hooking up again."
With best friends like this, the traditional cock-blocker is but a petty concern.
 
Ooh.. LOL. This really hit close to home for me. So funny, so true.
I think us over-analytical males who can recognize a cockblock are way less succesful than those cilled-out dudes who just don't try. They get all the respect and interest from the girl. Sigh...
Anyway, one more:
5.2 The Testesterone Dancer
There you are, doing the nicest moves on the dancefloor and edging towards the girl. You try to give her full attention and get her interested with your funky moves.
But lo! Biff appears right next to you. He is on the same mission and he's invading your space. He "accidently" bumps into you and you are cut off.
Never surrender. A couple of steps, some wild dancing, and you have managed to take back the pole position. But no, 10 seconds later, there he is again trying to bump past you. You start turning towards him, your dancing becoming more and more aggresive. You try to make angry eye contact with Biff but to no avail. It is time to dance with some flailing arms and pretty high kicks.
You and Biff are engaged in this dance for domination for a couple of minutes until you realize the girl is long, long gone.
 
"Something as complex as love or even sex tends to slip through your hands the more you try to grasp it. And whenever expectations or pressure are in the picture, the magic slips away as well."
That statement rings SO true.
I've never had issues with the 'game' until now :( In fact I used to shock myself how easy finding love was, how little cockblocking went on, how complicated you can make it when its all so simple.
I used to be a finder of love when im not looking for it >>>>>>>>>>
"The best place to be is yourself, to be comfrotable from the skin out, and to spread that in the world you move through."
I never used to look for it, just go and and have a good time and it came. So I never changed anything. Until I broke up out of an 8 month relationship and felt the need to get back exactly what id just lost with someone new. My mistake wanting that new love too much.
It now seems im in a drought, and the longer I stay stuck in this arid desert, the more I need to escape, find water, im getting too needy, too tired, the desperation may even show in my mannerisms-character-body. I must change or I will be stuck in this desert for a long time.
Why do so many people feel they have to be in a relationship to be happy?
VIP - working on going out and women being the last thing on his mind 8)
-------thats when ill find love
 
^^^^ indeed.
if I may offer my own addition from a female perspective (am currently frequently being cockblocked or 'snatchblocked'?) by this type of individual:
11.3 The Needy Friend.
You and your SO are trying to have some nice quality time together. While listening to some music and engaging in mild, non-sickening cuddling, the Cockblocker, your SO's best friend and in many cases roommate, enters. Since he is unattractive, socially inept and unemployed, he latches on to the two of you for entertainment and conversation... at the expense of the two of you going at it right there on the couch. He proceeds to complain about problems such as hair loss, lack of confidence and no money and asks you, who by this time is becoming very frustrated, for kind, gentle advice. You are forced to make insincere yet supportive-appearing, positive statements so you don't look like an asshole in front of your SO. By the time the needy friend finally leaves, you are so sick of hearing about problems that your desire to hook up is gone. Individuals who cockblock in this manner generally do so for extended periods of time, and are best dealt with by avoiding whenever possible and hooking up with your SO at your own house or other locales where there are no annoying roommates.
 
Someone on a rave message board that I read went ahead and ripped this, and posted it on the board as their own.
I of course bitched their ass out and linked back to the 0g. Thought you'd be amused though -- looks like this one may turn into an e-mail chain.
 
^ Interesting. Thanks for the heads up. I wouldn't mind a link. I'm down with the interesting exposure, but i'd like some credit for this. I submitted it to Maxim, by the way. :)
[ 25 October 2002: Message edited by: liquidocean ]
 
liquidocean
I love the way that you accept your competitive sexually-oriented instincts but criticise their existence.
Kind of hypocritical but not..
That you are repulsed by our animalism but admirable of its fruits
Adding 'gentlemens' rules to the game would only work if it was policed effectively, and the only ones capable of enforcement are the ones who hold the potential fulfilment to our agonising desires.
Cos biff's will always be...
 
Originally posted by liquidocean:
I submitted it to Maxim, by the way. :)
You best give me some credit for that idea :) Good job!
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Top