I agree where you're coming from, but you are giving it way too much credit. The thing to realize about this pickup stuff is that it is a product. A product wh

I agree where you're coming from, but you are giving it way too much credit. The thing to realize about this pickup stuff is that it is a product. A product which is being marketed to the most socially-retarded members of the "everyone's a winner" videogame generation. The consumer is looking for a secret button-combo to drop panties, so that is exactly what is being advertised. The secret knowledge being sold really all can be boiled down to "Hit the gym, dress well, have a flirty demeanor, and then go out and play the numbers game." However that would sound like actual work and might require an ego-adjustment or two. And eventually it comes back around to "social proof" and "congruence" and other weird jargony ways of softballing the fact that its easier to meet women if you aren't a loser. Humanity triumphs psychological tricks you can find on the internet, and pretty much everyone involved in this enterprise admits it.