Pick Up Artists
06.22.2011 This article by Wesley Yang for New York Magazine got me thinking about a lot of things--mainly what he terms the bamboo ceiling, and the fact that as an Asian American woman, I am also contending with a glass ceiling. Add that to the fact that I'm crazy when it comes to "what I'm supposed to be doing to be successful" means I'm staring up at a lot of stuff when I flip my head back.
But it made for great reading, especially from the Asian American male perspective. What happens to all the dudes who don't become engineers or doctors or dentists? Apparently some become awesome writers.
It was also in this article where I first heard about "Asian Playboy" JT Tran and his business "The ABCs of Attraction." Ding ding ding! Boot camp for nerdy guys who want to get girls. Here in the Bay Area, with cities nicknamed "Man Jose" there are no shortage of techie, smart, whiz dudes who look great on paper and could wow you with their spatial skills, but HAVE NO GAME.
Why? Well, Yang explains it much better in his article but in a nutshell: they're immigrants, or their parents are immigrants, and knowing how to be cool is not something that is culturally taught, nor is it formally taught. So how would you know how to assert your social dominance or conquer in a setting that is totally foreign to you? You wouldn't. You'd just keep your head down, do what's expected, and never go on a date.
From Yang's article: “The loudest duck gets shot” is a Chinese proverb. “The nail that sticks out gets hammered down” is a Japanese one. Its Western correlative: “The squeaky wheel gets the grease.”
Them's some fundamental differences.
I pitched the bootcamp as a feature story. Figured it would really appeal to our viewership in Man Jose and the rest of the Bay Area. The piece airs Thursday night. Will post a link to it. We had fun with the students and it was a lot more than meets the eye. Sure, the guys want to get chicks. But so much of what the bootcamp teaches are skills that would help in all kinds of social and professional interactions. Body language, communication, confidence. And kino turns. Watch for the kino turns. One of the students actually came up behind me during the shoot and put the move on me. I was like, "Jigga what?" But major props. He was going for it. And why not? You don't get ripped by watching other people work out. You gotta practice yourself.
I saw the students in action at the club. Plenty of real life kino turns. And no one got a drink splashed in his face. For realz.
Vicky Nguyen
Here's the link to our piece on the bootcamp. Nerds, don't take offense. You're way underrated.
Reader Comments (10)
CAN'T WAIT!
Ooh! This sounds exciting. Depressed I can't make the promo for this one!!!!
This confirms what I've told my wife about raising my 3 year old daughter. No, I don't want her to pick up other boys before entering kindergarten, but I do want her to learn how to socialize with kids her own age by being polite, how to speak to adults, etc. I think being socially capable and academically smart are equally important.
Now if I could only get corporate executives to take other people's feelings into consideration when making decisions...
Just to confirm; Vicky actually did say "Jigga whaaaaaat?" when she was kino turned. This was a very important moment for me in American journalism! Hah. Can't wait to see the story!
Whoa! JT and Gareth--you have the Internet super powers to know when your business is being written about.
DB: Corporate execs are another beast.
Sarah: Me too. You would've rocked the promo.
It was a pleasure working with you, Thank you for your time. I can' wait to for this!
I'm SOOOO excited!! :) I'm telling all my friends to watch!
Ozzie: Great to meet you all. And props to the wing woman, Sarah.
Mr. Smooth: When you drink,you must drink Dos XX. Thanks for recruiting your Smoothies to watch :)
Wow, thanks for sharing...amusing segment and a really thought provoking article. It made me reflect on my own personality traits and how they've been received in the workplace. Didn't realize it's not just me! I love how you cover the random spectrum of life in your blog. It's on my top 10 list!
Kay: Likewise--your blog (www.newpaloaltohouse.com) definitely on my must read list. Thanks for the love!