Winston wrote:tre wrote:I don't think AIB is doing bad at all financially...he's likely doing just fine. I just don't think he has anything to gain by staying here. He was a contributor, not someone looking for advice or info. He wasn't narrow minded, he was just direct and to the point. He offered no flowery BS, just short, honest and perhaps (in some cases) brutal honest truth. He likely has plenty of people skills, but just is choosy about who he spends his time with. That is not a bad thing IMO.
Asking for donations isn't freeloading. He puts useful info out on the net for free and asking for donations IMO is much less offensive that asking for donations BEFORE providing content. He lets you view it FIRST. If you appreciate his content and want to contribute to more of it....he leaves that option open. I don't see what is wrong with that method at all....
Dude, why are you so biased and brainwashed toward him? You don't sound like you are thinking straight. You act like AiB is an angel who can do no wrong. What happened to you? There is no objectivity in your post. I thought you were a smart guy?
Anyhow, I think you are wrong on several counts.
- First, he is a macho guy with a big ego. He would not ask for donations unless he needed it. It feels shameful to ask for donations. Most guys would feel that it would hurt their pride to do so. They would only do so if they really needed it. That's a logical assumption. How do you know he's doing fine? The data doesn't support that.
That is your opinion of him...nothing more, nothing less. There is no factual data on what he is making or where it comes from...you are just guessing here. Why would it hurt your pride to ask for donations? Is it because no one actually donated? I've donated to forums before because they depended on donations. I found the content and info valuable so I donated, as did MANY of the members...consistently. What is wrong with that?
Winston wrote:- Second, he wasn't just here to contribute. Obviously he was here to get his website and videos some publicity. He needs traffic to get more donations. So that had to be one of his purposes. He wasn't here for altruism. Get real.
He was a contributor as he provided advice and info about Thailand and Asia. He didn't ask questions as he already knows what he is doing. He is one of the few here that is LIVING in Asia so he has a wealth of knowledge for those preparing to move abroad. He probably enjoyed contributing at one point...until a few made him feel that truth wasn't appreciated. I'm sure he got some views coming from this site too, but I'm sure he doesn't depend on it .
Winston wrote:- Third, yes he was narrow minded. He made quick judgments without taking into account contrary data. His arguments were simple and not reflective of the complexities of life or human nature. He is not a deep or intellectual guy. So that's to be expected of him. He's a simple guy with simple observations. You can't expect more from him. You must be a terrible judge of character Tre.
Everyone makes mistakes now and again and so have I. However, I am not particularly bad at judging character. There are doers and there are thinkers. AIB is a doer, figures things out quickly and accomplishes things. Others will sit around, think about why things are so f***ed up, complain and go nowhere. Which is more effective in life? I found his posts to be no nonsense, no BS...truth. There is a lot of nonsense in this forum and I liked that I didn't have to weed through it in AIB's posts.
Winston wrote:- Fourth, if you like his brutally honest truth, then what was wrong with my brutally honest truth? I was brutally honest about the reasons why he was likely NOT the ladies man he claimed. So why is it ok for him to be brutally honest about his observations, but it's not ok for me to? Can you explain that double standard? Or do you admit that you are biased for illogical reasons?
Honestly, I do not think you can read ANYONE'S face and see their character (ex. Steve R, the stripper, etc). In your defense...very few can. What you say is honestly just your opinion and a wild guess that I often see as inaccurate. You base everything on your own experience or the experiences of those who are similar to you in various ways. You attack everyone else and call them liars. I believe AIB had success with women because I don't live in a box. Thousands of men have no problem getting women in the USA. Many of the guys I worked with had sex with hundreds of girls in the course of just a few years. If I'd wanted to, I could have done the same thing. I am much pickier than most guys and would never consider sleeping with many girls that those guys would. I usually had a GF (I'm a relationship guy) in my 30's. However, I had my days of one night stands and it wasn't particularly hard. AIB has the personality of someone that GETS LAID. If you have his attitude and confidence, you can go far. Being manly is much more attractive to women in the USA than men that are child-like and who over-think things. AIB may have not had sex with hundreds of really hot women, but I don't doubt he had sex with hundreds in his lifetime.
Winston wrote:- Fifth, did you see his donation page? He claimed that his videos cost THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS to produce. See above where it was quoted. That obviously is a bald faced lie. Anyone can see that his videos didn't cost thousands of dollars to make. Even Banano could see that. Why can't you? I thought you were smart. Is lying ok in your book? Are you saying that you believe him that it costs thousands of dollars to make his videos? lol. If so, you are truly lost like a religious fanatic and have no ability to reason.
Travel costs thousands of dollars all by itself. Here's the info from his website:
"In addition to transportation costs, I must also pay for food, accommodation, insurance, cameras, lenses, memory cards, photo storage, film and film development (yes, I do sometimes still shoot film), computer upgrades, printing, website hosting, marketing, and equipment maintenance costs. Covering these costs, whether local or international, as well as my living expenses, is often difficult."
He laid it out and that could definitely add up to thousands of dollars. I am sure that you haven't seen all of his content. I am sure it's not ALL on Youtube. If you don't agree with what he laid out, don't donate...simple as that. Why does this even matter? Why are you so much against him making $$?
Winston wrote:- Sixth, he makes butthead statements against obvious facts that we all agree upon. For example, I said that AW do not like being approached by strangers. AiB says I'm wrong because he can approach AW. So his one statement debunks my many years of experience, and that of everyone else here. lol. Do you buy that? And when I said that in restaurants in America, I don't see anyone else eating alone, he said that I was wrong because he is an American who eats alone. So that makes me wrong? lol. Do you agree with that? How does his one line dismissal invalidate my real life experiences? It doesn't. So he is a delusional butthead.
AW are hard to approach if you are a stranger. You must find a way that works for you personally. Some guys will never have success, but some will. Every area and environment is different. Some people have more skill at this than others. Your years of experience are ONLY YOUR experiences. Many will obviously have the same experience, but not all. Most of the guys here that have had NO success with AW are social rejects, old, or both. Some just plain reject AW and don't even try...no reason for them to. There are several guys here that found ways to get AW consistently so no, I don't doubt AIB was one of them. It took me awhile, but I found my niche for landing girls in nightclubs at one point. Girls like fighters and when AIB was a younger fighter I'll bet he pulled a lot of tail....I have no doubt about that.
Winston wrote:When I was at restaurants with Rock and Monkro in the Bay Area, I told them to look around and see if they could see anyone eating alone. They agreed with me that people in the US do not go to restaurants to eat alone. So even they could see that I was right and AiB was wrong. So what right did AiB have to say that everyone was wrong on this? I know what I see. So who is AiB to tell me that I didn't see what I see? Can you explain that Tre?
- Seventh, I don't see how you claim that AiB has plenty of people skills. People with people skills don't make threats of violence over little disputes. NO WAY MAN! WTF ARE YOU SMOKING?!?!?!?!? Do you have a man crush on him? Why have you lost all common sense when it comes to this guy?
You ripped on his wife and told him his kids weren't his. If you said that to 90% of men in the USA, they would lay you out cold. You can't dock a man on lack of people skills when they are in defense of family. AIB ripped on guys for refusing to throw off ignorance or to listen to reason. In those instances, I agreed with him as I'm sure many did. Others just aren't as willing say anything, but just keep their opinions to themselves. This doesn't help anyone...I'd rather truth be told.
Winston wrote:Also, if you observe him in his videos, you can see that he is a straight to the point guy. He does not sugar coat things, as you said. He is not a man of tact. It's obvious that he is a rough guy with a bad temper who likes to settle things by fighting. That's not the kind of guy with good people skills. No way dude.
Someone with people skills would not escalate a dispute like that. He would clarify his opinions and act humble and modest. People with good social skills do not act like know it alls with big egos. They act with humility so that they can get along with others more easily. And when they get into a disagreement, they try to make amends and compromises tactfully. They are willing to apologize if necessary. They try to empathize with the other party so an understanding can be reached. We all know that. So how can you not know that? Wtf?
This is basic psychology 101. Read any book on basic interpersonal communication skills and you will learn this. Good people skills means you try to solve disagreements or problems amicably and smoothly, with tact, diplomacy, understanding, two way understanding, empathy, etc. etc. AiB has NONE of these qualities. That's obvious from his posts and videos.
Come on now. This is basic Interpersonal Skills 101, and is required for a job in Human Resources. Why do I have to teach you something so simple?
He is not particularly rude in his videos...at least not the ones I saw. Being brutally honest saves guys time AND money when traveling to Thailand. Why sugar coat things as a man speaking to other men? I doubt that many want to hear a lot of useless, inaccurate BS...they'd rather get the simple truth IMO.
While it is true that some of us (I was a customer service worker for many years) MUST put on a smiley face, engage people on topics that have absolutely NO interest to us, tactfully change the topic when we don't agree, etc. for work (employer requires it), we don't want to BS on our own time. I absolutely will not BS on my own time. I find that I don't have many disagreements with most functional members of society as they WILL see where I am coming from if they are willing to have an open mind. If someone doesn't want to learn anything or wants to remain ignorant, I cut ties with that person as they are truly a waste of my time. They will eventually learn of their mistakes...they can waste their own time until then. AIB doesn't have to BS at all because he doesn't have to deal with employment in the USA. AIB got frustrated with people spouting ignorance that they had no intention of correcting. He didn't want anyone to believe info that simply wasn't true or info that could potentially hurt people. Again, I agreed with the vast majority of his opinions. This isn't because I know him or like him...I simply agree with him.
Winston wrote:Are you saying things that are the opposite of what everyone knows, just to play devil's advocate? Why are you saying things that aren't true, that obviously aren't true? Many of your earlier posts sound intelligent and insightful. So can you explain why you made so many bad statements in this one?
I'm beginning to wonder if some of you come from a bizarro universe.
I am not saying the opposite of what "everyone" knows. That is a huge generalization. Just because you don't believe something is true, doesn't mean it is not. My experiences in life are VASTLY different than yours...as are many others experiences. I agree with you on some things and I disagree with you on some things as well. My truth will be different than your truth in some cases. There is no reason to compromise on something I find to be true or accurate...that makes no sense whatsoever.