For those who are unfamiliar, American Psycho is a late 1980s satire that tells the story of successful Wall Street executive and serial killer, Patrick Bateman. Released by author Bret Easton Ellis in 1991, the novel was met with extreme controversy by feminists and women’s rights groups alike, mainly due to its graphic violence and strong misogynistic undertones.
The novel was adapted into a film in 2000 (directed, ironically, by a feminist) in which Christian Bale played the main character. Despite much of the negative criticism both the book and film received, many viewers were able to see the obvious humor in the story, and many men in particular found themselves identifying with its neurotic, image-obsessed protagonist.
The film and novel have developed a cult following in the couple of decades since their release, and it shows. There’s no denying that all popular blogs in the manosphere contain hints of “Bateman-esque” characteristics. Bateman really was manosphere before there was a manosphere. Let’s take a look at some of the things we’ve learned from Patrick Bateman in terms of living a better, more productive life.
1. Appearance Matters
Image was everything for Bateman. His face, his body, his clothes, his apartment, his business cards, it all had to be held to the highest degree of perfection. He knew that amongst the yuppie Manhattan crowd in which he thrived, appearance was the first thing he was judged on.
And the trend seems to have caught on in real life as well. Male grooming has seen a huge explosion in popularity in the past 15-20 years. Although I wouldn’t advise you to take it to Bateman-levels of extremity, a basic level of grooming and self-care is a must for any man looking to maximize his sex appeal. Take care of your skin, take care of your teeth, take care of your hair, get somewhat of a tan, remove excess body hair, and you’re already ahead of most men in the game.
2. Nutrition And Physical Fitness Matter
Although a lot of mainstream nutritional advice has changed since the low-fat crazed 1980s that American Psycho is set in, the basic principal hasn’t; Eat healthy and exercise. Bateman was a total fitness junkie, oftentimes working out for two hours at a time and stressing the importance of healthy eating. He knew that a well-fueled, fit body was important not only for aesthetic purposes, but for optimal performance in any endeavour.
3. The Clothes Make The Man
In one particularly memorable scene of the film, Bateman lures a drunken co-worker back to his apartment to murder him. Before dismembering the man, Bateman puts on a raincoat to avoid any of the man’s blood splattering on his suit (as well as strategically covering his floor with newspapers to avoid any blood spilling onto his pristine, oak wood floor).
Readers of the novel will recall having to painfully trudge through Bateman’s meticulous descriptions of what every character he encountered was wearing, right down to their brand of socks. While you don’t need to don a $3,000 Armani suit to look presentable, every man should own a wardrobe consisting of at least some high quality, well-fitted clothing.
4. The Importance Of Your Social Circle
When Bateman wasn’t out raping, torturing, and murdering his victims, he usually wasn’t to be found without some sort of entourage. He knew the importance of running with those that had similar values, interests, and status as he did.
It’s been said time and time again, the company you keep is a direct reflection of the person you are, and those words couldn’t be truer. Although Bateman was guilty of trying a little too hard to emulate those that he ran with, it was essentially the only way he knew how to “get by.”
In fact, when he encounters someone not amongst his elite, Wall Street crowd, Bateman finds himself in a very uncomfortable, volatile situation (“I don’t have anything in common with you,” he declares to a homeless man before stabbing him to death). Choose your friends carefully. Surround yourself with positive, like-minded, people that inspire you and drive you to be productive.
5. Never Supplicate To Women
Throughout the vast majority of American Psycho’s non-linear storyline, Bateman is engaged to his vacuous, spoiled, entitled bitch of a girlfriend. In the world of American Psycho, everybody is cheating and sleeping around with one another, and the only reason it seems any of the characters are in relationships is to maintain appearances. Bateman is no exception.
Despite his overwhelming need to maintain appearances and put on a good show, Bateman is never one to cave to a woman’s needs. At any given moment, he puts not only his fiancée in her place when necessary, but also the women with whom his relationships are purely sexual.
6. The Importance Of Having Your Own Hobbies And Interests
Although it’s important for all men to maintain healthy relationships in their life, both with men and women, I think we can all agree that a self-reliant man never should never rely 100% on the company of others in order to keep occupied. Bateman was no stranger to this rule.
When not spending time with his friends or feeding his sick addiction, he had other hobbies and interests which included skiing, boxing, watching sports, watching movies, and in particular, listening to music.
With the advent of social media and overall advances in technology, I think the general nature of having hobbies has declined over the past decade or so. Having a hobby is not only important for a man, I feel it’s crucial. Not only does it ensure you won’t be a needy pest every time you’re feeling “bored,” it builds character and gives you something interesting to share about yourself when you are socializing.
7. It’s Always Good To Have Some Competition
Despite the fact that Bateman was a homicidal maniac, by and large he had limits when it came to his victims. Generally speaking, he wouldn’t murder anybody that had ties to his social circle, as this could implicate him in their murder. he exception to this is when one of his co-workers upstages him in every possible way, and the only solution is to murder him in the ultimate act of rage (the aforementioned axe murder).
Bateman and his crew are constantly trying to one-up each other with who has the biggest condo, the best suit, the best business card, the best tan, the hottest girlfriend, the best restaurant reservations… the list is endless. Again, this behaviour borders on extreme, but I do think some competition is healthy, and when approached with a positive mindset, can help inspire young men to achieve their goals.
8. “Just Say No”
The ability to simply say “No” to people without feeling the need to follow it up with a justified reason is one of the most powerful weapons a man can have in his arsenal. Easier said than done, but once mastered, you’ll be shocked at how effective it is to getting more of what you want out of life. A lot of people will think you’re an asshole, but you’ll be a respected asshole.
While anyone familiar with the story knows that much of Bateman’s behaviour stemmed more from the need to fit and be accepted by his peers, that doesn’t excuse the fact that a lot of his mannerisms were in fact traits of a confident, self-assured man.
Mimicking Bateman’s level of obsession will only result in insecurity and a constant feeling of inadequacy, but taking the advice above applying it within reasonable, appropriate amounts can and will result in improvements on all fronts.
I read the book when it first came out. The sections on murder and dismemberment were very graphic, so much so it was the first book to make me feel physically sick. There is a chapter with a rat and some brie if memory serves correct.
The movie I found quite unnerving. It didn’t answer any of the questions swirling around in the viewers mind. Over all quite twisted, but left out much of the really disgusting scenes in the book. Interesting they got a feminist to direct.
Bateman was one twisted fuck…..
i didn’t find the movie disturbing. to me it was mostly a laugh-out-loud horror comedy with a few poignant philosophical moments thrown in. amazing performance from bale, defoe, and the rest of the cast too.
the book on the other hand was tough to deal with. not so much for the graphic murder/torture/rape scenes, but philosophically. the only other book that kind of jacked me up like that for a few days after finishing it was orwell’s 1984.
anyway, i highly recommend both the book and the movie.
If you liked 1984, may I recommend Stranger in a Strange Land, Brave New World, The Time Machine and Fahrenheit 451?
Dostoevsky’s “Notes from Underground.” Is a closer parallel.
Excellent recommendations.
Co-signed.
yes, american psycho actually pushed me to read “notes from the underground,” which i enjoyed immensely. i’m somewhat of a bookworm and have read all of the books on ibian’s list, except for stranger in a strange land, which i’ve had recommended to me several times.
Dostoevsky, overrated – Gogol instead.
The book had me a little fried too. For a few days after reading it, I remember hearing Bateman’s voice in my head, dripping contempt at everything and everyone.
Evocative writing for sure, but dark. Very, very dark
I didn’t find it disturbing, I did get the humour as I had already read the book 11 years before and had an idea of what to expect. I don’t want to give away the ending to those who haven’t seen the movie I just found the whole amorality throughout and the ending unnerving….. when you see someone’s take on the book up on the big screen…..
I agree – I read the book as well and it was far more disturbing than the much tamer movie. I liked the movie, Christian Bale is fantastic in all his characters he portrays. The book was just too much. Oh, and I worked on Wall St in the late 80’s and wanted to hack up quite a few people! Didn’t though..
Agreed, the movie was tame compared to the book. The book was one of the only times I’ve ever had to stop and put a book down due to violence, and I had no problem with Blood Meridian etc , but the movie lost the brutal edge by sinking into farce (throwing a chainsaw down 3 flights of stairs?)
the movie and book are remarkably similar on the surface, but ultimately very different. the movie is a horror comedy, with just a hint of true darkness. the book is overwhelmingly bleak, although on the surface it has most of the funny stuff that made it into the movie.
Nice……. would you have been a axe or chainsaw kinda guy???
Personally, I like to tear my victims apart with my bare hands.
I’m more Victorian – let ’em have it until they ‘die the little death’.
I haven’t watched the movie but I read the book when I was around 15.
23 years and hundreds of novels later it remains – in my memory at least – the most disturbing and graphically disgusting book I’ve ever read. I had a very hard time putting it down though, although I actually did that more than with most books as I very hard time stomaching those sick torture chapters.
I think the entire thing is hilarious, and have read it thrice. It seems to be a complete parody of the materialistic, status-obsessed lifestyles of the 1980s Manhattanites (and of course the world at large). The same author did Glamorama to achieve the same effect for the following decade. This article’s author seems to have taken the lessons from the book up wrong, as Bateman’s emphasis on clothing, grooming and exercise was an expression of his total superficiality (he says exactly as much in the movie). There are doctoral theses written about this book, and it seems to be considered one of the great post-modern novels.
The violent crimes make it satire. Absent them, you are left with a paranoid person and an enviable life.
His knowledge of Huey Lewis and Whitney Houston music was most impressive. Genesis, too. I may be mixed up with other Ellis novels.
Nope, American Psycho the movie dips into “Sports” and “Invisible Touch”: two of my personal favorite albums.
Huey is a goddamned musical genius
I got an 8:30 res at Dorsia. Greatsea urchin ceviche. Top that motherfuckers!
I have to return some videotapes.
I call bullshit …
Nobody can get a reservation at Dorsia who doesn’t already own a table.
That’s the secret of being able to get a table at Dorsia when you want it, and why everyone else can’t.
There is no such thing as excess body hair.
Manscaping my friend. Unless you have that rare woman who wants to mate with sasquatch, manscaping.
.
Edit: for women, eyebrows and long locks and that is it.
No just no.
Say no to crotch spiders and hairy under Armageddon.
+100 for “hairy under Armageddon”.
Have you ever been to Greece?
one problem though. He murdered a homeless black person and the dude’s dog. Now it’s just a movie but that one scene was fucked up.
The part when he argued with the elder Asians about messing up his bedsheets in the drycleaners was harsh but bit funny.
“The part when he argued with the elder Asians about messing up his bedsheets in the drycleaners was harsh but bit funny.”
They had it coming. You can’t bleach a Cerruti. Out of the question.
Again, that was probably satire. You’d have to read the scene in the book, but it seemed to be the contrast between an attempt of altruism, and the gratuitousness of the extreme violence. It sickened me after the 1st reading of it too.
Best breakup line ever: “Evelyn, you’re just not terribly important to me” Stand to leave
Evelyn: But where are you going?
Patrick: I have to return some video tapes
Now that is how to end an engagement.
I say that all the time to exit a situation.
haha saying “I have to return some video tapes” these days must confuse folks.
I miss the video store.
Darn Netflix and the streaming movies. Can’t use that one now.
Actually, I think it is actually funnier now.
Visit the local library once a week just to have an excuse in your back pocket.
Or dry-cleaning, those blood stains won’t wash out themselves!!!
Evelyn? Great ass! Goes out with that loser Patrick Bateman. What a dork.
That was his reason for everything returning video tapes. And when she raised her voice he said :Keep your voice down, she persisted and he walked.
yup. So classic. It is funny, but around the corner from me there is an old hold out video rental place. I actually took a picture of it. So funny. Owners must be rich and love the biz or something because I can’t imagine they are keeping it open for the money. Anyway, I thought about getting a monthly membership (5.99) just so I can use the “i have to return some video tapes” excuse.
Obviously Bateman was every woman’s ideal alpha and feminists obviously love him because he meets their image of what a real man really is: Namely a misogynist psycho. AP actually did wonders for a feminism that wanted to argue that men were inherently violent woman haters, which is why the film was given to feminists to ‘ subtly feminize’ ie use for their political purposes. As for Brett Easton Ellis he explained that he wrote it because he was ‘ in a bad place at the time’. Well guess what place he’s in now? His boyfriend’s bed. Nothing wrong with being gay, unless of course your coming out process involves fantasising about torturing women with chainsaws and rats. As for the satire, it was certainly clever and well written but it was a satire about the absolute narcissism of people who only exist in terms of a culture of commodification. Leftists loved it because of this: Alienation breeds psychopathic violence (primarily against women) etc. Kudos to the author for satirizing the satire though. Assuming that’s what is.
Or maybe as a homo, Ellis sees more conventionally masculine guys as evil like Bateman. Ellis is a gay writer. Guys like that always have contempt for “suits.” They see a man’s man and a ladies man who’s killin’ it and they subconsciously associate that with the guys in letter jackets who intimidated them in high school.
He probably deserves some credit for swinging both ways, and has had more blart than most PUAs here could dream of (some seem to think that’s worthy of respect).
interesting theory, and not unthinkable. I’ve always thought of him though as more of an in-crowd sort of guy (that’s the vibe that ‘rules of attraction’ gives off for example) rather than as someone who’s got a (gay) axe to grind. In fact I think at the time he wasn’t ‘out’ in any way. This pretty disturbing book was presented as the imagining / fantasy (satiricial or not) of a twisted male heterosexual writer rather than that of a gay writer who seems to have been struggling with his distaste for women. My feeling is that a red blooded male wouldn’t have written that book.
Its very progressive of ROK to be doing articles on such a classic of gay literature and its adaptation by lesbian feminists. What next, red pill truths from Radcliffe Hall’s Well of Loneliness?
I can see the hate links now: “RoK Tells Its Readers to be Like Serial Killers”
Methinks there’s some deliberate trolling going on with article selection
Actually more accurate would be “RoK Tells Its Readers to be Like Fictional Character Who Ends Up Suffering a Mental Breakdown” since Bateman didn’t actually kill anyone.
”Although I wouldn’t advise you to take it to Bateman-levels of
extremity, a basic level of grooming and self-care is a must for any man
looking to maximize his sex appeal. Take care of your skin, take care
of your teeth, take care of your hair, get somewhat of a tan, remove
excess body hair, and you’re already ahead of most men in the game.”
Maybe the more society becomes Matriarchal the men will have to peacock more and more. Perhaps ending up a species will very beautiful males and dull and plain females.
It can already be observed in Japan with the herbivores.
http://www.semionaut.net/wp-content/uploads/herbivore.jpg
Darn man. Like Sweden:
https://occidentinvicta.files.wordpress.com/2014/06/wimpy-swedes.jpg
Psychos everywhere
http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2014/07/04/article-2680690-1F630A8400000578-733_634x534.jpg
That faggot had millions of dollars, a father in the movie industry and looked like he’s in a boy-band. It baffles my mind how someone with those credentials could be so socially inept as to not be drowning in pussy.
Lol they went from samurai to THAT?!? Wow, Hiroshima and Nagasaki must have humbled them way more than anybody not Japanese can even wrap their head around!
You have been watching too much manga. Samurai were the queerest dressed guys around.
There is a difference in Virile Aesthetic and sterile and decadent Aesthetic.
The former has the substance of virtue the latter the facade masking a supreme emptiness.
I wouldn’t consider taking care of yourself and not looking like a slob peacocking. It’s more like self respect. Looking conservative without the tats and piercings and don’t take shit like a bad boy speaks volume.
Those pics of the young hipsters in the replies below, to me, looks like a bunch of losers that want to fit in and not lead.
Agreed in that regard. But the lengths that Patrick Bateman goes trough strikes me as effeminate.
Agreed. If a guy goes to the extreme and plucks his eyebrows and trim his pubic hair, then that’s gay.
We’re already there, in my opinion the recent rise of liftbro culture is a direct result of the ever dwindling quality of females available to men. Through rock solid aesthetics and variious levels of game these young men try desperately to obtain the validation of one of the precious few <25 BMI females left.
I think personally Aesthetics should be pursued in its own right. And may even be a mark of a virile man as the Samurai were Masters of not only war but Aesthetics for it is part of virtue to do so.
But just to peacock. Its ignoble.
”While you don’t need to don a $3,000 Armani suit to look presentable, every man should own a wardrobe consisting of at least some high quality, well-fitted clothing.”
1950’s clothing were very stylish and durable at the same time and if made right even waterproof according to a male friend who studies fashion design for a short while:
http://www.challengefashion.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/08/mens-fashions2.jpg
However I do not know about modern iterations which are probably as throwaway as any other clothing.
Hey, that’s my grandpa.
He is better dressed than Millenials.
i dunno, you can’t see his underwear peaking out from his sagging-jeans, so he can’t be a real man (sarcasm). on a related note, it should be acceptable to cane/pistol-whip ‘men’ wearing pants just above their knees with their underwear exposed (talk about screaming ‘useless scumbag’).
Lol.
I’ll wear your granddad’s clothes, I look incredible….
That’s me, minus the lid, on a certain Tuesday some weeks ago.
If it was made of good wool, it can take a little water without soaking.
Shit’s too hot to wear in TN around here in the summertime. I walk everywhere, and there’s no way in hell a suit would be remotely practical when it is 100 degrees outside and humid as hell. I wear my hiking clothing. Hard to think of anything that is more practical. Lightweight, fast drying, sun and bug protection. Wide brim boonie hat with a sun flap.
I figure if it’s practical for months in the woods and walking 2200 miles, it’s practical for anything I have to do in “normal life” as well.
This is one of my favourite films/books ever. In our rapidly dehumanising modern world, I think we can all relate somewhat to the dissociation of Bateman from those around him, and from himself.
There is an idea of a Patrick Bateman.
Here is an album dedicated to Patrick Bateman by a metal band called Krieg. FYI it is way, way over the top!:
https://kriegofficial.bandcamp.com/album/patrick-bateman
“Bateman and his crew are constantly trying to one-up each other with who has the biggest condo, the best suit, the best business card, the best tan, the hottest girlfriend, the best restaurant reservations… the list is endless”
Isn’t that the problem with the current state of affairs today? There are already many articles on ROK pretty much ssying it’s time to get off that hamster wheel.
That said, I think the 8 points you made are good. Whether we like it or not, if one is to try to assimilate to the Human species, certain things have to be done correctly.
Having the best condo, car, suit, whatever on debt is a sure losing bet.
Yeah, Bateman threw a fit and went on a murderous rampage whenever a rival outperformed him in some way.
bale was in a rut. First, rich, powerful, psychotic playboy named Bateman, and then rich, powerful, psychotic playboy named Batman.
Behold “Bateman Begins”:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PmBfr8kvH0I
A true Christian Bale Fan ! Way to goy my boy !!!!
Haw haw!! OMG that was hilarious!
Christy, get down on your knees so Sabrina can see your asshole.
“Don’t just stare at it, eat it”
“I want you to wash your vagina”
So many great lines.
What this article misses is that the book is also a satire on blind conformity
Patrick is a fucking loser. He knows it. He’s indistinguishable from his peers and literally can’t think of a way to stand out. His life is a product. An extension to his shoes, his suits, the music he hilariously thinks is cool etc . He’s the archetypal empty vessel.
Hence the rage. The fantasy of violence is the only thing that makes him feel human
I could never work out if it was fantasy or real. Loathe as I am to admit it, that author seems to be exceptionally clever, writing crass porn, but passing it off as nuanced post-modernism.
when I read it I assumed it was real. I was surprised when I heard people referring to is as satire.
My current understanding of it is that the character in the book did all those things, but that he was the embodiment of a disassociated of a silver-spoon fed Wall St exec. So it’s a satire/parody of those people as their typical persona is taken to the extreme. The author uses lots of literary devices, such as repetitive overly-descriptive observations on his colleagues’ attire, cut and paste magazine album reviews, graphic gratuitous sex and murder scenes, and I assumed he did so in order to poke fun at those high-flyer types.
Both the book and the movie could be also be interpreted as Bateman’s fevered imagination, as mentioned below by vancitydude69, but I guess it would still be a satire/parody even if that was the case. Maybe another read of it is in order.
I don’t think it does happen in Bateman’s imagination but is real. There clearly is a sophisticated (and very well written) satire of those wall street types and their social class and sometimes its deeply funny but unfortunately its describing events that actually take place, and can go unnoticed precisely because everybody is living in a detached, de-personalised world. The fact that the world doesn’t seem to even notice the most horrific murders and just continues on regardless could be evidence that they didn’t really happen, but then if you interpret it that way it detracts from the sense of an alienated world that he seems to be arguing for. Re. those literary devices the ‘repetitive overly descriptive observation’ that stayed with me was his disquisition on Madonna song’s. I hate Madonna but that was a tour de force
That’s an excellent point, and I’m glad to get your insight on the crux question I was left with. I may revive this thread if I ever get around to reading it again (which mightn’t be a bad idea, since I’ve completely forgotten that Madonna segment). The only one I vaguely remember was his description of a sadistically punishing, and practically unfeasible workout.
thanks, I almost wish it was his imagination but I don’t think so. Funny, I don’t remember the workout at all, but I remember the madonna analysis really clearly
I was torn but I think it’s all in his head.
I think the point is that he’s suffering delusions of grandeur, and that even people in those enviable positions are prisoners of a kind.
His meaningless existence is only given a jolt by the basest of human actions, but in reality he’s too cowardly to do anything about it. His life is looking down a long, narrow corridor into nothingness, and the extreme violence he creates is just a bit of escapism.
You make a good case though
cheers. I have to confess I’ve never watched the whole of the film, so I find myself wondering whether there may have been something about the film which suggests the idea that its all a fantasy in his head or whether I missed something in the book, or just read it too literally. The reason I wonder is that I’d never heard the theory that it was all in his head until way after the film came out. I do think he’s suffering some kind of de-realization / de-personalisation and the violence real or imagined is a perverse way of proving to himself that he exists. If it is fantasy, its a pretty hard-core update to Walter Mitty. I wonder if Ellis has ever spoken on the matter
The film is mediocre although Bale gives a good performance
That’ another level of depth. It was a fantasy of a bored conforming Wallstreet exec… The last scene had his apartment clean and just obscene doodling in his notebook. What a cclassic of a movi!
Those of us around in the 80s remember the type: the soul-less and materialistic yuppie. Now millenials and this author seem to think this is cool?
Yeah that’s the albeit minor issue I had with the article.
I didn’t read the book until 2010, and only then did I get that Patrick is a desperately sad character. A spoiled brat, penning violence in his notebook to stand out in the crowd.
Mummy’s boy through and through.
In fact I think Bateman is based on Easton-Ellis himself in the period he immediately found a bit of fame in the late 80s following the Less than Zero film adaption (the lifestyle not the killing obviously)
He just chose to project the excesses of the era onto the Wall Street kids of the time.
In the end, PB isn’t even sure if he killed the right guy (or anyone at all) because everyone is so indistinguishable from each other.
Some great display of body language , right tonality & dominance by Patrick bateman in the movie….especially the way he deals with his secretary (or for that matter all woman in general)…..highly recommended. Christian Bale has nailed it. I definitely incorporated a few things from the movie into my game and it did wonders.
“The way he deals with women in general”
You mean the way he deals with them in his head since most of the movie (and book) is Bateman’s delusions.
Even though Patrick Bateman is a Hollywood Bad Guy, he still epitomizes inner stability, which the Cathedral actively goes after.
Umm clearly you’ve never read the novel because “stable” is the last thing Bateman is.
I have to admit, he does seem to be emanating that aura in my eyes.
Look at that subtle off-white coloring. The tasteful thickness of it. Oh, my God. It even has a watermark.
“There are no girls with good personalities.”
“A good personality consists of a chick with a little hard body, who will satisfy all sexual demands without being too slutty about things, and who essentially will keep her dumb fucking mouth shut.”
“The only girls with good personalities who are smart or maybe funny or halfway intelligent or talented, though god knows what the fuck that means, are ugly chicks. And this is because they have to make up for how fucking unattractive they are.”
Hardcore red pill message that kids these days need to understand
Hardcore gay agenda bullshit spawned while the brokeback boys are at the lgbt bar washing down the cum from the gloryhole session with a few appletinis.
Really, really great flick, if disturbing.
That anyone would think the character Patrick Bateman worthy of emulation is more disturbing than the novel itself. The novel is about how capitalism leads, at its extremes, to the commodification of everything and the sanctity of nothing. Patrick Bateman is a satirical personification of the soullessness of the free market. His character haunts me, hangs over me like a warning every step I climb up the professional ladder. How could anyone want to be like him? Is a suit with a six pack and a bunch of girls who loves nothing and no one and holds everyone and everything in utter contempt who you want to be? More frightening still, is it who you are already? He’s Joseph Conrad’s hollow man, repackaged for the new millennium. You don’t want to be hollow.
This article describes 8 ways to better your life and become more socially confident, using our fictional friend’s positive attributes as reference points.
This. Exactly.
It seems to have completely eluded the author of this stupid article that the book was pointing out the hollow, amoral and nihilistic dead-end of the kind of hyper-capitalistic, superficial, materialistic culture that existed in Wall Street in the 80s. That women seem to gravitate towards high-status, rich men who dress like, and behave like, Bateman, despite his hollow soul and despite the guy was a freaking psychopath, should tell you everything you need to know about women and how superifical and shallow they are, and what a fool’s errand it is to emulate the kind of vain, shallow, materialistic sociopathic “alpha” character that Batemen is supposed to be.
I don’t know that it says anything more about women than it does about men. Bateman’s girlfriends are unable to see who he really is because they’re superficial too. They’re as shallow and materialistic as almost everyone else in the book, but certainly no moreso. They value men for their careers, cars and perfectly toned pectoral muscles the same way Bateman and his friends value women for their promiscuity, fake tits, and perfectly toned asses. In fact, I think that Ellis included the gay character (I forget his name- the one whose fiance Bateman’s carrying on an affair with) to demonstrate how the superficiality of society crosses all boundaries, gender and sex included. He’s hopelessly in love with Bateman, possibly moreso than any of Bateman’s female companions, and equally unable to see who he really is due to his preoccupation with style, wealth, and physical beauty.
The sad thing is you see people at the bottom of the economic ladder selling out both their own soul and their bretheren for the same materialistic fodder. When a poor ghetto youth kills his own classmate on the playground for a $120 pair of air jordans or a bling hood leather jacket, big business loves it. Imopoverished customers who will kill for the product are termed the ‘perfect consumer’ and boardrooms do a golfer’s clap. Money corrupts to the core.
Hmm, I think the movie was a diversion. See the lone psychopath in the cinema while the real Transylvanian royalty drinks blood and the Clinton’s bodies pile up and the milk carton kid’s organs wind up in wealthy hosts. All while bits and pieces of high up debauchery eek out from alternative sources, another bait and switch mainline movie diverts mass attention.
When I see a pretty girl walking down the street, I think two things: one part of me wants to take her home, be real nice and treat her right; the other part wonders what her head would look like on a stick
Edmund Kemper
king of shit test evasion
Evelyn: Patrick, why is he calling you Marcus?
Patrick: Mistletoe alert !! *kisses Evelyn*
guys, save your money. that mystery second food:
swedish fish.
I find it hard to believe that there are others like me who actually saw some useful things in that movie. The manosphere really is the place to be. Good article man ! Cheers to the commenters, you guys make the article much more worthy !
very nice
“Do you like Huey Lewis and the News?” 🙂
very very nice
Bateman is a ghost. An empty shell.
He is so empty in fact, that he needs to fill the void with violence – just to feel SOMETHING.
This movie is very similar to another good movie. Fight club.
Just that fight club is better.
Bateman is no role model. He is sick.
If you need an idol to worship, pick a different person.
Arnold Schwarzenegger comes to mind. Man of the century.
Arnold is a roided pussy.
9. Kill anyone who has a better business card than you with an axe.
All that book did for me was reinforce my preconcieved notion that everyone in finance is a complete tool. It should have been called American Psychos, all of the characters are sociopathic shallow twats.
I liked the movie but never saw it as an instruction manual. The author is really reaching here. Obsession with appearance is metrosexual. At least the author isn’t selling some BS nutritional supplement, so thanks for that!
As the author of the article, I’d just like to thank everybody here for the feedback.
To those that take issue with article, no, the point of American Psycho didn’t elude me. I guess a lot of you didn’t read the last two paragraphs of the article. I’m not saying you should emulate Bateman or look to him as some sort of role model. His character was meant to embody the all the trappings of 1980s excess, to the point of complete ridiculousness and hilarity. I was saying that despite his insecurities and greed, Bateman did in fact have tendencies and behaviours that it wouldn’t hurt more men to adopt.
Also, just as is the case with American Psycho, and a good chunk of articles here on RoK, tongue in cheek does exist. This stuff isn’t meant to be taken so damn literally. That’s why I also don’t agree with proponents of the “It was all in his head” theory… There has to be some suspension of belief here. Despite its social commentary, Bret Easton Ellis wrote American Psycho as a satire, not a piece of literary fiction. Bateman’s crimes can and do go unnoticed in the world of American Psycho due to the fact the characters are so absurdly consumed in their own lives.
Did you miss that fact that the movie was a satire?
…Marcus & I even go to the same barber, although, I have a slightly better hair-cut.
I have to say, as much as your articles amuse me most of the time, articles like this are very disturbing.
Elliot Rodger was Patrick Bateman jr!!!
Nah…Bateman got laid…by any means necessary.
Hilarious.
“At any given moment, he puts not only his fiancée in her place when necessary, but also the women with whom his relationships are purely sexual.” What’s “her place”?
Bateman wouldn’t be caught dead in overpriced trash like Armani. He only wore bespoke Valentino. In the modern Era that would mean Brioni, EZ, Kiton or Tom Ford.
Yup…add to that Canali
The character is a homicidal psychopath. If you want a good fictional character, Bale’s interpretation of Bruce Wayne would be the best one for men to learn. Unlike Christopher Reeve’s Superman/Clark Kent, Bale’s Bruce Wayne could be a real person in our world, he’s an ordinary guy put into an extraordinary situation, so could be a real role model.
If you think really hard, Patrick Bateman is Bruce Wayne if his parents didn’t die, Wayne developed a morality because of the loss of his parents and a conscious, Bateman did not. He just was handed the company from his parents, and his privilege, that is why he is a sociopath.
On a superficial level, the two are almost similar, but beneath the surface, they are very different people.
Another thing to note is that Christopher Nolan did not think of Christian Bale as Batman/Bruce Wayne, he actually thought him as The Joker and as Heath Ledger as Bruce Wayne/Batman when he was producing the films. I would not be surprised if Nolan made this kind of connection between Bateman and Wayne.
This is exactly what we should strive not to be. This man is the very essence of egotism, vanity, the mundane. We should strive for higher, spiritual goals.
Says the guy named Dark Jedi
They were referred to as Dark Jedi before Sith, thank you.
dork.
1is2
Nope, geek but not dork. K.
Also, said it to get under your skin; mission accomplished.
It’s ok to slaughter people who have a better business card than you.
A stray cat does not fit into a cash point
Always wear a raincoat if you cut someone with an axe
Hmmmm, cool article, I had a good laugh and I watched the movie right after I read it (I didn’t even knew this movie existed before).. Weird movie indeed, but fun to watch. I like weird stuff. Next time I’d love to see an article called: 8 Things We Can Learn From Hannibal Lecter starting with…The Importance for Man of Being an Excellent Cook or 8 Learns We Can Learn From Mike Myers (Halloween) starting with How To Stay Fit By Running After Your Victims. Maybe I’ll try myself to write one of these articles, who knows.
If young Leonardo Di Caprio and Kevi Bacon and Luka Magnotta had a baby, it would look like your avatar.
Wow you’re right, I see it too. Not as much of the Baconater in there, but then no one is separated from him by more than 6 degrees.
The protagonist in the movie also had a thing for music – as he discusses a particular artist (Huey Lewis for example) before he wacks someone.
Well, Brendt Christensen who abducted and murdered the Chinese exchange student at the University of Illinois for thrills was a huge fan of American Psycho. Wonder how much of a role this movie will turn out to play when everything comes out at the trial.
You know that a society is ill when you can learn some usefull tips from the example of a raging sociopath.
But the paradox doesn’t stops here.
The only ‘human’ element of Patrick Bateman are his monstruous fantaisies that prevents him to become as hollow than the rest of his surounding.
But here is the catch: he doesn’t transcend his life by accepting a part of his monstruosity to free himself.
He prisons himself in his inner monster, projecting a mask of sanity and success.
I praise his book (and to a degree, the film) for adressing a layer of subject who are not limited to the time of his creation. it could become a real classic.
Bateman is the Dark embodiement of what we can became as ‘free rich fucks’, red pillers, PUA, MEGTOW or whatever.
No, not serial killers. But isolated. Steriles. Unable to search what is Worth. Unable to bond. Unable to create.
His hatred, his fight against the System that consumes him had let the System to defines him.
This book is strongly hated by Feminist. In a way, that’s Strange, because Bateman is the embodiement of what Feminists thinks a man becomes if he escapes the Leash. Unhappy, sexist, violent, rappy, murderous, etc.
(Spoiler) The books ends by ‘No Exit’. His life and his ‘rebellion’ leads to Nothing.
As the System wants him to feel.
And that’s the interesting point. Because that’s the very thing that every person who will question how our society really works will feel.
Empty, isolated and without Exit.
And ready to become another kind of consumer. (Sex, drug, carceral system…)Until it consumes us.
This story is perfect as it is. But what is missing is as interesting as what is told.
We don’t only have to Fight the System, we have to find and bond with people worth of it. We have to become independant, not isolated. We may have to become ‘toxic, but not as cancer cells: we have to learn how to release anti bodies.
We have to destroy but also to create or recreate Something that works.
We may fall into the Abyss, but only to Transcend ourselves.
Not to become the Monsters, the Boogeymen Society needs to justify its inhumane conditioning.
That’s the Exit. That’s Worth living and dying for.
Bateman is a Kid. A sad kid. An angry Kid. A monstruous kid. As the saying says: Kids tells the Truth.
Yep. Kids Truth.
That’s the last paradox. In a nearly childless society, there’s too much Kids like that. Society wants us to stay kids.
The real transcendance is to become MEN.
When ‘adults-kids’ are trapped together, they pray, they wait, they pick on each other, they Attack and canibalise each other.
On the contrary MEN organise themselves, and create their own Exit.
Very inspiring bravo
There’s not much to learn from uninitiated boys apart from how to remain a boy for ever.
I love it when I look at ‘Hip To Be Square’ or ‘In Too Deep’ on YouTube and the comments section is dominated with Patrick Bateman’s dialogue from the scenes they appear in. It restores my faith in humanity:
“Hey, Paul-
AAAAAAAAAAARGH!!!!
TRY GETTING A RESERVATION AT DORSIA’S NOW YOU STUPID FUCKING BASTARD!”
After watching the movie I doubt Bateman in real life killed anyone. I also doubt he is suppose to be considered a model. You can argue that maybe you should hold him in disgust based on the reactions of three people. At the end his lawyer dismisses his confession and gives him an angry look. When he goes back to the empty apartment with a surgical mask and finds it being freshly painted a real-estate lady who is a older woman but takes care of herself tricks him into lying and then tells him to leave and never come back (in a not so friendly tone). Jean (the young women who is not a drug addict and is stable) is disgusted and upset when she finds his drawings of cut up women.
You see, appearances still matter. Who’s going to suspect a dandy of being a murderer?
This is some next level irony.