Author: Paul Elam
If
you’ve
been
an
attentive
follower
of
my
work,
particularly
the
collaborative
efforts
with
Peter
Wright,
you
know
that
we’ve
explored
the
historical
roots
of
gynocentrism
and,
just
as
importantly,
the
origins
of
the
romantic
model
of
pair
bonding
and
marriage.
We’ve
written
about
Queen
Eleanor
of
Aquitaine
and
her
daughter
Marie,
who
instituted
a
sex-relation
model
based
on
men
idealizing
women
and
being
shamed
into
serving
them.
That
model,
once
referred
to
as
courtly
love,
was
spread
with
the
help
of
commissioned
troubadours,
reinforced
with
their
love
stories,
romantic
songs,
and
poetry.
And
as
we
can
plainly
see
in
modern
times,
electronic
media
continues
that
tradition
in
full
force
on
a
worldwide
platform.
Now
operating
under
the
heading
of
romantic
love,
we
can
describe
it
with
a
more
modern
and
accurate
turn
of
phrase;
Romantic
love
is
the
practice
of
males
simping
to
narcissistic
women.
Eleanor
and
her
daughter
were
the
first
to
popularize
this
practice,
however
the
original
impetus
came
from
Eleanor’s
grandfather
William
IX
Duke
of
Aquitaine
(l.
1071-1127
CE),
who
is
considered
the
world’s
first
troubadour
–
a
man
who
wrote
effusive,
gushing
poetry,
expressing
love
for
women
in
worshipful
stanzas.
He
took
delight
in
performing
music
and
song,
serenading
women,
and
feeding
their
narcissistic
hunger.
William’s
gynocentrism
was
so
exaggerated,
in
fact,
that
he
had
a
picture
of
his
naked
mistress
painted
on
his
shield,
claiming
that
he
was
glad
to
bear
her
image
in
battle
as
she
had
borne
him
in
bed.
So,
it
is
clear.
William
IX
was
patient
zero
in
the
romantic
chivalry
virus
that
has
since
infected
the
world.
We
find
no
historical
example
of
this
kind
unbridled
gynocentrism
in
a
man
of
prominence
that
predates
him.
All
of
this
is
understood
in
academic
circles,
but
little
known
outside
of
them. William
M.
Reddy,
Professor
of
History
and
Cultural
Anthropology
at
Duke
University,
describes
William’s
role
in
the
tradition
as
follows:
The
genre
of
the
troubadour
song,
and
with
it
the
basic
elements
of
courtly
love,
seems
to
have
arisen
full-blown
in
his
mind,
ready
to
be
imitated
and
elaborated
by
his
many
enthusiastic
followers.The
lyrics
of
ten
songs
by
William
IX
have
survived.
They
form
a
curious
series.
Four
are
recognizably
troubadour
love
songs,
offering,
in
Reto
Bezzola’s
words,
“an
entirely
new
conception
of
woman
and
of
love,
new
not
only
for
the
count
of
Poitou,
but
for
the
entire
world.”1
While
understandable
that
women
would
have
embraced
such
a
model
in
order
to
obtain
material
and
narcissistic
gratifications
from
men,
it’s
more
perplexing
that
a
powerful
man
did
so
when
he
could
have
had
any
woman
at
any
time,
by
simply
wiggling
his
finger.
How
strange
that
his
chosen
path
instilled
a
brand
of
pathetic
sycophancy
in
contemporary
and
future
men,
effectively
rendering
him
a
traitor
to
his
own
sex.
And
indeed,
do
we
not
see
this
on
full
display
in
modern
times?
How
many
powerful
men
with
high
sexual
market
value
have
you
seen
engaging
in
sappy
public
fawning
over
women,
gratuitously
feeding
their
egos
as
a
kind
of
twisted
performance
art?
And
how
many
men
lend
silent
complicity
to
this
game,
following
William’s
traitorous
ways?
Recently,
there
was
a
televised
debate
of
Republican
presidential
hopefuls.
Nikki
Haley,
the
only
woman
on
the
stage
alongside
six
very
powerful,
influential
men,
interrupted
the
entire
field
at
one
point
and
blurted
out,
“If
you
want
something
said,
ask
a
man.
If
you
want
something
done,
ask
a
woman.”
The
remark,
a
reference
to
her
book
of
the
same
title,
was
met
with
applause
by
the
audience
and
sheepish
silence
by
the
allegedly
powerful
men
on
stage.
Now,
even
the
most
cursory
look
at
modern
civilization,
where
literally
nothing
is
built
or
maintained
by
women,
informs
you
that
what
Haley
said
is
complete
bullshit.
That,
however,
didn’t
motivate
a
single
man
onstage
to
say
a
single
corrective
word.
It
was
a
telling
microcosm
of
what
society
has
become
under
the
romantic
model,
and
proof
that
William
the
Simp’s
infectious
ideas
took
root
and
flourished.
The
court
of
William
IX
at
Poitou,
considered
the
center
of
culture
at
that
time,
was
filled
with
song,
a
culture
of
courtly
love,
and
affluence.
Aquitaine
was
the
richest
duchy
in
the
south
of
France.2
Eleanor
was
raised
in
this
court
where
she
would
watch
the
spectacle
of
courtly
love
and
its
requisite
worship
of
women
play
out
every
day
of
her
childhood.
Apparently,
Eleanor
warmed
very
quickly
to
the
sight
of
obsequious
men
shamelessly
competing
for
the
approval
of
women.
She
would
later
elaborate
and
bring
that
vision
to
the
entire
world
when
she
became
Queen
of
both
France
and
England.
Has
there
ever
a
greater
traitor
to
the
collective
male
sex
than
William?
He’s
brought
simping
to
the
world
and
set
the
bar
high
on
its
practice.
His
little
fetish
has
now
spread
to
become
more
popular
than
the
gospel
of
Jesus.
More
romantic
love
novels
are
sold
each
year
than
are
copies
of
the
Bible.
In
fact,
just
one
Texan
author
alone
sold
3
million
more
copies
of
her
romance
novel
in
2022
than
copies
of
the
Bible
in
the
same
year.
Let
that
sink
in.3
William’s
story
is
instructive
for
how
badly
men
can
screw
up,
and
that
brings
us
to
similar
behaviours
we
see
in
men
in
the
here
and
now.
Should
we
really
blame
women
for
the
rise
of
romantic
chivalry?
Is
female
narcissism
the
real
culprit?
Perhaps
feminism?
Certainly
there’s
cause
to
point
at
those
things,
though
diligence
compels
us
to
also
look
askance
at
men
who
swallowed
the
romantic
narrative
with
little
to
no
resistance.
Fathers,
husbands,
male
lovers
all
share
in
the
blame.
And
of
course,
blaming
the
source
only
gets
you
so
far.
Ultimately,
we
settled
on
the
idea
that
William
the
Simp
is
the
red
pill
man’s
greatest
object
lesson.
In
a
way
he’s
our
best
friend.
The
guy
you
learn
what
not
to
do
from.
After
all,
to
William
he
was
striking
out
into
new
territory:
women
had
never
been
so
elevated,
so
overblown
before
in
any
of
recorded
history.
He
was
a
powerful
guy
with
a
masochistic
submission
fantasy.
Women
jumped
on
that
and
rode
it
like
a
sybian
sex
aid.
But
that’s
the
good
part.
If
you’re
a
red
pill
guy
here
for
your
dose
of
content,
you
are
also
striking
out
into
new
territory.
You’re
doing
something
unheard
of
to
most
men
until
recent
times.
The
path
you’ve
chosen
won’t
please
women,
and
it
won’t
sell
near
as
well
as
kissing
women’s
asses,
but
there’s
a
major
silver
lining
to
that.
The
past
thousand
years
of
simping
stops
with
you.
References:
[1]
The
Making
of
Romantic
Love:
Longing
and
Sexuality
in
Europe,
South
Asia,
and
Japan,
900-1200
CE.
[2]
Eleanor
of
Aquitaine,
in
New
World
Encyclopedia.
[3]
Author
Colleen
Hoover
went
from
tending
cows
to
writing
bestsellers.
Original Story on AVFM
These stories are from AVoiceForMen.com.
(Changing the cultural narrative)