Times Infiltrates Pickup Community Dating Gurus

The 2010 Pickup and Dating Conference took place this past weekend, an historic gathering of the greatest pickup minds of our generation, sharing and consolidating their considerable knowledge for one weekend of intense tutorial and intellectual debate about the finer points of cruising for women at skeezy clubs...oh, you missed it? Well, you're in luck, because the Times was there to witness.

Around sixty eligible bachelors took part in the weekend seminar, a gathering for "what has become known as a pickup community, a movement, formerly secret, that is making its presence known." It was organized by Christopher Luna, the president of Craft of Charisma, a date coaching business; they offered spots to gentlemen of low-self-esteem for the price of $377, not counting drinks, "to hear from about 20 dating experts, many of whom do not use surnames or even first names" (it cost $3,497 for the mysterious "Love Systems Superconference"). And when looking for the finest dating advice, who wouldn't turn to DJ Fuji or Mystery?

The guru's advice mostly seemed to revolve around avoiding the "friend zone," making physical contact, having confidence, and most importantly, giving incredibly creepy high-fives: “ 'The next step,' [Mr. Luca] said, 'is doing something you’d do with a friend — you put your arm around them, you high five them. Then you might high-five them, but interlace your fingers in theirs and leave them intertwined for a few seconds, which builds up sexual tension.' "

Look, it can be overwhelming trying to date in this city, even though it is the best city in the world for dating for men (which perhaps adds extra pressure). And there are always going to be plenty of people who will promise to help you pick up artsy women, or who will say things like “more than 60 percent of my boot-camp clients get laid." Maybe some of these gurus really do help some people gain confidence, but maybe even more of them are just con artists and hacks chipping away at your bank account, promising false hope for false connections under false pretenses. And that's as uncool as a hipster grifter.