Roosh V is a writer and world traveler that has chronicled his journeys and romantic conquests throughout South America, Europe and last and least, his hometown, Washington D.C. Roosh’s best known book is Bang, a guide to meeting women in a nightclub environment and seducing them. I first came across Roosh’s writings in late 2011, while on a trip to Poland. Discovering RooshV.com was an eye-opening experience, not only because it introduced me to game, but because of Roosh’s shrewd analysis and reflections on America’s cultural decline, specifically through the degradation of dating culture, the evaporation of femininity and the masculinization of women.
Why Can’t I Use A Smiley Face? is a departure from Roosh’s usual “lay guides” which recount his experiences traveling and outline the optimum strategy for success with women in a given country. This book is a short memoir of his experience returning to his home in D.C. for a month in 2012. Throughout the book the reader gets the sense that D.C. has changed little, but in the years since he began his travels, Roosh has become a new man. “The saddest part is that the change you go through while living abroad puts you even farther apart from those you care about most. It’s harder to identify with them, their stability, and their reluctance to dive into the life you love.”
Most of the book recounts Roosh’s night’s out on the town and his success or lack thereof with the women he meets. Even when he is successful though, it comes at the cost of the genuine warmth that he was able to experience with the women of South America and Europe. “Being flirty with an American can be risky, especially if she construes that you’re falling in love with her. I didn’t want her to get “creeped out” by real affection. I had to be cold on purpose in order to experience sex, the warmest form of intimacy.” The afterglow of the interaction with woman who is the object of this reflection is the inspiration for the title of the book.
Although the bulk of the content focuses on how Roosh has changed through his experiences and that this new man is no longer compatible with the environment in which he once lived, there is a strong message of hope for the future. “The truth is, life doesn’t start for a man until he’s thirty, the age when a woman has already passed her peak. I’m thirty-three and have done some good things, but I feel that life is only beginning for me. Keep working on your game, but start to focus on your money. A pile of money is a pile of options, and when you’re thirty and have both money and game, the world is yours.” Having just turned thirty, this quote stood out to me the most. Thanks to Roosh I’ve been “game-aware” for a year and half. I’ve discovered that there are many approaches to meeting women and that ultimately, becoming a better man in all aspects (mentally, physically, financially, philosophically) should be the driving force in your life.
I had the chance to meet Roosh while I was on a long stay in Warsaw, Poland last year, so it was interesting to see many of his thoughts and reflections on display in this book. Readers new to Roosh’s writings would benefit from first digging into his website, particularly the “All-Time Hall of Fame” posts towards the bottom of the right-hand column.
Roosh has announced that Bang Ukraine is the last of his travel guides, so it will be interesting to see what direction his career takes next. Why Can’t I Use A Smiley Face? reads like a creative fusion of his writings on cultural analysis and in-field reports. If his recent appearances on East-European television are any indication, Roosh looks to be on the bleeding edge of mainstream acknowledgement of game, the sexual marketplace and the devastating effects of feminism. It remains to be seen if the discussion makes the leap to American popular consciousness, but if it does, Roosh is as articulate and honest a spokesman as we could have.
