PEGym Book Club

[mistergeorge Senior Member Member of the Month June 2021 Find all posts View Profile Close mistergeorge]

Manhood Impossible:
Men's Struggles to Control and Transform their Bodies and Work

by Scott Melzer

2018, Rutgers University Press.

The author interviewed members of PE Gym and Thunder's Place in 2013-2014.

Here's the post he made here in December 2013 seeking interviewees for his book:

https://www.pegym.com/forums/site-an...wees-book.html

Scott Melzer is a professor of sociology at Albion College in Albion, Michigan. Manhood Impossible is one of those expensive university press books. I had to use my public library's interlibrary loan service to get a copy.

Melzer refers to both PE Gym and Thunder's Place collectively and anonymously as "The Penis Health Club" throughout this book and devotes a whole chapter to the subject. There are other interesting chapters on other subjects, but this one might be most interesting to members of these forums.

I have some difficulties with some of the social theories Melzer subscribes to. I think I would need to have some conversations with him to be sure I'm understanding him correctly. He refers to something called "toxic masculinity" which apparently may have legitimate and accurate usages. I don't think he believes masculinity itself is toxic, only that some definitions of masculinity can burden men in ways that cause them self-harm and also harm to others. You know, like the tough guy who beats his woman or in Melzer's own personal example, the competitive athlete who goes too far trying to be a strong man and does permanent skeletal system damage.

I would say this book is more ideological than scientific. Maybe. It's just not what I'm used to reading when I think of science. But I do understand that sociology is one of those soft sciences which is infected with philosophical and political theory.

So you might have to read around some of the theory to find the real value in his chapter on The Penis Health Club. You might find some of it irritating as I did

I don't read it as a harsh criticism of these forums. In fact Melzer finds value in the forums in the support men find in talking out some of their personal experiences and insecurities. I also think he gives a good documentation of the forums and much of what goes on here.

I always like to try to get an observers point of view of my own behavior and so I think it's healthy and interesting to get outsiders' perspectives from time to time.

Capt Dickhard, you still with us?

Members of PE Gym forums were interviewed for this book. Did anybody else here read it?

[mistergeorge Senior Member Member of the Month June 2021 Find all posts View Profile Close mistergeorge]

The Way of the Shaft
by Matt Tungsten
Twots Enterprises LLC (May 9, 2021)

PE Gym is featuring a banner ad for Matt Tungsten's new book which means he and/or the folks at Twots Enterprises are investing some capital in advertizing.

The book is given it's own direct response dotcom site you can find by clicking on the banner ad here on PE Gym or by typing the title of the book in your browser's address bar.

The cover features a faceless superhero character forging a great glowing sword with anvil and hammer. If there's a ring of humor in this image for you, it's a tone that promises to drone throughout the book.

A full review of this book should be written by somebody who will actually buy it. It is available on Amazon.com for Kindle at $2.99 and paperback for $19.99.

A preview of the book is available on Amazon.com.

From the preview the book is well written despite it's lack of maturity and seriousness. It features an intense and thorough disclaimer page.

As with most how-to books about PE the information is presented around a marketing enterprise. It is intended to appeal to common male sensibilities.

Matt Tungsten claims that he has taken more than a decade to figuring out the best way to train the shaft. But we all know where the information in books of this genre originated. It's been floating around online in various forms since about 1998, and has a checkered pre-Internet heritage to boot.

Another common meme in PE marketing is the boast that "The Way of the Shaft has transformed the lives of men around the world." And it seemingly did it prior to it's release as a published title. There are examples of this exact hype in PE marketing going back to the late 1800s.

In terms of marketing this is the most flashy and well organized attempt I think I've seen from any similar enterprise. I would expect that this book will qualify as fun entertainment for some readers, if nothing else. It's similar to Rob Michaels's Exercising the Penis for it's emphasis on "exercising the shaft" and its pronouncment that 99% of men don't know they can exercise the shaft.

We've heard this before.

I hope somebody else will take the plunge and post here with a complete review of the deeper content and exercises presented in this book. This looks like one for Captain Dickhard who has reviewed a few similar books. Where is that guy?

[BlueMorpho Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close BlueMorpho]

Members of PE Gym forums were interviewed for this book. Did anybody else here read it?

Actually, I DID read a portion of the 'Manhood Impossible' book. I believe it was the first 3 chapters or so. More of an academic book, not easily accessible through regular channels (mostly limited to uni libraries, online academia sites, etc.), probably targeted to other researchers for the most part.

That said, I think I remember the argument he makes for this "toxic masculinity" you mention. I didn't perceive a negative bias from the author, but he did describe it as a "bizarro world.. where insecurity runs rampant" (not an exact quote). The way I see it is that he argues that sites like PEGym don't truly address the underlying psychological issues which are behind the perceived lack or body dysmorphia. Worse, the forums may be exacerbating the problem by encouraging compensatory strategies... PE itself!

Not what most people on the forum were hoping to hear. But he does say that the 'compensatory strategies' did provide confidence and overall well-being to some of the interviewees. Just that it's a very roundabout way to going about being happier in life, when it would be simpler and more straightforward to shift one's of mental perception and accept and appreciate what one's got. On the other hand he also illustrates an example of how PE fails to solve the underlying issue: the young guy who grew from 6 to 7 inches and in spite of the gains didn't feel happier or special... so he set a new goal to 8 inches. I don't think he'll ever be satisfied... if happiness is the constant pursuit of the carrot at the end of the stick.

I actually found that Scott did a pretty darn good job of covering most sides of the issue. Not moralizing in any way, but also not taking any BS too kindly either. Part psychology, part sociology, there's not much data collection that can help us get down to more science-core conclusions. But I think that's just the nature of the topic. The same reason we can't prove or disprove spirituality (but inherently know it's crucial to our well-being), or make the case for breaking unhealthy addictions or behavioral patterns, he's suggesting we take a closer look as to why we PE. Because on second thought, we may be finding reasons for doing so that aren't entirely wholesome or helpful. Maybe it was in a quest to emulate the endowment of a porn star, after all. Or maybe not.

Now that I think of it, there is scientific method in his approach. Of all the people he spoke to, he did find that most were doing PE primarily to enhance size (a minority were doing it mostly for health reasons, such as ED, pre-E). It may be a small sample size, but that is a valid data. And this he uses to build his argument that guys on PEGym try to reclaim their 'lost' manhood by seeking safety and affirmation in a bigger unit. That may be an ideological conclusion as you said, but taking into account what we know about human psychology, I think his inference is spot on brilliant.

[mistergeorge Senior Member Member of the Month June 2021 Find all posts View Profile Close mistergeorge]

Actually, I DID read a portion of the 'Manhood Impossible' book. I believe it was the first 3 chapters or so. More of an academic book, not easily accessible through regular channels (mostly limited to uni libraries, online academia sites, etc.), probably targeted to other researchers for the most part.

That said, I think I remember the argument he makes for this "toxic masculinity" you mention. I didn't perceive a negative bias from the author, but he did describe it as a "bizarro world.. where insecurity runs rampant" (not an exact quote). The way I see it is that he argues that sites like PEGym don't truly address the underlying psychological issues which are behind the perceived lack or body dysmorphia. Worse, the forums may be exacerbating the problem by encouraging compensatory strategies... PE itself!

Not what most people on the forum were hoping to hear. But he does say that the 'compensatory strategies' did provide confidence and overall well-being to some of the interviewees. Just that it's a very roundabout way to going about being happier in life, when it would be simpler and more straightforward to shift one's of mental perception and accept and appreciate what one's got. On the other hand he also illustrates an example of how PE fails to solve the underlying issue: the young guy who grew from 6 to 7 inches and in spite of the gains didn't feel happier or special... so he set a new goal to 8 inches. I don't think he'll ever be satisfied... if happiness is the constant pursuit of the carrot at the end of the stick.

I actually found that Scott did a pretty darn good job of covering most sides of the issue. Not moralizing in any way, but also not taking any BS too kindly either. Part psychology, part sociology, there's not much data collection that can help us get down to more science-core conclusions. But I think that's just the nature of the topic. The same reason we can't prove or disprove spirituality (but inherently know it's crucial to our well-being), or make the case for breaking unhealthy addictions or behavioral patterns, he's suggesting we take a closer look as to why we PE. Because on second thought, we may be finding reasons for doing so that aren't entirely wholesome or helpful. Maybe it was in a quest to emulate the endowment of a porn star, after all. Or maybe not.

Now that I think of it, there is scientific method in his approach. Of all the people he spoke to, he did find that most were doing PE primarily to enhance size (a minority were doing it mostly for health reasons, such as ED, pre-E). It may be a small sample size, but that is a valid data. And this he uses to build his argument that guys on PEGym try to reclaim their 'lost' manhood by seeking safety and affirmation in a bigger unit. That may be an ideological conclusion as you said, but taking into account what we know about human psychology, I think his inference is spot on brilliant.

BlueMorpho, thanks very much for taking the time to post your thoughts on this. It's exactly what I was hoping for - to get the perspectives and reviews of other readers. I think his argument as you represent it "guys on PEGym try to reclaim their 'lost' manhood by seeking safety and affirmation in a bigger unit" is true of some members. I just recognize a diversity of motivations for getting involved in PE, and also changing motivations as guys mature.

You have convinced me to give Scott Melzer's book another read. I'm going to buy a copy soon.

[Cpt. Jean-Luc Dickhard Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Cpt. Jean-Luc Dickhard]

Hey Cpt, have you heard of Legendary enlargement its an ebook and apparently has this new technique that restarts the growing process of the penis?

That's a new one on me! Have you read it?

[Cpt. Jean-Luc Dickhard Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Cpt. Jean-Luc Dickhard]

Good to see members keeping the book club alive! Good stuff mistergeorge and bluemorpho! I have been awol of late but I'm hoping to be around more

[mistergeorge Senior Member Member of the Month June 2021 Find all posts View Profile Close mistergeorge]

Good to see members keeping the book club alive! Good stuff mistergeorge and bluemorpho! I have been awol of late but I'm hoping to be around more

Captain Dickhard! I knew they would repair the transporter and get you beamed back aboard! Nice to see a post from you. And thanks again for starting this thread.

[Cpt. Jean-Luc Dickhard Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Cpt. Jean-Luc Dickhard]

Captain Dickhard! I knew they would repair the transporter and get you beamed back aboard! Nice to see a post from you. And thanks again for starting this thread.

No problem �� seemed to me when I joined it was something that was missing. I've always been a reader and I'm sure other guys are the same - when I get into a new subject I want to get some books on it, even if it's a subject that has loads of info online. But it doesn't take you long to realise most PE books are complete scams put together with minimal effort. We need somewhere to try to separate the wheat from the chaff!