I appreciate the apparent sincerity and frankness I find in this forum. I actually attribute my pursuit of PE to this.
My ground-rules for starting PE went something like this:
- if it seems too good to be true, it probably is
- no gimmick products, minimal reasonable investment (simple devices, lubes, etc.)
- usability
- access to honest information
- logos of methods
I did a couple of filtered searches and found Thunder’s. Perhaps the best selling point was that it was free. While I have no problem paying for a quality product, there are so many well-conceived scams it only made sense to begin by thinking that free information would be the most accurate. To support my belief (fideism), scrutinize evidence. This is kind of a weird list of criteria, but it is morning, cold, day-off, got a buzz:
- Members are happy about gains made through effort. it is very encouraging to see the responses people get for reporting 0.25” for six
months of manual effort.
- Members admit to things they would not say otherwise, because of “normal insecurities” about the size of their most prized possession.
- There are commercial accounts, but there is normally a “DIY” in the same thread, made out of material that can be inexpensively
purchased at Home Depot and Wal Mart.
- Members admit mistakes/faults/injuries
- Members normally post moderate goals/results
- Members remain skeptical of posted results
- Most importantly, some people FAIL!
Look, I understand this may be offensive to some, but just based on probability, PE should not work for all of us in some regards. The fact that people post “I quit/no gains” adds a significant amount of scientific validity. That being said, based on the same probability, PE SHOULD WORK for some of us in the same regards. And that is just looking at probability without examining any evidence.
Yeah, Thunder’s seems pretty damned honest, mostly because I do not see any INCENTIVE for anything else. I will say that I am quit skeptical of some posted results…oh well, please be skeptical of mine if you choose to be.
Since a certain level of honesty can be established, we must then ask ourselves where the honesty comes from. I really think people are more open and honest about PE methods, gains, expectations, etc. I have somewhat of a dual-take on this. I think society has ripened to issues concerning sexual gratification, personal body mod, and similar items. I do not blush when I see your progress pics; I appreciate the effort and technique you applied to get there (and I’m proud of you for it!)
Secondly, I think about this free exchange of information in terms of the famed “Nash equilibrium.” We all benefit more from mutual contribution than we would from keeping to ourselves. Since the social hurdle is falling, the second becomes more practical.
Anyway, brevity has eluded me again.
Hang Well.
