What I find so interesting about.....Iceberg Slim

Lately I've found myself fascinated by the life, codes and principals of Iceberg Slim. A lot of people(mostly women) are downright repulsed by that. How could I find anything positive or useful in the story of a misogynistic pimp? Lets talk about that word..."Pimp". Its a commonly (mis)used term in the Hip Hop culture and black culture in general. You might turn on the radio and hear a rapper say he's pimpin' or your friend might say "I was at the strip club throwin money straight pimpin". The truth is....the rapper probably isn't and your friend DEFINITELY isn't(he's a trick a man pimps have no respect for). Robert Beck(Iceberg Slim) is the prototypical pimp. He wouldn't have sex with a woman unless she paid him first. This is the complete opposite of the mentality of most men. The average man is powerless against the seductive prowess of women. According to Robert Greene(in his book "Art Of Seduction") seduction is the one aspect of life where women are more powerful than men. Some of the most influential women in history are known for their looks and seduction skills(From Cleopatra to Marilyn Monroe...all the way down to Kim Kardashian). Being able to resist a womans sexual charms in order to adhere to the "pimps code" takes discipline and makes you more powerful than the average man.

There is also a principal "Fair exchange" that changed the way I viewed intimate relationships between a man and a woman.

"She nibbled and sucked hundreds of tingling bruises on every square inch of my body. Fair exchange as the old saw goes is never robbery."-Iceberg Slim

Typically when a man is offered sex by a pretty female he feels blessed(oral sex is sometimes referred to as being "blessed" or getting "blessings") or as though its his lucky day(sex was at one point referred to as "getting lucky") But this proves that the woman is feeling blessed and lucky as well. You're both getting something out of the deal. This is why when a man pays for sex he is called a "trick" because the woman is getting sex and money while he's only getting sex.

Another thing I liked about Iceberg was his thirst for knowledge about "the game". He would ask the older more experienced pimps for advice. (This is rare, there are so many know-it-alls that think they don't need to learn) Iceberg valued knowledge so much that he even took a beating from his mentor when he broke a rule-but to him it was worth it. 

Something else I got from reading his life story is something the pimps refer to as "Cop n Blow"(to gain and lose).

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According to them "Cop n Blow" is what "the game" is all about. What you have in this World means NOTHING...the question is do you have the skills to get it back if you lose it.There were times in the book where Slim would lose everything(his girls, money, and vehicle) and he would become a wanted man in the area he was in and he'd have to move to somewhere unfamiliar. Instead of panicking and being scared he'd move on. I find that people are so afraid to start from scratch. Its because it makes you question yourself-do you have what it takes to rebuild your life? In "the game" the answer is an emphatic "yes".Pimp