I tried, but he won't listen.
Things were different in the 80s. Women were nicer, much more approachable, much less likely to reject.
Since he dated women in the 80s, he thinks things would be the same for me if I just tried. He said in order to get a gf I just need to reciprocate when women are nice to me. He doesn't realize that in 2018 women are being validated constantly by various social media apps on their phones which they carry 24/7, and so it means absolutely nothing to women for an average male to compliment them when Chad is calling them cute on Instagram and Tinder.