"The Myth of the Alpha Male"

[Jamaal510]

More: http://goodmenproject.com/ethics-values/the-myth-of-the-alpha-male-hesaid/

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This isn’t so much a community as it is a marketing gimmick. It’s a bullshit title used to sell books and programs.

These books seek to “redefine what it really means to be an alpha male.” Really, it’s not just a bunch of cock-sure, arrogant and self-entitled assholes. It’s a gentleman. A leader. A strong and worthy man blah, blah, blah. They’re putting lipstick on a pig, trying to convince you that you’re either the leader of the pack, or you’re a beta who won’t get what you deserve in this life, and they pretty it up with all kinds of nice-sounding terminology and definitions, but at its core the idea of being an alpha male is bogus.

It’s built around the myth of the alpha male wolf, which is allegedly the strongest, most dominant member of the pack. He is the leader, the one who gets all the bitches (literally) and keeps the other males in their place. Or something.

But it’s based on bad science. Disregarding the fact that human males shouldn’t be attempting to model the behavior of what goes on in the animal kingdom in the first place, this isn’t what goes on in the animal kingdom. The whole concept of their being an alpha male leader of the wolf pack who fought his way to dominance has been debunked.

[cyberswede]

1. His arm looks strangely short

...but he's probably only 5 feet tall, given the era.

[Jamaal510]

3. I didn't even

notice that until you pointed that out. Come to think of it, they do look short.

[DemocratSinceBirth]

4. I like his do

[La Lioness Priyanka]

2. The alpha baboon (or most primates) is an asshole

picks and tortures on all the males below him in status, and is terrible to the females.

maybe we say alpha wolf to make us feel better, because wolves are regal, but we are nothing like wolves. we are much more like primates, and the alpha in groups that have alphas are awful.

however primates have been known to change their aggressive cultures, and learn to live less stressfully and less violently, so there is hope for us yet.
http://www.nytimes.com/2004/04/13/science/no-time-for-bullies-baboons-retool-their-culture.html

[Jamaal510]

5. Bookmarked for later reading. eom

[TimeToEvolve]

9. scientific studies show that primates in groups with alphas males

are significantly less healthy and more stressed out than those in groups without alphas, simply look at our society and how we are being made unhealthy by the elites in human society.
how we were able to develop such a complex brain despite this toxic influence remains a mystery to science.

i think that the answer to some of those questions can be found in Terence Mckenna's "stoned ape theory". Audio recordings of the lectures are all over youtube, search on youtube for "stoned ape theory"

[La Lioness Priyanka]

10. yes, this idea that alpha men are good for society or for other men is absurd

[sibelian]

11. I agree. It's a terrible model for anything.

It's particularly bad for human males! Not eve the supposed "alpha" actually benefits n the long term.

[Matariki]

14. Great article. Thanks for posting the link.

[hunter]

6. "Alpha" is always a short term anomaly...

... in people, apes, dogs, wolves, lions, orca, or any other social species.

For now, it's peculiar our history doesn't recognize that,

In deep time the "alphas" are not the most important.

[Jamaal510]

7. Self-kicking. nt

[LittleBlue]

8. I wouldn't call it a myth

Last edited Fri Feb 13, 2015, 02:03 AM - Edit history (1)

It seems an overarching characteristic of the economic elite. Whether it's a rapper, an athlete, or a CEO, they do what they want and don't suffer many consequences.

In general, history is a story of the greediest, most aggressive people being rewarded, whether that was Genghis Khan on the battlefield, the Rothschild and De Medici families in their counting houses, the transatlantic slave trading families, the early industrial tycoons, or the conquistadores.

Trying to refute this with science is purely an academic exercise. Anyone with a minimal historical understanding can see that aggression and ruthlessness is key to wealth and power. Whether that makes a man "alpha" is up to how you interpret the word.

[riderinthestorm]

18. Agreed that this isn't a myth

My husband is a pro athlete. He just carries himself differently. He's been called an alpha male before, with respect not malice. Even by people who don't know a single thing about him or what he does. It's hard-wired into him and makes him so successful at his job.

I've met others like him as well, as well as female alphas. Granted my world is all about sports but it's different in that these athletes MUST rely upon the intrinsic trust and cooperation of an animal (horses). You can't "dominate" physically per se since they're so much larger than a human, but you must be the alpha in that relationship. You must work cooperatively to achieve the symbiosis of a competent partnership but the human must be the alpha in order to get maximum performance.

Horses understand a pecking order and they instinctively recognize the stronger "herd" member (it doesn't hurt that he's quite tall, intelligent, and physically strong), he simply exudes competence. It's weird to articulate unless you've seen him in action.

It would be great if he were a pro in a "big $" sport.

We do ok but he's not ruthless in the least. He'd do what he does for free, he loves it so much. But I've seen up close and personal how how an alpha male or female with an aggressive, ruthless streak can be unbelievably intense and destructive in my own sport (horse abuse).

[phil89]

12. I hope Aaron Marino doens't hear about this.

It would really be bad for his business.

[Jamaal510]

19. Same with Dave DeAngelo, probably. eom

[chrisa]

13. Concept invented by dating "experts" to steal peoples' money.

Pretty funny. Just be yourself.

[glasshouses]

15. It's real

[Nuclear Unicorn]

16. "Disregarding the fact that human males shouldn’t..."

His "shouldn't" statement is an asserted opinion masquerading as a moral/ethical imperative presented as a fact.

[davidn3600]

17. Depends on how you define it, but it exists

A man who is wealthy or perceived to be high up the social hierarchy by one means or another is desired.

You can claim that everyone is the same and is equal all you want. But that's not how our society works. Even today we have a social hierarchy. For the most part, it's based on wealth. Race plays a role as well.

Society is nowhere near advanced enough to consider everyone equal. Nowhere even close. That is centuries of progress away.