On The “Alpha” Male Theory
Zoologists have documented a social phenomenon that occurs within groups of animals that run in packs such as wolves. These scientists who dedicate their lives to understanding how animals function in the wild have noticed that often there is a dominant male in a group of wolves who seems to be in charge of, well, everything, with almost no objections to his rule. They term this supreme pack leader the alpha male.
He alpha male here dictates when the pack will hunt, when they will travel and is charged with fighting off rival packs. In return, the other wolves in the pack, the beta males submit to the alpha, often allowing if first pick at all hunts. The alpha is often the biggest wolf in the pack and shows greatest physical strength, so to establish and maintain their alpha position, they fight other wolves.
The concept of an alpha is fine and dandy among wolves but can it actually exist in civilised human society? Well apparently yes. It can and it does. Among us humans we have certainly found a way to construct an ‘alpha male’. They alpha man will almost certainly be big and brutish, able to make lesser men submit and will not be defined by society’s rigid constructs but instead will live out their days on their motorcycles in their black leather jackets like the outlaws that they are. Basically, human beings have found a way to take the animal kingdom’s alpha male who is a leader and turn it into a variation on the theme of a bad boy. And yes, before you ask, another characteristic of the alpha is that women are drawn to them like moths to a flame, complete with the burns.
Apparently, a man can’t be alpha unless he is big, really big and is surrounded by smaller able-bodied men that he can bully constantly so as to impress the legion of girls he spends his time ignoring while simultaneously encouraging them to chase him. I understand the need of an alpha male in Palaeolithic times, I really do, the biggest caveman hunted the meat and got the girl, it was an arrangement of convenience, but I get it. But in the modern world where intelligence beats brute strength and we have our food delivered to our doorstep, is an alpha male really necessary? I don’t think so, but maybe that’s just me, what do you think? Till next week, I’m Yvonne Tamba, stay frosty! To get a male perspective on the ‘Alpha Male’, please CLICK HERE to read my colleague Mitchell’s views.
