Omerta+ 1,206 Posted June 12, 2017 Masculinity is a blank term if you ask me. Look at any man in the world. They all have masculine traits. People throw around the word like it means something, and it really doesn't. We can't assign standards of masculinity to everyone. Contrary to the belief that we can put people in boxes and label them with strict constraints/bounds/whichever is appropriate, everyone (and I literally mean everyone) is their own person. We all have our own genetic makeup, we all have our own environmental stressors, and we all have different reactions; not to mention, everyone's brain is going to develop in different ways according to those criteria (and the brain's development has HUGE ramifications for how someone functions in life). Group think is hugely influential and prevalent unfortunately, but it doesn't take away from the fact that people are unique. There's no set standard for masculinity. People are way too complex to assign the alpha or beta model to them. What you might think is beta could be something as simple as mental health issues, or just a general aversion to social contact (which is possible while being mentally healthy and neurotypical). Some people are insecure as hell, and thus admire those who gush with confidence. Some people put up portrayals of confidence and success, and are broken on the inside. Humans will never fit to a binary standard like alpha v beta, or anything else that tries to say "you're either this, or this, or this, or that". The alpha male is mostly observed in groups of animals in captivity, and to my knowledge is not especially prominent in the wild. I think some of the great apes, like gorillas and maybe chimps, might display the behavior, but it's not as extreme or violent as it is in captivity. Wolves don't behave like that at all - a male reproduces, and his family is his pack until they go on to mate and make their own packs. I'd say humans fit more with that model. We attract a mate, reproduce, and we socialize with those people in addition to others who improve our chances of survival. This kind of concept isn't relative to humans now, and I have my own reservations about whether it has ever been relevant for our species. I don't know for sure, so I'll just keep it at "reservations" for now until I can find good sources on it. As much as people like to say Google is great, it takes a lot of digging for me to find something that doesn't have a noticeable bias to it. The alpha attitude has absolutely no place in modern society. I would be willing to have an open debate with you about this. I think it is very intriguing. I am in no way attacking you, or anyone for that matter, if you are interested letme know and I will start a thread, if not man thats cool too. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
OSUViking 505 Posted June 13, 2017 I would be willing to have an open debate with you about this. I think it is very intriguing. I am in no way attacking you, or anyone for that matter, if you are interested letme know and I will start a thread, if not man thats cool too. I'm interested. I was actually going to start a thread, but figured there wasn't enough actual interest. Also, I knew you weren't trying to be personal, but I appreciate it. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
