Comment on Alpha males
Matriks404@lemmy.world 3 weeks ago
I think “alpha” males appear naturally in some species, but not in wolves and definitely not in hominids, lol.
I find it fascinating how oblivious people pretend to be about what our natural social hierarchies are, making fringe speculations ranging from proto-capitalism, over alpha male fantasies, to proto-communism.
Maybe it’s too obvious, or too boring, but it’s families. Incidentally, happens to be the same for actual, natural packs of wolves.
I find it most fascinating how they take (supposed) observations from entirely different animals to justify what’s happening with humans.
For a mantis it’s natural to eat her partner right after sex. For mussels it’s natural to never meet their sexual partner. Obviously what’s natural for a mantis is not natural for mussels and vice versa. With that established, why would any of that have an influence on how humans behave?
And to take that further, wolves, different kinds of primates and all sorts of other animals that people draw comparisons from are also wildly different animals from humans and what’s normal for them is not normal for us and vice-versa.
And not only that, but even what’s “natural” for primitive humans has nothing to do with what we are doing. It’s “natural” for humans to live in small packs/clans in the semi-wildernis, not to live in a perfectly safe, air conditioned building, driving to work in a fast, safe, air-conditioned vehicle and then sit motionless in front of a screen in an air-conditioned building for 8-10h.
Nothing of how we live is natural, and finding justifications on how we as humans work in “natural” states is misguided at best.
bitjunkie@lemmy.world 3 weeks ago
Silverback gorilla has entered the chat
Apparently there’s some disagreement about whether any of the other modern great apes should be included in the “hominid” definition, though.
DragonTypeWyvern@midwest.social 3 weeks ago
No there isn’t, they are. Says right there in hominidae.
You might be thinking of hominin.