Alpha means “first”, it does not mean “wolf who fights other wolves while in captivity according to one study.”
Do people not know this?
Alpha males
Submitted 1 day ago by ickplant@lemmy.world to [deleted]
https://lemmy.world/pictrs/image/ca45b837-0914-4520-b11d-039af172d8ed.jpeg
Comments
Mulligrubs@lemmy.world 3 hours ago
Itsnotalieifnobodyfindsout@lemmy.world 57 minutes ago
Normally you would be right, that’s not the case here, just looking at ALPHA, outside of the content of the above statement, is problematic at best…The statement does indeed talk to the behavior of pack animals…Do You Not Know This?
sp3ctr4l@lemmy.dbzer0.com 19 hours ago
Counterpoint:
Humans in a civilized (meaning urbanized) society… are domesticated, are basically in captivity.
CounterCounterpoint:
Using studies on captive wolves as a fundamental basis for how human societies do or should work…
… Is maybe really stupid compared to, I don’t know, using Sociology as a basis to understand human societies.
Sociology being the field that focuses on the social dynamics of uh, humans, which are markedly different from wolves, and other distinct, largely non sapient animals.
Its uh, kinda in our name, homo sapiens sapiens.
meyotch@slrpnk.net 17 hours ago
You have to use parables to teach moral concepts to most people. Sociology is very valuable as a science, but if you come at the general public with unvarnished findings you are going to have a bad time, few will listen to you.
The old alpha male trope is a parable that serves some narrow interests. The newer counter parables about how that is BS are based in observations from sociology, later generations of more rigorous animal behavior studies and related fields.
You are correct that good scientific work is the source of what we need. The equally difficult truth is that those findings will only make their way into general consciousness through parables.
This one weird fact drives nerds crazy, but for newer, better ideas to take hold in society they have to be translated into simple stories.
sp3ctr4l@lemmy.dbzer0.com 15 hours ago
You have to use parables to teach moral concepts to most people.
This one weird fact drives nerds crazy, but for newer, better ideas to take hold in society they have to be translated into simple stories.
As a person with a career in data analytics…
You are completely correct.
When talking to non nerds, non autists, non data wonks…
Yep, 100% you absolutely must be able to present your data as a narrative of some kind if you want to have any hope of most people having any reaction other than confusion or their eyes glossing over.
I have learned this the hardway in my own life, and its why people like Sagan and Nye and Tyson were/are science communicators, which is a different skillset from being an actual scientist in whatever field.
RedGreenBlue@lemmy.zip 19 hours ago
Among dogs there is certainly the one dog that has the respect of the other dogs. The other dogs will happily wag their tail and show their belly. The ones that challange it will be chased away. I think each sex in the community has a ‘leader’ of their own.
I think the equivalent in humans are charismatic individuals that command respect over their surrounding.
People who self-proclaim ‘alpha’ usually lack charisma, are agressive, dysfunctional individuals that live in a fantasy. Noone respects them. They may see them as crazy and hence fear them.
HeyThisIsntTheYMCA@lemmy.world 9 hours ago
i mean we’ve got that one cat that beats up all the other cats and dogs in the neighborhood and everyone knows to keep their distance. pecking order I think it’s called.
Dyskolos@lemmy.zip 18 hours ago
You’re probably talking about literally the same: random dogs thrown spacially together where they naturally would avoid each other if they could. Which, in the modern days, they can’t. Especially not when leached.
RedGreenBlue@lemmy.zip 17 hours ago
I observe this in the stray dog population. There is always one calm and confident dog like this.
ArgumentativeMonotheist@lemmy.world 20 hours ago
It’s just nonsense for people who are too asocial and alien to the human experience to make sense of the world and feel better about themselves by having some sort of binary ‘strict goals’. You’re supposed to be somewhere ‘in the middle’ for best results: kind but not a doormat, confident but not arrogant, engaging but not domineering, etc etc.
shalafi@lemmy.world 20 hours ago
I know, not scientifically real, but you have to admit, there are in fact alpha and beta male folks in the human population, both men and women. We used to call them type A and type B personalities, same difference.
Anyway, I’m in some kinda weird half-and-half place. :) “On the spectrum”, if you will. Dominant in some ways, but not enough to stomp people out of my way, empathetic enough to be seen as a “good guy”. Whatever. I’m just happy I didn’t land on either far side. Can you imagine being a wuss and having dreams of “alpha”? The mind recoils.
TheLeadenSea@sh.itjust.works 20 hours ago
There are not only two personalities
both men and women
There are also not only two genders
BudgetBandit@sh.itjust.works 16 hours ago
There’s only two of anything if you define broadly enough. There’s only two kinds of people: • those who have passed a kidney stone and those who haven’t • those who currently have a single testicle and those who don’t
ExLisper@lemmy.curiana.net 19 hours ago
Anyway, I’m in some kinda weird half-and-half place. :) “On the spectrum”, if you will.
Hey, maybe people are not binary and everyone is “on the spectrum”? Maybe that’s why trying to put everyone into A and B boxes doesn’t make a much sense?
flamingo_pinyata@sopuli.xyz 18 hours ago
Different people have different personalities? That’s how humans work. It’s not neatly categorizable. Not even on a single sliding axis. Multiple sliding axis for different traits is more like it.
tad_lispy@europe.pub 17 hours ago
Anyway, I’m in some kinda weird half-and-half place.
Like everyone else then.
We used to call them type A and type B personalities,
Who’s “we”? A quick glance at Wikipedia gives me the impression that it’s the American tobacco industry and “scientists” on their payroll. Hopefully you are not one of them.
Nikls94@lemmy.world 17 hours ago
Who’s “we”?
Probably OP Commentor is using the Pluralis Majestatis (the royal we)
Viking_Hippie@lemmy.dbzer0.com 20 hours ago
Also: unstable and not fit for public release
Venus_Ziegenfalle@feddit.org 19 hours ago
Weird how that attracts a certain crowd
HeyThisIsntTheYMCA@lemmy.world 9 hours ago
Image