• Potatos_are_not_friends@lemmy.world
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    102
    arrow-down
    1
    ·
    10 months ago

    My 27yo incel nephew during the holidays had a hissy fit and called me a beta and really put himself in the alpha seat.

    Which was weird, because I picked him up from my sister’s house, drove him here, and also had to drop him back off as a favor to my sister.

    I dunno what internet or what he thinks alphas are but oooof.

    • HappycamperNZ@lemmy.world
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      24
      arrow-down
      2
      ·
      10 months ago

      Apparently the concept of alpha male in wolves came from those observed in captivity.

      Sure there’s a link there

      • maniclucky@lemmy.world
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        7
        ·
        10 months ago

        I’m not sure about the captivity thing, but I do know that what were originally asserted to be ‘alphas’ were the breeding pairs. They were parents leading their children.

        • seaweedsheep@literature.cafe
          link
          fedilink
          English
          arrow-up
          9
          ·
          10 months ago

          There was a very flawed study years ago where a biologist observed wolves in captivity and determined that they fight for dominance within the pack. Later, he realized that in a natural setting, a pack is a breeding pair and their pups, as you stated. A natural pack is much more cohesive and doesn’t have a strict hierarchy, but the ridiculous myth of “alpha wolves” won’t go away completely, despite the same biologist’s efforts.

          • schmorp@slrpnk.net
            link
            fedilink
            English
            arrow-up
            2
            ·
            10 months ago

            Because we’ve caged ourselves and behave like the captured wolves of the study, including the Alpha male shit.