You make me laugh, Adam,
which is weird, because you're
not really my type. I usually go for alpha males. That's not weird at all,
because in humans, the very idea
of the "alpha male" makes absolutely no sense. What do you think
an alpha male is? A confident, assertive leader
who knows what he wants and always gets his way. You know, somebody who says
things like "get swole" and "Muscle Milk", and "Hi, I'm Vin Diesel." Oh, so like this guy. What up, freaks?
Name's Alpha Adam. I'm confident,
straight-up bangin', and if you think women
don't love me, I'm gonna debunk
the F out of that myth. Attraction to alphas
is genetic. Comes from nature. I'm like the alpha wolf,
the leader of the pack. Hell yeah.
I'm bleeding. Well, all of that is wrong, because alpha wolves
don't exist. In fact, the term "alpha wolf"
was disavowed by the very scientist
who popularized it. The story starts in 1977. While doing research
in a national park, a wildlife biologist named L. David Mech seemed to observe that one wolf
emerged as the dominant male. Ah-ha! One wolf is the dominant leader,
the big wolf daddy! That's the alpha wolf. (Adam)
He wrote a book on the idea and it became a media sensation. Alpha wolves are real
and I love them, and I bet humans
are like this, too. (howling) (Adam)
But 20 years later, Mech tried to replicate his research in the wild, and when he did, he realized
he had made a terrible mistake. Those aren't
dominant wolves. Those are mommies and daddies. Wolves don't have
an alpha hierarchy at all. They're just parents. I must alert the masses! (Adam)
Mech renounced the term "alpha wolf" and spent years trying to get his own book taken off the shelves. Stop reading this.
I fed you lies! Alpha wolves aren't real! (Adam)
But it was too late. The term had taken on
a life of its own and we haven't
stopped using it since. So alpha wolves
are just parents. I guess my therapist was right.
I really do have daddy issues. Nah, nah, nah. Maybe there's no alpha wolves,
but I know crap, too. Alpha males are found in chimps,
our closest genetic relatives. Weird, you are more aggressive
than me, but also wronger. First of all, chimps aren't
our closest genetic relatives, bonobos are. And bonobos live in
a matriarchal society. Excuse me.
You're in my way. (animalistic growling) You're basic. Okay, whatever, those Bonobo
broads don't mean nothing. In chimps, the alpha male is the most dominant, most aggressive bro, and that means he has
first access to food, resources, and of course, mates. Hell yeah, baby.
All right. Not exactly. Contrary to popular belief,
in chimps, the most aggressive male doesn't
always become the leader. Smaller,
more mild-mannered males can actually become dominant by doing favors and obsessively grooming other chimps. Excuse me, you seem to have
something in your hair. Thanks.
Oh... Hey, let me ask you: What do you think I should do
with my life? Wait, whoa! What am I doing? Get off of me! I am the strongest,
most aggressive male, so I am the alpha! Now and forever! No, you're not. Unlike chimps,
human social hierarchies are constantly in flux, so you might be
the dominant male here, but if you were playing
Dungeons & Dragons... It's your turn.
Hello! What do you want to do? I attack
with my sword. Your sword?
You are a magic user. Do you see a sword on your
character sheet? No. Well, then you can't attack
with a sword, can you, freak? (laughing) Unlike animals,
no one is the same type
of person in all situations. Human society is much more
complicated than that. So to say that
this guy is an alpha male or that guy's a beta male makes straight up
zero sense. Whatever, nerd! The most aggressive male
gets the most aggressive tale. It's true forever
'cause it rhymes. Actually, research shows tht
agreeableness, kindness, and generosity are among
the strongest indicators of a long, happy relationship. Aww, eat my feet.
Those are beta traits! Huh, well, then I guess betas
are the alphas of love. Enough lies.
I am the alpha! I am your God! Leave Beta Adam alone.
Don't look at the comments section if you want to continue having a nice day.
This applies to most Youtube videos, true, but this one especially.
This is admittedly a very light presentation of the topic, but it's a very easily digestible and fun video debunking the concept of the superior aggressive and commanding alpha male archetype.
I was once told I was a typical Sigma male. I don't know what that means, but I was angry on principle.
I've seen this a few times. Gave me a chuckle.
Why do i look at YouTube comments, Jesus Christ
Adam Ruins Everything is one of the things I usually recommend to everyone whom I estimate to not having understood yet that society fails All.The.Time.* the amount of straight-out dangerous misconceptions is just too big to continue thinking that hegemonial social practices are carved in stone. it shows how hard it is to get rid of societal perceptions once they're unleashed. so it's essentially a prep course to introducing yourself to critical thinking.
A bit off topic, but the animated wolf puppies were adorable. <3
I think whats important to remember is that language is fluid and ever changing. So the term "alpha male" has basically evolved into a term used to describe "hypermasculine manly men of manliness". Whether or not that is something to be proud of is questionable, but at this point, "alpha male" has basically become a descriptor of the "hypermasculine manly man of manliness".
I think the argument this video is trying to make is that there is no biological basis for the "alpha male" stereotype. This may well be true, but I think it's become culturally identifiable enough such that it will be propogated with or without evidence for a biological backing.