MANY people glorify our President-elect Rodrigo R. Duterte, while some are still appalled at his words and behavior. Both camps are equally sided and you have to wonder, what it is about this man that strikes such unequivocal loyalty and hate, all at once.
I call it the alpha-male effect.
Set once upon a primordial moon: we all lay allegiance to the alpha male. Well, what is that anyway?
It simply means the dominant male in a group. It was first termed in a study of monkeys and wolves and, ironically, has applied to humans quite well ever since. The alpha male gets first pick of the food and of the females in the group. He also receives preferential treatment from the pack and is expected to be their leader in particular instances.
For animals, you just have to have the biggest, and that means physical attributes determine it. But for humans, it is also a behavioral distinction.
Here are a few things that clue you in as to who is the alpha in the group (Just in case you may want to take a stab at it, or if you might already be one yourself):
- He freely touches or dominates the space of others without permission.
- He will never break eye contact first.
- When anyone else makes significant statements, the group will look to him for a reaction or response to copy.
- He will sit or stand the tallest, or take up the most space. He might put his feet on a desk, spread his legs (hopefully not at the same time) and appear larger than life, because he also acts like he is most comfortable.
- He exudes confidence and shows no signs of doubts, nervousness, fidgeting, or shifty eye movement.
- He will not tolerate any threat to his ego/self and will make sure to make his stand known to the group. He will, at least, verbally destroy any opposition.
In Mr. Duterte’s case, his kissing ladies and exerting masculine influence on them can be construed consciously or subconsciously by other males as a sign that he is an alpha male. Mix that with his penchant for threatening do-or-die statements, such as eliminating all crimes in six months. He adds, “If I cannot implement it, I will resign.” That kind of bravado is unheard of and a stark contrast from the equivocal and impotent statements usually thrown around by politicians.
Duterte also threatens consulates, journalists, women’s-rights activists and the pope. This, in a very archaic, evolutionary sense, shows that he is alpha over all the societal institutions we have set up from time immemorial.
This being the case, he has gathered around him a huge base of beta males, who would “die” for their alpha. Betas account for most of the male population, mind you, and once the pecking order is in place, there isn’t anything they wouldn’t do for their leader. In the book You’re Too Kind: A Brief History of Flattery By Richard Stengel (Simon and Schuster), beta chimpanzees would present leaves and sticks as offerings to the alpha.
To get in his good side, the book says, “the alpha male will permit the subordinates to fondle his scrotum, which is considered a form of reassurance for both the dominant chimp and the subordinate one.” So this would explain the undying admiration, the car plates, and the vehement explosion at the slight opposition against Duterte. Indeed, the population has turned into betas, trying desperately to fondle this alpha’s scrotum.
It is no wonder that every woman who raises concerns against this alpha is met with derision and contempt from the beta men. They are protecting the pecking order that is ingrained in them from the time of the primates. The men had to have this pecking order in order to avoid fights and hunt well together. No, I am not making excuses for the irrational, rude and downright inhumane behavior that has flourished since Duterte has come into the picture. I am simply explaining that there is something at work here, something that calls to the basest part of every person, one that has its origins in anthropology and sociology, deeply ingrained in the reptilian side of the human psyche.
What then of the people who are against Duterte? Have they completely shed their primal needs? No. In fact, this recent statement from a man saying he would kill Duterte, is still within the context of sociology. We have here a beta male who is challenging the power of the alpha.
Benny Goodman explains it succinctly in his blog [https://www.bennygoodman.co.uk/empathy-capitalism-and-the-myth-of-the-alpha-male/]. “We are not ruled by our hormones, our genes or our reptilian brains. We have culture and society to civilize ourselves. Culture and society are human constructions and are therefore open to change. Alpha males have big sticks and they make the rules, but they can be forced to put the sticks down and we can refashion society in a way that reflects more communitarian ethics and behavior.”
Since the Paleolithic ages, human culture has created a society where the common good is valued. Our society is entrenched in values of respect and equality between the sexes. We have also fashioned for ourselves a system of government that is ruled by three distinct bodies that check each other: the Legislative, Judiciary and Executive arms. All these forces, cultural and institutional, balance out the alpha male. In a perfect world, our alpha would espouse these ideals, and be the paragon of virtue and strength.
Otherwise, there is a possibility that an egoistical alpha overweening with arrogance could lead our betas back to the dark ages.
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