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A comment on The Alpha Myth: How captive wolves led us astray. Parent comment

Re:The Alpha Myth: How captive wolves led us astray by ninetyninenine on Monday January 27, 2025 @10:46PM (#42848633)
The colloquial usage is leaders. Not people with insecurities.
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Re:The Alpha Myth: How captive wolves led us astray by jcranmer on Monday January 27, 2025 @11:44PM (#42848921)
The only colloquial usage I've seen is that it is someone who has the ability to demand that others perform a public display of obedience to them. Like every time I've seen somebody unironically refer to themself as an "alpha," it's always had that underlying connotation of "Respect Me!" And every time I've seen someone mocking somebody else for being an "alpha," it's because, well, that respect was clearly undeserved.
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Re:The Alpha Myth: How captive wolves led us astray by ninetyninenine on Monday January 27, 2025 @11:57PM (#42848988)
Right but the term here is used to categorize human/animal hierarchies/behavior in an objective context. No one is here projecting their alphaness onto others. Clearly.
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Re:The Alpha Myth: How captive wolves led us astray by earnestinger on Tuesday January 28, 2025 @01:49AM (#42849573)
> Like every time I've seen somebody unironically refer to themself as an "your leader," it's always had that underlying connotation of "Respect Me!" And every time I've seen someone mocking somebody else for being an "my leader," it's because, well, that respect was clearly undeserved.

I think same sentiment persists when alpha->”your leader” replacement is made.

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Re:The Alpha Myth: How captive wolves led us astray by defrost on Monday January 27, 2025 @10:49PM (#42848651)
A colloquial usage is leaders.

Another common colloquial usage is total self obsessed wanker.

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Re:The Alpha Myth: How captive wolves led us astray by defrost on Monday January 27, 2025 @11:26PM (#42848821)
I'm cool calm and collected.

Don't project, don't assume you can read minds and emotional states over the internet.

Of course we here in Australia think of anyone bandying about "alpha" as a tosser .. how else do you suppose they'd be thought of?

They're literally right there with people that use "Bro" in a sentence and espouse paleo diets.

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Re:The Alpha Myth: How captive wolves led us astray by ninetyninenine on Monday January 27, 2025 @11:52PM (#42848960)
https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42844619

We're talking about the definition in a more formal context. Of course I don't go around saying hey "that dude is an alpha" or "i'm an alpha."

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