HW 52- Initial Theories on Human Relationships

For this assignment, I decided that I would focus on the idea of gender roles and relationships between male and female human beings.

The male tendency or nature is to promote themselves and assert themselves to other males. The goal of this assertion is to attain the role of "Alpha Male". The goal of becoming the "Alpha Male" is a pursuit that is generally conscious, that most every man is aware of, but it is rooted in a deep subconscious desire. Those who fail to attain "Alpha" status generally gravitate towards the Alpha they are most connected to. This is where social structures generally come into play. The "Alpha" sets the rules, the tone, and the decision making in the group.

If the goal of the social male is to become the Alpha, than this spurs the question of what makes an Alpha? Across the world, every culture has different criteria for what makes a leader, or an Alpha. In America, an Alpha male is generally one who is able to amass substantial wealth, be very social, and most obviously, be popular among those of the opposite sex. Women, interestingly play a large role in defining an Alpha, bringing the dynamic between men and women into an interesting light.

In this dynamic, the women are objectified as a component of male dominance. Women essentially are in this case on the same level as cars, clothes and money. While men are very set on the idea that women are the submissive gender, opposite the dominant male (the object and the owner), it is highly important to recognize that without the women to objectify, the "Alpha" ceases to exist. Because of this logic, the dynamic between male and female is such that females have mental and egotistical control over men, which is relatively equivalent to the physical control which men have over women.

Men seek affirmation from those around them. Those who are assertive both verbally and physically become the "Alpha's" of our society. Those who validate this assertive behavior through submissive actions and passive behavior, are the non-alpha's, and the vast majority of the human race.

Beyond women, the male quest for dominance and control is something which is carried throughout almost all aspects of our world and impacts most of our lives. Aggression is the name of the game when it comes to asserting dominance, and their is no shortage of it. In the same way that a street fight may break out over eye contact between two people, a war between two countries can be started just as easily. The insecurity that someone is trying to impose their dominance on you, I believe is the male fear that drives most of this aggression.

When looking at aggression on a much larger scale in the context of war, it is important to note the connection between war and dominance. What is war if not the main tool of imperialism? And what is imperialism if not a policy of international conquest and national dominance? Following this logic, I believe that we can discover and better investigate why people have always tried to dominate one another, and why we continue to do so.

For this unit, I would like to look more into the idea of dominance not only between men, but in women as well. I talked in this assignment about male dominance because I have a better understanding of the male mind than I do of the female mind and nature. I believe that most all of the problems in our world are the product of this human desire for control over one another. If this was not such a huge issue, than Sudan (a symbol of poverty) and Dubai (a symbol of immense wealth) wouldn't be existing on the same planet as they do now.

Many systems of government and economies are structured in a way which promotes dominance, or class systems in one way or another. As we go further in depth with this unit I hope to come back to this assignment and expand on it as to better understand the world around me.