I have had two experiences yesterday that brought to light the subject of the alpha male that have just now brought me to start contemplating the actions of a considerable amount of humans that hold a belief in God.

The first involves dogs. I am getting a puppy in a couple of days (Norwegian Elkhound! ), and so I decided to take a trip to the local library (reading is cool, foo' ) to get a book specifically on Norsk Elghunds, as well as some other books on dogs. One, How To Speak Dog, by a psychologist known as Stanley Coren, got into a story of a family that owned a rotteweiler. The husband expected the dog to be a powerful brute, and trained him, a bit harshly, accordingly. When the husband was not around, the dog would, as the wife thought, act overwhelmingly affectionate with her, which was bothersome to her and upsetting to the husband, who expected his dog to be tough and fierce.

The author visited the home when her husband was not around to investigate. As the considerably small wife was sitting on the couch, the muscular, heavy rottweiler (Bluto ) would place his paw on her knee, and the wife would stroke his head. Then Bluto jumped onto the sofa, besides her, and the wife slid down a little to make more room for both of them. Bluto would glance occasionally at the author, but would mostly stare at the wife, directly in the eye, and she would therefore stroke the side of his face. Then Bluto would lean his weight on her, and the wife would shift her position so he wasn't putting so much pressure on her. The dog would continue to do this, until the wife was forced to the end of the couch, which she would then stand up.

The wife, not really understanding how dogs communicate, assumed that Bluto looked to her for continous love and affection, considering the way the husband treated him. She asked the author if there was a way they could train the dog to be less dependant on her and more confident and independant ().

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Instead, Bluto was saying, "I am of higher status than you are. When the leader of the pack (Vincent) is away, then I'm in charge, and you will give way to me and respond to my needs."

The signs of dominance were all quite readable. A dog who puts his paw on a human's knee is often expressing dominance over that human in the same way that a wolf will put his paw or head over the shoulder of another wolf to demonstrate that he is of higher status. Bluto's staring directly into Josephine's eyes is a classic dominance and threat gesture, designed to to produce pacifying responses in other pack members. Josephine was accepting his dominance by stroking the side of his face, in the same way that a wolf of lower dominance might lick the face of a higher-status dog. Finally, his leaning behaviour was designed to make the small woman give way. Pack leaders can occupy any part of their territory they desire and can sit or sleep where they want to. Lower-ranking members of the pack move away to permit this, thus accepting the other animal's dominance. In other words, everything Bluto was "saying" pointed to "I'm boss", and everything that Josephine was "saying" was "Yes, I humbly accept your authority."

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The second involves a conversation I was having with a co-worker last night. We were discussing a couple of new managers, and he said he can sense one of them had the "I'm better than you, I'm right, do as I say" attitude to them. He went on to say that he could sense when people, usually cops or managers, people with some sort of authority, carry with them a "seniority complex" (as opposed to a Senority complex, which is what I accidentally typed - perhaps THAT only exists in Hispanics...  ). He then said that if you watch a manager walk into a break room, and if they immediately scan the room and make eye contact with everyone there, then that is usually a sure sign of it, and this is done to assert their power, let everyone know their superior was present, etc. etc. etc... which, of course, made me think of what I was reading earlier.

A n y w a y s. Consider how people believing in the external, Christian God act. They fear their God and His dominance. They express belief that everything is God's, and that His Will is ultimate and true. They perceive their God as being overwhelmingly passionate and loving with them. In the absence of their God (as he is way the hell up there!), they themselves become the leader of the pack while he is away, and set out to pressure others and force them to respond to their needs, God's will. etc. etc. etc.

An amusing thought, 'tis all.


Peace.

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It had occured to me a while ago that the same need for a patriarchal "alpha male" figure was what caused humanity to invent monotheism.

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