Review: Don't Be a Little Girly-Man
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 12 9, 2012
If someone verbalized the title of this review, perhaps they should do so in a loud, extremely guttural Germanic accent. That way they would be channeling their inner Ah-nuld Schwarzenegger, no? Or, if you remember the salad days of Saturday Night Live, Dana Carvey's and Kevin Nealon's sketch of faux bodybuilders Hans and Franz might spring to mind ("Vee chust vant to pump (hand-clap, followed with finger pointing at the audience) YOU UP!").So why use these iconic entertainers to introduce this review?Ah-nuld has forever been burned into our collective consciousness as the epitome of a "manly man." If you have ever watched any of the "Terminator" movies, you will immediately know what I am talking about---a physically imposing specimen who successfully mangles both his enemies and the English language (not altogether dissimilar to Sly Stallone, another manly man) in an hour-and-a-half's worth of time and SurroundSound. His merciless aggression is overpowering; he out-Ramboes Rambo in many of his confrontations. He is an iconoclast in an ever-changing, ever-complex world that seems to morally oscillate---something he can't ever abide. It is something his warrior mentality will not allow.And we have been collectively hoodwinked into accepting this tripe.Jack Dusenberry's tome "Your Path to Being an Alpha: Being the Best Person You Can Be" tells a far different story. There is a predominant sociological and historical tack throughout his work, and he uses these disciplines to foreshadow the how and why of male dominance and subservience.Of course, "Alpha" is a subjective work; an author will imprint their weltanschauung (world view) to a certain degree upon the genre and the work ascribed to it. Nevertheless, Dusenberry provides his readers with an impetus for self-discovery in his introduction. He rhetorically asks what an alpha male is; he wonders about the alpha male characteristics; he ponders reasons why a guy would consciously choose to become an alpha male. He also asserts that, in the year 2012/2013, what may be construed as macho and manly may, in reality, not apply as before; what is Jersey Shore cool may simply be a grossly distorted view of how men relate to women, and by extension to the world in which they reside. Dusenberry simply states in his introduction that what presently makes a man is built upon false premises and myths that have heretofore gone unquestioned in our society: "This is an attempt to unravel the modern myths surrounding the label of the Alpha Male and how some of the shallow definitions have layered the concept with many misinterpretations." (Introduction)"Alpha"s premise is based upon the animal world. As an example, chimps and wolves have, over thousands and thousands of years, evolved into a highly organized, caste-oriented society complete with unwritten rules that have only recently been observed and documented by zoologists and social scientists. An alpha male presides over his respective kingdom which consists of familial relationships of lesser social status. He is the unquestioned leader; should another male dare to challenge him, that particular challenger instinctively knows that only one of them will triumph---and that it is always best to simply win. To lose would subsequently lead to either ostracism, expulsion from the group, or even death. These checks and balances have allowed these communities to survive in the face of mortal danger from an unforgiving outside world---and, in some cases, to even thrive despite the unforgiving odds.But man differs in this regard: he has the power to think, reason, deduce, justify, ponder. These differences have allowed man to rise to the apex of the animal world simply because evolution has allowed it to happen. In so doing, the "flight-or-fight" syndrome that has served man so well for the last several million years or so has been reduced to a vestigial form that lingers in situations of war or other forms of conflict whereby lives are put in jeopardy.Simply put, man, in Dusenberry's view, does not need to resort to caveman tactics, much less survival of the fittest, in order to ascend to alpha male status.An alternate path does exist."Alpha" asserts that, nowadays, to become an alpha male, it is not necessary to be the loudest person at the office party, nor is it advisable to be an attention-seeking philistine who is hell-bent upon impressing the female crowds on stage or at the local gym. Instead, "(t)he path to becoming an Alpha Male is not a quick-fix. . .(i)t is a deeper quest to understand and discover your inner strengths which will make you a better person" (introduction). The inner self is the dominant force behind becoming an alpha male; it is tai chi meeting the Texas Rangers and ultimately triumphing over groupthink mentality.Sometimes, of course, being all Zen towards life is not practical; in some communities, machismo and feats of physical prowess are truly valued and do serve as a social check. Witness survival within the prison system, or being a member of a violent street gang that brutally and remorselessly reinforces its brand of justice upon fellow gang members should they choose to snitch to local law enforcement. And let's not forget the past exploits of La Cosa Nostra either.Dusenberry has written a book that challenges the social status quo and makes the reader re-assess his long-term social and financial priorities. Do I want to compete with other males for the top job and the best-looking girl? Is the stress and tension worth the effort? Or do I consciously choose, Deepak Chopra-style, to embrace my inner life of integrity and self-descipline in order to improve myself and compete with the real challenge of self-betterment?"Alpha" is certainly a book worth reading.