Comments

Leave a response

1. Faye 11.01.08 / 19PM

   I read through the article… but wasn’t convinced by the broad generalization that all relationships require men to adapt to certain standards and that men who do chose partnership are feeble. Firstly, are all women expecting what all ‘alpha males’ think women are expecting? Are we creating a link between partnership and inevitable self sacrifice? Could it be that women may want a partner that is actively pursuing his own dreams, or even desire personal freedom for themselves? Are we mistakenly assuming that all relationships need to conform to a certain structure and cycle? That the social institution of marriage in its traditional form is all that there is? Is it not the failing of the individual to create a relationship that suits both partners, rather than admonish the notion of partnership at all? If we look specifically at the so-called alpha male, can we also see a system of cause and effect at play? Do alpha males expect that a woman will automatically demand his total devotion and then distance himself from a ‘normal’ relationship by establishing a pursuer-distancer dynamic? One of the highest predictors of divorce. Finally, to suggest that men who embark on marriage are feeble, is surely somewhat of a contradiction? If the article is saying that partnership does entail some sort of compromise – surely the men that do opt for this challenge are braver, stronger and more robust compared with their ‘alpha’ counterparts who skirt and avoid depth and intimacy… a reflection of their own feebleness perhaps?