The New Alpha Male, Anti-Woke American Role Model

 

Forget “woke” civil rights leaders, former POWs who used to make us proud, American presidents with noble goals and higher aspirations, union leaders who risked life and limb for the little guy, and welcome to the world of machismo-driven MEN who laud those willing to ignore (even hold in disdain) the “tired, the weak and the huddled masses.” These “losers” are the entitled, the beggars, the dregs of a nation that must get back to a world where strength and power reign supreme, and weakness is crushed and purged. All this often under religious cloaks where Christian tolerance, charity and brotherly love are lost in an orgy of worshipped missile blasts, AR-15 killings and the elevation of violence and physical power as the only variables that matter. Gaza? “Finish the job.” Let Nazi quotes and tropes find their way into political campaigns, allowing enough for “wink wink” plausible “he didn’t really mean that” deniability. Hey, Nazis are alpha males for sure, right?

Killing civilians is the new “proof of manhood” badge. ICC-indicted Israeli PM Netanyahu fits the bill. In the United States, “stand your ground” statutes facilitate what would otherwise be called “murder.” Kyle Rittenhouse (above right) was found “not guilty” of murder at a 2020 rally, where he marched in with his AR and shot three men (two died) because he felt intimidated by them. But even those convicted of murder can walk free with an alpha male pardon, as did Army Sargent Daniel Perry following a failed “stand your ground” murder defense in Texas. Announcing Perry’s pardon on May 16th, alpha male and Governor, Greg Abbott (above left), said: “Texas has one of the strongest ‘stand your ground’ laws of self-defense that cannot be nullified by a jury or a progressive district attorney.” Guess alpha males can overrule juries if they can.

We are watching a new, strange worship of physical prowess, a manly unshaven beard look, and a serious perception downgrade toward educated elites, pure scientists, and medical doctors. There is new trend, perhaps a backlash to the me2# era, where men of “stature” are favorably depicted in droves over women of “stature.” Writing for the May 21st FastCompany.com (“Tech bro podcasts are obsessed with alpha men, and it’s dangerous for the rest of us”), Ainsley Harris observes this new, macho Silicon Valley ethos:

“Jeff Bezos is a busy man. But in December, he found the time—two hours and 11 minutes, to be exact—to talk with Lex Fridman, a computer scientist and host of the Lex Fridman Podcast. Fridman’s podcast is the most popular in the technology category, according to Apple and Spotify. His following on social media—including his own Reddit community, 38,000 strong—extends to more than 8 million people.

“During the past six years, Fridman has recorded more than 400 episodes on topics ranging from alien life to venture investing. His interview subjects have included OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong, aspiring Middle East dealmaker Jared Kushner, and entrepreneurial YouTube star MrBeast. In July, Fridman interviewed Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel’s prime minister, for an hour.

“At first glance, Fridman might seem an unlikely influencer. His plodding baritone engages in only the most tentative banter. Episodes are a test of listener endurance, almost invariably running for more than an hour, if not two or three. And then there is Fridman’s monastic focus on his core interest: how to become a Great Man… Yes, man: Not quite 12% of Fridman’s 400-plus guests have been women, and among those, the vast majority have been women scientists who observe the world as it is, unlike his typical guest—alpha-male builders who want to bend the world to their will…

“On YouTube, you can watch documentaries produced by Soylent cofounder turned nicotine entrepreneur John Coogan (400,000 subscribers), who hypes up leaders like Midjourney founder David Holz, Anduril founder Palmer Luckey, and Palantir cofounder Alex Karp. (Coogan is also an entrepreneur-in-residence at Palantir cofounder Peter Thiel’s Founders Fund.) On Substack, you can read paid-shill Packy McCormick’s newsletter Not Boring (220,0000 subscribers), which contains fawning company profiles. (McCormick describes his genre as ‘techno-optimistic media.’) And during your commute home, you can revel in the camaraderie of the All-In Podcast (485,000 YouTube subscribers, plus millions of followers on other platforms). Its ego-fueled, trash-talking installments have made unlikely stars of its four hosts, Silicon Valley insiders who rub shoulders with the likes of Elon Musk.

“These content creators and tastemakers are united not just by their posture of admiration but by their Great Men worldview. Scottish historian and philosopher Thomas Carlyle is credited with having articulated this perspective (informally known as “patriarchy”) in a series of lectures he published in 1841: ‘The History of the world is but the Biography of great men,’ Carlyle wrote. He did not consider Great Men to be perfect angels, but rather leaders who achieve great things in the face of great obstacles.

“Carlyle’s favored Great Men squared off against adversaries such as British royalty (Oliver Cromwell), the Catholic Church (Martin Luther), and Hell (Dante). Today’s Great Men, as anointed by the podcast circuit, are almost invariably visionary business leaders who believe that imminent advances in AI, rocketry, and biotechnology will spur greater human flourishing. And they face their own set of epic adversaries: anti-tech media outlets, woke-ism, HR, and sometimes even one another (see Bezos’s Blue Origin versus Musk’s SpaceX, for starters)… There is a foundational assumption underpinning this theory and its media moment: that the best way to help humans is to cede greater power to a select group of already rich and powerful men. ‘Founder knows best’ is the whisper between the lines, even if examples like Musk’s takeover of Twitter scream to the contrary. As usual, those who most stand to benefit from this narrative are the ones creating and amplifying it.”

As mellifluous music is increasing the ambit of female performers, the glowing gold teeth rap stars, surrounded by their b#$%*hs, exercising their physical dominion and control through violence, exactly what is going on here… and is this the world we want our children to grow up in? I sure hope not, but if we keep worshipping violent idols and electing machismo-uber-alles male politicians, that ethos is redefining society in a very bad way. Mothers (and fathers), don’t let your children grow up to be cowboys… or machismo-is-all men!!! A total “me” focus, power, strength and whatever it takes and whoever must yield or suffer.

I’m Peter Dekom, and take all the lesson of caring for others that I learned growing up, and just add “not.”