Watch now (26 mins) | This video looks under the hood of hierarchy. It starts off quickly going through a number of male animals and their hierarchical natures. You will be surprised by the various animals including the Dung Beetle, Lightning Bug, Porpoise and many others. Yes, these males are hierarchical and the video tells you just how. It then goes on to have a quick look at the competer/chooser dynamic that underlies hierarchy. It finishes off by looking at the history of hierarchy in the hunter gatherers cultures and how that set the stage for our present situation. Next week we will focus solely on human males and their experience in the hierarchy.
A tremendous 25 minutes. One of the most striking points for me came near the end, when Tom points out that men have many paths for recourse to failure, many ways of moving up the hierarchy that are not violent. The breakdown into chooser/female and competer/male cannot be overemphasized. Likewise, that it is the man's job to provide protection and security is a given. Competition is good for men as men, I want to say. We get better if we compete, strive to improve, become aware of our weaknesses and then work on them. I don't box to impress other people, many of whom cannot understand why a man in his 70s does such a thing. I do it because it puts me in the position of being able to do better, not just seeing that I need to improve, but having a chance to do it and then build on it. A video that is both reassuring and challenging. Loved it.
Thanks Allen, really appreciate your comment. Men indeed have many paths and next week we will be looking at some of those. It is a fascinating evolution for men and one that is not understood very well.
A tremendous 25 minutes. One of the most striking points for me came near the end, when Tom points out that men have many paths for recourse to failure, many ways of moving up the hierarchy that are not violent. The breakdown into chooser/female and competer/male cannot be overemphasized. Likewise, that it is the man's job to provide protection and security is a given. Competition is good for men as men, I want to say. We get better if we compete, strive to improve, become aware of our weaknesses and then work on them. I don't box to impress other people, many of whom cannot understand why a man in his 70s does such a thing. I do it because it puts me in the position of being able to do better, not just seeing that I need to improve, but having a chance to do it and then build on it. A video that is both reassuring and challenging. Loved it.
Thanks Allen, really appreciate your comment. Men indeed have many paths and next week we will be looking at some of those. It is a fascinating evolution for men and one that is not understood very well.