The Lexicon
Vox Day expanded the hierarchy. Talleyrand found that expansion unnecessary. Prime eschews the negative qualities associated with beta and offers his own take. Athol Kay offers a hybrid of Talleyrand and Prime.Who is correct?
Obviously, they all are.
Beneath the superficial arguments over taxonomy, there is a current – the unified field theory of Game.
In nature, the alpha is the most dominant male who protects the family, gets his choice of mates, and sires offspring. His protection of those offspring is inherently nurturing and thus beta. But, that beta attitude is necessary to his alpha status. In the bar, the alpha is not concerned with protecting the family, does get his choice of mates, but very much wants to avoid siring offspring. Beta attributes are detrimental to his alpha status. In either setting, few exhibit 100% alpha or beta attributes, they just lean more in one direction than the other. If one were to examine this in great detail, one would find individuals who could be labeled alphas, betas, deltas, gammas, sigmas, or omegas.
What you are is important for you as an individual, but it matters little in the broader world of Game. It matters to you because you must examine yourself to figure out what your particular SWOT analysis would list as the areas of opportunity. If you are a solid alpha, but you want to have and provide for a family, then you must temper your alpha with beta. If you are a solid beta who doesn’t want to have a family or provide for anyone, then you must push alpha to override beta. If you are an omega who aspires to either cad or relationship, then you must shed all your innate omega tendencies. Either alpha or beta will be a tremendous improvement.
Game is a tool for all men, not for one type of man. It is a tool to get a specific man’s desired results, not to produce the exact same outcome for every man who employs it. For an Athol, Vox, or Prime, becoming Roissy is opposite the desired result. For a Talleyrand, becoming Eumaios is the opposite. Nevertheless, the considerable overlap between strategies and goals lands all of the aforementioned in the same intellectual sphere.
For you, whomever you are, it is important to look at all the expressions of Game and learn to apply them to your own situation. Game allows men to achieve the results that they as individuals want. The lexicon and taxonomy are not the end goal, the attitudes are. The tactics can be shared and reapplied, liberally, but if you simply seek to emulate a fellow traveler lock, stock, and barrel, then you stand on the precipice of failure.
Study the hierarchy and figure out the slot in which you currently reside. Then decide where you would like to live. Couple the wisdom of your brothers in arms with your own experiences and move to your desired plane. There you shall find the happiness and satisfaction you seek.
Great site. I’ve added you to my blogroll.
This post should be read by all who use the A, B, & O terms. I’m thinking they’re more or less archetypes and NOT rigid designators.
That’s my thinking. It’s easy to get caught up in the designators instead of looking at how to use the archetypal behaviors to one’s advantage.
I think becoming a Roissy is the opposite of my goal simply because he sounds so angry and unhappy all the time. It’s lonely being the dark lord I guess. I’m just having fun and being cocky and funny. My wife reads my posts first and she corrects spelling and gets pre-heated for bed. Oh yeah.
Importantly I’m only writing for LTR/marriage and a primary reason for my reason on standing firm on needing both alpha and beta traits is that women are attracted to different tihngs through their monthly cycle.
The whole Alpha = Game = PUA best works on women that are ovulating. Otherwise, not so much.
For the most part I agree, though Roissy cracks me up and I don’t see the unhappiness that other people do. I just think it’s silly to look at the dichotomy too rigidly and conclude the alpha expressions are useless for married men and that beta expressions are useless for single men. It’s all about employing the successful strategies of both as appropriate, and avoiding the unproductive strategies, such that one is able to achieve one’s goals, whether those goals center around a successful marriage and kids or center around maintaining a harem.
Shorter version, I was comparing the “you and your wife doing it like rabbits” mission of your blog with the “destroying pretty lies and juggling multiple women” mission of Roissy’s, not attempting to compare you as flesh and blood individuals. Even if I was so inclined, I’m not smart enough to divine anyone’s inner workings based on a few blog posts!