No alphas
- 1947
- 1999
- 1970
- 2009
- 2008
The "alpha" idea does not explain our evenings.
Where it came from
In 1947, Basel Zoo put unfamiliar wolves in an enclosure of ten by twenty meters. It measured how strangers share a small space, not real wolf life.
In the wild
L. David Mech studied wolves for 13 summers, published in 1999. A wolf pack is a wolf family: parents lead and pups grow up. Nobody fought.
The author took it back
The book that made "alpha" famous came out in 1970. Today its author says much of it is outdated. "Alpha" suggests top by competition; most leading wolves got there by having pups.
Dogs are not wolves
By 2009 dominance described a relationship between two, not a trait. Saying "he is an alpha" describes nobody.
Veterinary medicine
Animal behavior medicine has rejected the dominance model since 2008, even as training.
A decision
That says nothing about organizing evenings. "Nature does not do it, so neither do we" is the same error as "nature does it, so it is right." It refutes one justification. How we run gatherings is a decision: equal rights, nobody on top.
What that means here
- Equal rights. Nobody has more claim to space, time or attention than anyone else.
- No permanent leader. Whoever organizes one evening organizes that evening. Afterward they are one of us again. The role belongs to the event.
- No rank, no intake, no test. No one decides who belongs.
- Roles in play are play. Whoever obeys or leads in play does so while it lasts and because they want to. It does not carry over or grant claim.
Anyone who calls themselves an alpha pup does so in peace; we refuse to turn that into a rank for everyone.