I’m Just Sayin’…Y’all Need To Learn The Greek Alphabet
Hello, lovelies!
Good Lord, it’s been a busy week over here at The AAMBC Journal. It’s time for another installment of I’m Just Sayin’.
The Greek Alphabet. I don’t know about y’all, but I was forced to learn this back in middle school. Back then I swore I would never have a use for it. As a single adult woman, I can admit, I was wrong. We’ll get to that in a minute.
Twenty-four letters make up the entire Greek Alphabet. However, it seems as if most men I encounter only know of one. Alpha.
From authors to producers to hypemen, the majority of men have said some variation of the following to me: “Baby, I’m an Alpha male.” And, I’m not the only one. Women I know from Army Sergeants to restaurant line cooks have heard the same.
And to that I say this, first off, don’t call me baby. Secondly:
How are all these men Alpha males? Logically speaking, that’s impossible. Just like every woman can’t be Beyonce, every man can’t be an Alpha. Now, it is possible for you to believe you are an Alpha male. I have a theory, but we’ll get to that.
First, let’s start with what is an Alpha Male.
In most cultures, whether we are speaking about animal packs or humans, there is a leader of the bunch. The one that everyone looks to for guidance. The one that rules over the rest. This is the Alpha. It can be female or male, but for this conversation, we’re sticking with the fellas.
According to my mother, a life coach with a degree in psychology, Alpha males are confident, steadfast, and logical. They know how to lead, protect, provide, and turn every situation in their favor by being themselves. They are comfortable in their own skin and are willing to take calculated risks because they know they have what it takes to come out on top. Honest to a fault, these social butterflies are the epitome of masculinity.
Sounds like the kind of man to make a woman’s ovaries explode, am I right, ladies? No wonder every man wants to be one. It’s just human nature to want to be number one. But, let’s be real; most men are not Alphas. In fact, they usually fall into one of the other twenty-three categories.
Now, I’m not breaking down all the letters because these Pokemon are not going to catch themselves. #I WantToBeTheVeryBestLikeNoOneEverWas.
The majority of the men I meet are actually Betas through Epsilons. That’s not a bad thing. The issue comes when men begin to masquerade as something they are not. Now, women do the same thing, I know, and they will get their own article.
Right now, we’re discussing the guys.
Let’s be honest; this wouldn’t be an epidemic if we just called out the bullshit when we saw it. Instead, we ignore it or feed into it. Well, not anymore. Today, shit’s a-changing.
Fellas, it’s okay. It’s. Okay! You do not have to be an Alpha Male. The fact that you aren’t one offers balance.
Personally, I’m looking to settle down with a nice Beta Male because they’re assertive while still taking the needs of others into consideration.
Remember that theory I talked about early? Here it is.
There are two types of pretenders. The ones that know they aren’t Alphas but will pretend to be one because they aren’t comfortable in their own skin. Then we have the ones that don’t know they aren’t Alphas.
The latter is the most frustrating of the two. With the former, all you have to do is call them out and usually, they’ll get it together after some time. But the ones that don’t know they aren’t what they believe they are…that takes a change in mindset and the way they see themselves.
How could they not know?
That’s easy. We have failed them as a unit. Now, ladies, I’m going to need you to take some responsibility for this. We have to take some accountability in the way we have contributed to this epidemic.
Let me be clear; there is nothing wrong with holding a man down, being his peace in this world, and cheering him on. However, when we neglect to hold him accountable, feed into the image of who he wishes he could be instead of who he is, and treating him like a king when he’s behaving like a peasant, we are handicapping him. Emotionally, spiritually, and mentally cutting him off at the knees and slapping a mask on his face.
We as women have to be honest with ourselves. Not all of us are going to be with Alphas. And that’s okay. What’s not is helping this man continue to be delusional by stroking his ego and letting him continue to live in a fantasy world.
Another reason they don’t know they aren’t Alphas, they are surrounded by Omegas. If you are someone that is constantly surrounded by people telling you that you are the one they want to follow, you have the answers, you’re special, and you are the epitome of masculinity, then you’re going to start to believe it.
It’s not until you encounter someone who is higher up the alphabet where you either start to question who you are or imitate what you see. Self-reflection is good. Imitation is not. All this does is lead you to try to out Alpha the Alpha. Next thing you know, toxic masculinity and all around fuckery comes into play.
So, let’s do a little experiment. I want y’all to be honest with yourself when answering these questions.
- Do you constantly find yourself being the only one around with your point of view? Are you the only woke one in your group and you consistently find yourself trying to wake them up with intelligent conversation laced with cynicism?
- Is your sense of self rooted in the knowledge you’ve gathered and the items you’ve collected over the years?
- Does life happen to you yet you are the architect of your existence?
- Do you find your information from a variety of non-mainstream sources?
- You’re able to sympathize with the “bad guy?” You’re a pro at playing devil’s advocate.
If you answered yes to the majority of those questions, then you have proved my point. I’m just sayin’…y’all need to learn the Greek Alphabet. You aren’t an Alpha. You are Omega whose mask is slipping.
Phoenix Williams is an award-nominated author based out of Illinois.
