This is the very image of a white knight, of a pedestalizer, of a man who would rather surrender than fight. It is the very image of the Delta Male
This is not to say that Brandon Eich is a bad man, an idiot, a failure, or a man to be despised. Quite to the contrary, he is a good man, a highly intelligent man, a massive success, and a man to be admired for his many good qualities. Which, therefore, make him an object lesson in how socio-sexuality is orthogonal to many of those qualities.
Eich responded to his critics in a classic Delta manner. He attempted to assuage and to reason with them. And that is why he failed. He did not snipe back passive-aggressively and appeal to the crowd like a Gamma, he did not enlist superior allies like a Beta, and he did not wreak vengeance upon his challengers like an Alpha. Given his position as Mozilla CEO, the Alpha response was the correct one, indeed, it was the only one that would have ensured his status.
But, here we see how a man's contextual socio-sexual status always gives way to the man's true rank. Given sufficient time, Eich's rank might have eventually grown to reach his contextual status, but he met with the challenge much too soon into his new position, responded inappropriately, and unsurprisingly, met with complete failure.
23 comments:
Human socio-sexuality is visible to the naked eye; just look at the soft features, the large, teddy-bearish frame, and most important, the uncertain, ready-to-please smile
The Russians have known this stuff for decades. Just look into socionics.
His problem didn't begin with his response, but with his deltaness. No challenge would have been made by the folks who made it had he been alpha. They would not have dared. They sensed his weakness, sensed no danger and took the shot.
This reminds me of the demise of Bill Cosby. After his legendary "Poundcake Speech" in which he called out Black American ghetto culture for their irresponsible behavior, Michael Eric Dyson attacked with the typical shaming tactics and intellectual dishonesty characteristic of the Civil Rights Industrial Complex. Cosby made no meaningful retort. In fact, on the following week, he was on one of the Sunday talk shows tried to counterbalance the Uncle Tom insinuations that had been hurled his way with subtle and off topic slight leveled against Clarence Thomas. This post made me think of this event and, as a result, I am downgrading Cosby's status. At first, I classified him as a "Wolf Alpha" but not anymore.
"Orthogonal" - most apposite. It's not even in the same dimension! Ha!
His problem didn't begin with his response, but with his deltaness. No challenge would have been made by the folks who made it had he been alpha. They would not have dared. They sensed his weakness, sensed no danger and took the shot.
This isn't true. They challenged Phil Robertson, and lost.
I am downgrading Cosby's status. At first, I classified him as a "Wolf Alpha" but not anymore.
No "wolf alpha" would have worn those sweaters. I can't dislike Cosby, though; at least he tried, and his old comedy albums about his childhood are some of the funniest stuff I've ever heard. Amazing how he could tell stories about growing up as a black Protestant kid playing in the streets and bare lots of Philadelphia and connect so well with a white Catholic farm kid from the Midwest.
Looking at Eich's picture, I'm wondering how he found himself giving $1000 to an anti-homogamy group in the first place. He certainly doesn't look like a hard-core conservative or anything; and if he were, we probably would have heard of more (or larger) such donations or affiliations. Just wild-guessing here, but I wouldn't be surprised if it were a one-time thing -- maybe a friend asked him to do it, or he just thought, "You know, I don't hate the gays or anything, but really this marriage stuff is just a bit too much; maybe it should be slowed down." Not that that would save him with the left, of course; there can be no tolerance for dissent.
Grow a beard man.
"He certainly doesn't look like a hard-core conservative"
As you know, most conservatives are anything but hard-core. The guy could be Karl Rove's twin brother.
Never apologize, never explain.
It's that smile that irritates. Why do people insist on smiling in photographs? It's odd.
I wonder what a Sigma would have done...
I wonder what a Sigma would have done...
If a Sigma gets into a CEO-type role, I doubt there would have been an insurrection within his own company.
Alpha or not, given the trajectory of current events, I have a hard time imagining any circumstance under which Eich would have been able to keep his job.
Vox's act Alpha proposition is most definitely the best option for those who hope to promote Principle.
But if he just wanted to save his own ass, repentant, snivelling, worm would have sufficed. A permanent downgrade in social status perhaps, but he could have kept his job.
Instead, he refused to apologize for his donation, and he refused to recant his views on marriage. Holding your ground is admirable insofar as it goes, but when wolves are going for your throat, if you're not going to run and hide you'd best fight back and make it hurt.
Martel
Seriously, check out that forehead. Here's a profile shot: http://mozillamemory.org/files/bf80d3f8aa6bf3bfba775040cf8b4ecb.jpg
That forehead is not fucking around. It has height, girth, and it's almost vertical.
(Some occipital, relatively nil parietal.)
I find this gentleman's face more disturbing than the two gamma males shown previously...
'This isn't true. They challenged Phil Robertson, and lost.'
Totally different situation. Rest assured that if the employees or contractors of Duck Commander ever speak out against any member of the Robertson clan, they will be dealt with swiftly. But it won't happen because those folks know who is running the show. Eich's subordinates turned on him because they knew they could get away with it. I don't see any way he could have kept his job even if he had fired the whole lot of them, but at least he would have had his dignity.
"You know what the chain of command is? It's the chain I go get and beat you with until you understand who's in command here."
Come on, the guy is a businessmen, fully vested in business uber alles, and a bit of a nerd. He had no chance. Still... it's fun to watch. *grin*
His pic is eerily like Glen Beck.
@ Salt
Ha, I was thinking the same thing.
Beck is a BETA white knight pedestalizer to the core, as anyone who has ever made the mistake of reading any of his books can tell you.
He looks like he just used his tie to wipe the cum of his "husband" from his face and glasses, what would be why he isn't wearing it.
Awful picture.
And yet, even though unemployed, he can buy and sell you out of pocket change, Vox, and take you to the cleaners in hardball business. I disagree with your fanboys, I think he looks like a kindly old stubfart you run into all the time at the rod and gun club. But whatever, if the modern young tattooed idiots with eye brow piercings and bad haircuts want to believe the man is a fag I suppose there is no harm in it.
Alpha males have an Achilles Heel. They are easy to piss off; and once they're mad, they're dead meat to anyone that can think and move on their feet. The ego of the self proclaimed Alpha Males opens them up to manipulation too. The so-called alpha males are famous for winning battles and losing wars. Perhaps a lesson in history will illustrate the point.
Henry Ford Jr. pulled a similar stunt with a similar man. The guy had tons of ability, was a loyal, long term employee that had been bumped up from the ranks - and one day, made some remarks that Henry didn't like so he fired his ass just like your self assertive alpha male would. There was only room for ONE leader at Ford!!!
Lee Iacocca was then picked up by Dodge and Henry split a gut laughing. Dodge was on the ropes and a few weeks away from Chapter 11 bankruptcy. We all know how that one turned out: 3 years later Dodge was kicking Ford's ass in sales, and rapidly surpassed them. Lee was aiming his guns at Toyota by that time - and was drawing a pension funded by the Ford Motor Company while doing so! Way to go, Henry! You da man!
Coming back to our boy here - his prospects with Mozilla are done, but HE is not. He is seen by smarter men as a businessman that the fucks at Mozilla didn't have the smarts to take advantage of, the same way Ford wasn't smart enough to see what they had in Lee Iacocca. There's a time to keep your trap shut, and quietly walk away. There is more than one way to skin a cat, and more than one way to win a war even while lozing the odd battle. You yourself are mentioned by name on half a dozen blogs recommending people do away with Firefox - and that is catching on like wildfire. Eich is going to have his choice of jobs in the future - and we will see who got the better of whom.
I would have opted for a better pic, change the lighting.
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