2017-08-12, 11:57
Hello everybody,
We thought that it might be useful to have a thread talking about these subjects, so here's my attempt.
In short: The concept of therian "packs" and the "alpha/beta/omega model", is a popular game that young teenagers like to play on the Internet, that has no relationship to therianthropy.
The reason why this game is so popular is, we think because humans of this age start to explore where they belong in society, which is accomplished by finding a group to belong to. While many people find groups outside of this (for example I don't know football clubs and gaming guilds), those who are already fond of wolves may find their alternative: "packs". Because "wolves" --> "packs"?
The "alpha/beta/omega model" is probably popular because people like to feel powerful and therefore use this model as a justification for wielding power over others. We all had people we looked up to when we were teens, and in some cases it was people we knew personally. A taller friend, a better sportsman, whatever. These are the people that end up in these "Alpha" roles, while the rest of us enable them by conceding to "Beta" or not caring and just going with "Omega".
And yes, while wolves do in fact live in packs and have a hierarchy to speak of, it's really not what these "packs" and "alphas" are. Because as I explained, the majority of "packs" out there exist because of very human needs for belonging and control, the rules of the game have become very different from how actual wolf packs and actual wolf hierarchies work.
So does this at all relate to therianthropy?
Well, a few very rare wolf therians do in fact also experience the need for hierarchy of their theriotype. For some of us, this "pack" is really the love we feel for people we see as family (for example, many of us see this whole community, Therian Guide as our "pack"). And for some of us, this hierarchy is exactly the fluid and somewhat age-dependant confidence dynamic seen in wild wolves.
For those of us, finding out about this phenomena of "packs", was that moment when we felt, that there might be people in the world, who truly understand how we feel. But perhaps we were wrong. Most "therian packs" out there are just people acting out for their human needs with wolf words.
But of course, don't take my word for it. There is ample discussion from many different people on our forum, on this exact subject. Go check them out (you may have to register first):
LP,
Dusty
We thought that it might be useful to have a thread talking about these subjects, so here's my attempt.
In short: The concept of therian "packs" and the "alpha/beta/omega model", is a popular game that young teenagers like to play on the Internet, that has no relationship to therianthropy.
The reason why this game is so popular is, we think because humans of this age start to explore where they belong in society, which is accomplished by finding a group to belong to. While many people find groups outside of this (for example I don't know football clubs and gaming guilds), those who are already fond of wolves may find their alternative: "packs". Because "wolves" --> "packs"?
The "alpha/beta/omega model" is probably popular because people like to feel powerful and therefore use this model as a justification for wielding power over others. We all had people we looked up to when we were teens, and in some cases it was people we knew personally. A taller friend, a better sportsman, whatever. These are the people that end up in these "Alpha" roles, while the rest of us enable them by conceding to "Beta" or not caring and just going with "Omega".
And yes, while wolves do in fact live in packs and have a hierarchy to speak of, it's really not what these "packs" and "alphas" are. Because as I explained, the majority of "packs" out there exist because of very human needs for belonging and control, the rules of the game have become very different from how actual wolf packs and actual wolf hierarchies work.
So does this at all relate to therianthropy?
Well, a few very rare wolf therians do in fact also experience the need for hierarchy of their theriotype. For some of us, this "pack" is really the love we feel for people we see as family (for example, many of us see this whole community, Therian Guide as our "pack"). And for some of us, this hierarchy is exactly the fluid and somewhat age-dependant confidence dynamic seen in wild wolves.
For those of us, finding out about this phenomena of "packs", was that moment when we felt, that there might be people in the world, who truly understand how we feel. But perhaps we were wrong. Most "therian packs" out there are just people acting out for their human needs with wolf words.
But of course, don't take my word for it. There is ample discussion from many different people on our forum, on this exact subject. Go check them out (you may have to register first):
- https://forums.therian-guide.com/Thread-What-makes-an-Alpha
- https://forums.therian-guide.com/Thread-Are-packs-a-wolf-thing
- https://forums.therian-guide.com/Thread-Therian-packs
- https://forums.therian-guide.com/Thread-Perception-The-Pack-Hierarchy-and-it-s-Human-Counterpart
- https://forums.therian-guide.com/Thread-Feedback-on-Pack-Concepts
- https://forums.therian-guide.com/Thread-Packs-and-Clans
P.S.: (Click to View)
The reason I made this post and the reason we locked down some of the discussion on the subject, other than to avoid discussing the same things over and over and over and over again (see links above), is because every time someone makes a thread about this, a lot of hate is spewed upon the people who at the moment, for whatever reason, do believe in their pack. This is not okay, TG is not a community where we bash other people carelessly. We are a family and at the end of the day, we care about everybody. No wolf family (pack) leaves their pups to starve. So, let us educate instead of bashing. Thanks everybody!
LP,
Dusty