Death is the inevitable final chapter of the physical human experience. During the last days, weeks, and months of someone’s transition, those around them do what they can to provide comfort; knowing the unavoidable is coming. Select few, in certain circumstances, keep their loved ones on life support because they can’t accept reality. Death. Transition. Change. All a part of life.
I bring this analogy up because, in recent years, I have noticed a particular brand of individuals fight to keep a dying ideology on life support – willfully in denial to a changing world. A world that longs to have compassion for others. Equality. Equity. Freedom.
Lately, we have seen alarming stories from the world of combat sports and sports entertainment. UFC President Dana White was filmed striking his wife repeatedly on New Year’s Eve, retaliation for being slapped. A private matter for most. Let us be reminded that White was quoted in a 2014 interview saying, “You don’t bounce back from putting your hands on a woman.” After resigning due to allegations of sexual misconduct, former Chairman of WWE, Vincent Kennedy McMahon, forcefully reentered the company and snaked his way back onto the board of directors. This was after internal investigations were launched to examine the millions of “hush” money exchanged for non-disclosure agreements with the women he slept with. On January 11th, 2023, rumors surfaced that McMahon was considering selling WWE to The Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia to become a private entity again. A combination of rumors and other inter-personal issues led to the resignation of his daughter and Co-CEO of WWE, Stephanie McMahon. Finally, former kickboxer (and self-proclaimed ultra-masculine social media influencer) Andrew Tate was arrested for allegations of human trafficking in Romania after a Twitter dispute with 20-year-old climate activist, Greta Thunberg.
To reiterate: There is zero hesitation to do business with governments that violate basic human rights, like Saudi Arabia. See a trend here? Power. Ego. The unquestioned desire to press the boot in their inferiors’ throats. In the case of the Saudi government, eliminate any willingness to report on ongoing violations, especially toward women.
These stories – along with other instances across social media, politics, and sports – are prime examples of a group of individuals attempting to resuscitate the asinine, misogynist “alpha-male” ideology. In most of these cases, financial incentives are not the motivator. Vince McMahon reportedly has a net worth of $3 billion. Dana White is reportedly worth $500 million. Andrew Tate has no reported net worth, but he claims to be worth millions and growing…by conning insecure boys to “show them his way of living life.” Power is the sole endeavor.
“Alpha-males” receive insufficient consequences for their transgressions and are a dying breed with no need to reproduce. The reality is their own monstrous insecurities and shortcomings influence their behavior. These insecurities are depicted perfectly in the HBO series Succession: A show about siblings fighting for the top spot in a major media and entertainment company, only their father, Logan Roy, is not ready to give up that spot in his old age. You get a look behind the curtain of a smart, rich man with a powerful and ruthless façade, who is simply an insecure shell of what he portrays. White, McMahon, Tate, (fictional) Logan Roy, and every one of their ilk are no different.
The world needs fewer of these charlatans. They and their supporters poison the well of society. It’s time to pull the plug on being the fake tough guy.
BS Reports 
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