SSH Can't Be Unseen

A reader new to the Socio-Sexual Hierarchy shares an observation

Man, when you said once you understand SSH you can’t unsee it you weren’t kidding. I was recently at a “mens meet up” with the guys at my church at pastors house where we all just kind of sat around, smoked cigars and drank whiskey and you could literally spot which rank people were by where they were sitting. Alpha pastor sitting in the center leading the conversation talking about how insufferable he found the psych majors in college and asking everyone what their picks for the best gangster movies were, me and the other bravos within 4 chairs on either side of him (one of them an ex marine who kept lighting his cigar with a blow torch), the deltas gathered around the other end of the circle but still in the convo, luckily I don’t think we have any gammas yet because we’re a small church plant. Can’t wait for the book.

As the most effective rhetoric points to the truth, the most effective social model points to the observable. The power of the SSH is derived from the fact that it not only describes what is observably there, but provides the observer with the means of correctly anticipating the behavior of other men.

The best visual example of the SSH in action, as well as testimony to its broad and cross-cultural application, is from a Bollywood movie entitled Bajiro Mastani. The video for the song Malhari, from the film, a historical romance about the Maratha Peshwa Bajirao and his lover Mastani, shows the military leader celebrating a recent victory with his men.

It’s never hard to identify the Alpha.

In the period drama, the 'Malhari' track comes after a crucial victory that Bajirao and his soldiers celebrate, forgetting all their hierarchies. It is a motivational number through which the Peshwa warrior boosts the morale of his army for future battles.

The irony is that far from “forgetting all their hierarchies”, the hierarchy is quite literally on display in the video. It is a literal visual primer of the SSH in action. Even someone who is barely aware of the SSH can easily identify the Alpha, the Bravos, and the Deltas. And the fact that the video has hundreds of millions of views despite being completely unintelligible in English testifies to the way its adulation and articulation of the sense of belonging men find in establishing an accepted place in a hierarchy calls out to the human soul.

It’s a extraordinarily educational video, in part because it visually displays the mutual affection between the Alpha and his Bravos and Deltas; the pride and joy of the Bravos derived from their proximity to the Alpha is particularly on display, as is their willingness to humble themselves in the most abject way, not only without hesitation, but with tremendous pride at the trust he shows in them.

The Bravo not only knows his place, he is fiercely proud of it.

The scene in which the Alpha enters the arena at 1:26 is also worthy of note. Notice how he makes no eye contact with anyone and maintains a self-contained smirk as he enters to the cheers of his men, until he glances and smiles at the Bravo in the red turban. It’s not an accident that is the same Bravo who is literally at his right side for much of the video, and also happens to be the tallest and most handsome Bravo. We can safely conclude that this is the Alpha’s lead Bravo and chief lieutenant without knowing anything at all about the historical story or the film.

It’s also interesting to note that of the six Bravos who are closest to the Alpha, only the Lead Bravo is not required to serve as the literal throne for the Alpha at the 2:20 mark.

Here’s a test for the Sigma Game reader: identify the possible Gammas in the Malhari video and explain the reasoning for your conclusions.

Speaking of Gammas, unfortunately, I can guarantee the reader that in the very unlikely event there are presently no Gammas in his little men’s group, there absolutely will be. The Gammas will come. They always do.