When the Secret King Wins Again

A Gamma Defeat Spiral in Action

One of the most powerful aspects of the Socio-Sexual Hierarchy is the predictive model of male behavior it provides. We see it demonstrated, time and time again, right here in the comments even though this site is barely a month old. One commenter already noticed a pattern:

I just noticed something…. If you see a thread that’s got a few sub threads more than three layers deep you probably have a gamma doing “well ackshually…”can be quite entertaining.

Indeed. That’s precisely how recognizing predictable behavioral patterns works. First observe the repetitive behavior, then observe who is responsible for exhibiting that behavior, then observe the various similarities between those who behave in the same way. The vast majority of the time, that behavioral pattern will be identifiable as one of the SSH behavioral profiles, such as, in this case, the Gamma Male.

In yesterday’s example, it was entirely obvious to everyone right away that the self-appointed critic of the post entitled Narcissism is Not a Job Skill was a Gamma. At this point, it would be hard for anyone who is SSH-aware to miss that.

Extreme Ownership to pushback when necessary. Especially when illegal, immoral, and unethical things are being ordered. This advice is only going to have a bunch of Deltas doing really stupid stuff. I work in the trades and it never ceases to amaze how far behind on projects every job site is because The Foreman/Boss can't actually lead. They are always and only concerned with maintaing the hierarchy nothing else. I was also fired for telling an employee that I was managing to shut the fuck up. I'm sorry, but when the boss is wrong he needs to be told so. If he can't lead he should probably quit on the spot and become homeless.

Notice the immediate tells: the laconic posturing, the broken grammar, the irrelevant exceptions, the predictions of inevitable doom, the intrinsic hatred for authority, and, of course, the inevitable redirection of the discussion to the Gamma himself. A single paragraph is all that is necessary here, as in many cases, to correctly identify the author as a Gamma male.

The average Gamma has successfully predicted 467 of the last zero apocalypses.

Here is the quadrologue between the same Gamma and a trio of commenters that continued from his original comment. As you’ll see, after being repeatedly corrected about his factual errors, the Gamma spirals from his initial irrelevant exceptions into increasingly irrelevant nonsense, talking about himself and attacking his interlocutors, until finally playing his invisible Secret King card and declaring victory.

COMMENTER 1: If you're always questioning why you need to do something it's one of three things. You're too smart for that job and you think the plan sux and you should probably look elsewhere or stsrt your own business. you're a grunt and should STFU. or you're a gamma.

GAMMA: Or your boss is an idiot. Lots of boot lickers around these parts. Telling someone to shut the fuck up is a sure fire way to get fired. I'm speaking from experience of course. Go read Extreme Ownership please.

COMMENTER 2: From Jocko William's site, Echelon Front:

"4. Support your Boss. Leadership positions are hard. Take as much off your boss’s plate as you can. If your boss is an egomaniac and wants all the credit for everything you and your team do, give them credit. Make the boss look good. This isn’t brown-nosing. It’s building good relationships and leading up the chain of command. Good followership is a critical aspect of leadership. To be a good leader, you must also be a follower. This might require you to execute things the way your boss wants to see them done. If someone goes wrong, own it and fix it. That’s step number four in how to deal with a bad boss."

So yes, STFU and do your best to fulfill the boss's orders.

GAMMA: Even if it's immoral, unethical, or illegal?

COMMENTER 2: Jocko mentions: "But regardless of how bad your boss is (unless they are trying to force you to do something immoral, illegal or unethical) if you don’t have a good relationship with your boss, it only hurts you and your team."

So no, no one here has ever said to commit crimes on your boss's behalf. Neither has the author of Extreme Ownership. I'm not even sure where you got the idea that anyone was advocating that.

"You should eat meat"

"So you're saying I should kill people and eat their flesh?"

"wtf"

GAMMA: You've clearly never worked in a toxic work environment. Your boss has you doing illegal and immoral the things everyday.

COMMENTER 2: You're the one who brought up "Extreme Ownership". The author says you're wrong. He doesn't agree with you. Additionally, being a SEAL during the invasion of Iraq, Jocko probably dealt with the most toxic bosses in the world yet he still insists that followership is vital.

GAMMA: You ever have to stick a knife to a [REDACTED] throat in a kitchen on a college campus while a brawl is breaking out? Cause I have.

COMMENTER 1: I would rather brag how I've never even been close to that. The steps up to that incident are much more interesting. In chess, you look for moves into the future, calculating where you don't want to be with your pieces. If you've been there, your steps led you to that disastrous kitchen.

GAMMA: I wasnt bragging just giving an example of a toxic work environment. In the states places like that are common anyone saying otherwise is lying. You're probably a good little boy whose never left country.

COMMENTER 3: I'm certain it's possible to recover someday if you just stop lying and posturing. It would even be impressive if you managed to pull off a radical heel-turn like that. And since you're in meltdown mode right now, this is a really great opportunity to exercise the good advice you've been given. Then again, at this rate you must be getting tantalizingly close to making the retard high score...

GAMMA: Except I'm not. Look I get it. I demonstrated Vox was wrong for everyone to see. It hurts to see your surrogate father proven wrong .

And then everyone applauded…

A female commenter notes the irony: It's as though someone drew the most ridiculous, exaggerated generic caricature of a type of person, only to later have a complete, never-seen-before stranger walk in who makes the caricature look like an unretouched photograph.

I leave it to the SSH-aware reader to determine precisely how the Gamma proved me wrong, as opposed to providing a striking example of textbook Gamma behavior in conflict as well as a vivid demonstration of the behavioral imperative to remain silent and risk being thought a fool rather than speaking and confirming what had previously been nothing more than a supposition.

This is what it looks like in the Secret King’s head when he wins yet another victory.