It's not true for gorillas or chimps either - and those groups don't share a social structure. I have a feeling that you are not well informed on this topic.
You could say it's not true for bonobos but I have no idea how you could make the case that a silverback gorilla is not an "alpha" unless you have some very specific definition. Just pulling from Wikipedia as I'm lazy, but if you have better sources please provide them:
The silverback is the centre of the troop's attention, making all the decisions, mediating conflicts, determining the movements of the group, leading the others to feeding sites, and taking responsibility for the safety and well-being of the troop. Younger males subordinate to the silverback, known as blackbacks, may serve as backup protection. Blackbacks are aged between 8 and 12 years
That seems to describe an alpha beta hierarchy structure to me. With chimps it may be a little less obvious and more variable but still, according to wikipedia again:
Among males, there is generally a dominance hierarchy, and males are dominant over females.
And
Male chimpanzees exist in a linear dominance hierarchy. Top-ranking males tend to be aggressive even during dominance stability
Yes humans have way more complex social structures but almost always there is a hierarchy of men at the top usually with a single man at the apex, call them alphas, the patriarchy, the oppressors, the greats or whatever you want, they exist. Denying their existence or the fundamental drive powering them only helps to obfuscate there motives. We as a society need to recognize those people and harness them for the benefit of society instead of the benefit of themselves.
Chickens have a dominance hierarchy too. And so do rats under some conditions. The dominance literature that I know of does not make it sound great. Dominant makes are like the loud drunk guy at a party who wants fight - people just generally avoid him. So they're socially isolated bullies. Robert and Caroline Blanchard from University of Hawaii is good for this work, and Robert Sapolsky for work on stress hormones.
It's not true for gorillas or chimps either - and those groups don't share a social structure. I have a feeling that you are not well informed on this topic.
You could say it's not true for bonobos but I have no idea how you could make the case that a silverback gorilla is not an "alpha" unless you have some very specific definition. Just pulling from Wikipedia as I'm lazy, but if you have better sources please provide them:
That seems to describe an alpha beta hierarchy structure to me. With chimps it may be a little less obvious and more variable but still, according to wikipedia again:
And
Yes humans have way more complex social structures but almost always there is a hierarchy of men at the top usually with a single man at the apex, call them alphas, the patriarchy, the oppressors, the greats or whatever you want, they exist. Denying their existence or the fundamental drive powering them only helps to obfuscate there motives. We as a society need to recognize those people and harness them for the benefit of society instead of the benefit of themselves.
Chickens have a dominance hierarchy too. And so do rats under some conditions. The dominance literature that I know of does not make it sound great. Dominant makes are like the loud drunk guy at a party who wants fight - people just generally avoid him. So they're socially isolated bullies. Robert and Caroline Blanchard from University of Hawaii is good for this work, and Robert Sapolsky for work on stress hormones.
Petersdorf and Higham are a great summary of the variety in the primate world. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/9781118584538.ieba0308