We're at 61,938 members as of this writing. That is fucking glorious. With that in mind I'd like to offer some additional thoughts on just who and what a "beta" is. I think reading or hearing something explained more than one way can often be productive.

A lot of the terminology used here was originally lifted from animal behavior research. This is precisely where "alpha," "beta," and "hypergamy" come from. The original intent was simply to describe places in a hierarchy: first/primary male, secondary male, etc. After re-appropriating the language we all know who and what an alpha is but there's room for interpretation about betas. This is how I see it.

"Betas" are not simply better providers than they are lovers, they are the consolation prize. They are the poor dumb