Elephant Lessons: Real Men Leading Boys to Manhood (wrt Rape problem)

[Bonobo]

http://germaneconsulting.com/elephant-lessons-real-men-leading-boys-to-manhood/

This is in reference to the rape and murder of rhinos that was going on a few years ago. It was done by delinquent young male elephants. The solution? The re-introduction of older males into the tribe to serve as role-models.

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Elephant Violence
Violence and bizarre aggressive behaviors among young male elephants has increased dramatically over the course of a few decades.

A team of researchers, trauma experts and neuropsychologists among them, studied the causes and found a way to resolve the elephant violence. Their findings can help us understand why we need mature men leading boys to manhood and to guide for those coming into renewed manhood following the overthrow of repressive regimes. The lessons require connecting three dots.

1. The social development systems of male elephants.


2. The abuse of women in oppressive regimes.

Pictured below is Mona Eltahawy, journalist, in Egypt, following her arrest, physical and sexual abuse by Egyptian soldiers.

3. Boy Gangs – A poor substitute for real men leading boys to manhood


In Elephant Breakdown, Gay Bradshaw and her fellow researchers declared that elephant populations were suffering from chronic species-wide post traumatic stress syndrome resulting from decades of poaching and culling elephant herds. Other effects included disruptions to elephant culture and societal relations, among them the traditions by which young elephants had been raised in the wild, and by which established elephant herds were governed. Bradshaw and her fellow researchers believe this led to a collapse of elephant culture and was at the root the increased violence by, among and between elephants.

Disrupted Development
Normal development of the male elephant’s brain and culturally normative behavior relies on a second phase of socialization (beyond and after mother-nurturing) in which adult males play a critical role.

Repeat: In which adult males play a critical role.

(read much more at link above.)

[bettyellen]

1. I do think a strong role model is important. and we need more LT mentoring for young boys...

because they are too often not getting it at home. and schools are a total mess these days.
from what my teacher friends tell me the atmosphere in schools today is just anarchy. lots of violence towards each other as well as the teachers.

[Bonobo]

2. No question about it.

Men can play a larger role in the proper education of boys. They can, they should. It is largely their duty to do so.

[liberal_at_heart]

3. Sometimes this is when friends or relatives are very valuable

Not every daddy sticks around but if you can just find one man who will make that connection with the male child they will reap the benefits of having a male role model.

[HeiressofBickworth]

4. Which brings us to the question of the role of the coach in

the recent rape case. Obviously not teaching the boys to treat girls/women with respect. So what IS he teaching them?

[ismnotwasm]

5. Elephants?

That's just messed up.

I just did a quick read, it seems after the young elephant Is driven away fron the female herd, he'll join a group (if he can and sadly if one is even available) with a strict hierarchy, apparently to keep the younger bulls in line.

The life of the adult male is very different. As he matures, a male spends more time at the edge of his group and associates with outside males or even other families. At Amboseli, young males spend over 80% of their time away from their families when they are 14–15. The adult females of the group start to show aggression towards the male, which encourages him to permanently leave. When males do leave, they either live alone or with other males. The former is typical of bulls in dense forests. Asian males are usually solitary, but occasionally form groups of two or more individuals; the largest consisted of seven bulls. Larger bull groups consisting of over 10 members occur only among African bush elephants, the largest of which numbered up to 144 individuals. A dominance hierarchy exists among males, whether they range socially or solitarily. Dominance depends on the age, size and sexual condition. Old bulls appear to control the aggression of younger ones and prevent them from forming "gangs". Adult males and females come together for reproduction. Bulls appear to associate with family groups if an oestrous cow is present.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elephant

An interesting comparison indeed. The wiki article is no doubt oversimplified-- it is just wiki, and I bet the story is more complex.

[BainsBane]

6. the raping of rhinos is very strange

I can see fights, but rape? From everything I've learned about elephants on nature shows, being female is a much better situation that being a male elephant.
The maintain family structures, travel in herds, and mourn the dead, whereas males are mainly solitary after adolescence.

[Bonobo]

7. It points to real derangement.

Is the Steudenville much different? Those kids, in my opinion, are on the borderline of what it means to be a human... they are psychopathic, sociopathic, twisted little monsters.

What do they need? The anthropologist in me says that what they need is a group of elder males, an initiation ritual that they must pass before being allowed to "enter" that group and the threat of ostracization from that group.

[BainsBane]

8. I don't think it's appropriate to draw parallels between elephants and humans

They are different in a host of ways, one being that male and female elephants don't live in communities together. I understand that trauma from poachers can be causing elephants to behave in strange ways. It is not at all normal, however, for one species to have sexual relations with another. I wonder if this isn't more about access to water. Both elephants and rhinos need water to survive, and I know elephants spend their lives traveling from one water source to another.

I prefer to discuss Steubenville in a separate context.

[bettyellen]

9. sociopathic, yes. twisted, yep.

but not psychopathic. Lucky me- I have lived with both, and it's no small difference.
(Can't choose your family)