The abuse of the captive wolves research factoid is officially run into the ground. We now blame it for the whole organisation of humanity. I thought bashing online communities for using “alpha” was inadequate, but that takes the cake.
I don't intend to put the blame on the wolf study. I think it's more that we are in captivity, and exhibit deeply unhealthy relationship patterns with pretty much our entire environment from food, to women, to time itself.
This assumes hunter gatherers were better off than we are today. That's a controversial claim. You still have to survive in nature with finding food and making shelter, fending off predators, negotiating rival groups, dealing with disease and injury. It wasn't some utopian existence.
I think there are good arguments that Hunter gathers ate healthier more diverse foods; spent less time working; and likely were in flow more often than we are today.
The title says that captive wolves led us astray and the first paragraph asserts that the studies spawned decades of misunderstanding about power, leadership, and masculinity. The causal link is very dubious to say the least.
