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Friends discuss men and decide a man is an alpha man if he makes you feel like an alpha woman
At some point in the last few years, social scientists began describing some men in the same way biologists observe leaders in packs of wolves - as alpha males, the ferocious powerful beasts that rule all the others in the pack.
It's hard to describe an alpha male, but you know him when you see him. They stand out from the herd, in a good way. Other males treat him as such. He very well might be a loudmouth. But most importantly, an Alpha Male is generous towards others, and will treat you like an Alpha Female, Rowr!
I was reminded of this cartoon today when I read that friend and colleague Andrew Breitbart, the brilliant and ferocious political animal, suddenly and shockingly passed away at the age of 43. He's most famous for his promotion of the Tea Party, his edited video of Shirley Sherrod, his expose of ACORN, and his grandstanding and pull down of Democratic U.S. Representative Anthony Weiner.
Andrew's work hasn't always been well-received, to put it mildly! But he was a firecracker, and a total original, with maybe a little paranoia and ADD thrown in the mix. In the uber-liberal town of Los Angeles, with the liberal LA Times and the fanatical entertainment industry, he was a breath of fresh conservative air.
I knew Andrew Breitbart from many journalist parties, including his New York Times bestseller book party of Hollywood, Interrupted, and a screening of his first feature film, Michael Moore Hates America. Personally, I was fascinated by his funny, passionate, observations and experiences, and his courage to fight any people or process that threatened the right. He was always candid, honest, and transparent, a great guy and the ultimate party star—this is why so many on both the right and left have said their condolences today: you had to like him, even if you hated him.
When I wrote this cartoon, I immediately thought about Andrew Breitbart, larger than life. This one's for you, Big Guy. And Alpha Male. (Of course, he's not the only one alpha male, fingers crossed. If you know of others I should meet, please let me know in the comments.)
An amusing postscript: I've admired Andrew's "portrait on toast" avatar on Twitter before (shown below)
andrew breitbart twitter avatar by Julie Sigwart
but didn't know until recently that my friend and fellow cartoonist and designer, Julie Sigwart, created it!
Julie is an example of someone who had a very adverserial relationship with Breitbart, objecting to much of his writing and activities, and at one point he actually blocked her on Twitter. (He later unblocked her.) Julie wrote:
The guy did have a sense of humor - and what is really freaky to me, is that his Twitter profile pic right now is a graphic I did of his face on a piece of toast, in regards to his legal situation with Shirley Sherrod.
Yes, he was a funny guy, and he obviously also recognized good design, even at his own expense! Thanks, Julie.
If you didn't care for Andrew Breitbart, perhaps you would prefer this cartoon on Osama bin Laden.
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All Rights Reserved. Content including cartoon © Donna Barstow 2012
