For example, a man who tries to sleep with his friend's woman does that on the basis that the friend is beneath him in their social circle. There are other friends he couldn't try such with as he reputes them to be of equal or more importance.
Back in the day, there was this circle of friends made up of Bini boys. All they did was try to outdo one another and impose themselves as the pack leader. And of course, the criteria were money and women.
- Who wore the most expensive clothes.
- Who slept with the prettiest girls.
- Who dated the prettiest girl.
I remember the day when one of these Bini lads shouted an ex's name several times with so much authority in public just to get his attention. Later that day, I gave him a warning to never try such again. You can call him respectfully, but shouting his name as if he's one boy like that...totally unacceptable. Not to mention that the ex was older. The Bini lad tried to dismiss his action as nothing, but I knew better. This ex was not a person of note. He didn't stand out in a crowd. It was very easy for other young men to impose themselves on him. I had to step in and make sure that the disrespect did not go any further. Because disrespect to him would have extended to disrespect to me.
And the moment you cave into that disrespect, you start sliding down the social ladder.
Power-play is part of human nature. Even that anonymous person you see on the street has someone on the side whose head they press regularly.
It takes a great level of confidence and self-awareness to understand that you don't have to belittle other people or engage in counterproductive competitions to be a person of respect.
I personally do not care much for all that tussle for power, but if I notice that a person is trying to push me down in a social circle and turn me into a girl-girl, I will step up and set them straight immediately.
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