| Actually, you offered no reasons to counter mine. You just made it a matter of freedom, which was beside the point. The question was not whether he in some sense had the right, but whether he was right, and whether we had a right to react with disapproval, granted that we have no right to impose ourselves on him, through haranguing, or lecture, or harassment. As for negative reinforcement, there have been no studies showing it to be less efficacious than positive reinforcement, and I cannot otherwise see how it is wrong. Adducing negative consequences is just one way of being persuasive, and it is a perfectly appropriate way to deal with adults. For example, if someone does not come to work on time, eventually it goes into his personnel record, and affects promotion and raises. If he shows a penchant for excessive flirtation with female coworkers, he is warned that he can be sent to sensitivity training or fired to insulate the company from liability over harassment. What, am I supposed to offer him a raise if he will stop hitting on the receptionist? |
