Negative Reinforcement: What Does This Mean?

[LightSun]

“This is probably one of the hardest and most difficult discipline of the mind for a great many people.

If someone insults you or calls you names it is a direct reflection of them. It means absolutely nothing. I have to put a metaphor for those who name call, use pejoratives or label you.

I don’t take them seriously at all. To me they are spitting into the wind. They are using nonsensical language equivalent to Pebbles and Bam Bam gibberish of the Flinstones.

They are clearly irrational. There is no use to reason with them. In psychology if you respond to an insult it is termed ‘Negative Reinforcement.’

You don’t know it but you are unknowingly reinforcing irrational and aberrant behavior. In addition you are missing an opportunity to,

“Take The High Road.” In addition learning to, ‘Turn The Cheek’ thus demonstrating your mature attitude and mental discipline.

The other person is triggered and are spreading the pollution of an immature self unfairly unto other people and life situations.

If you respond then you are also triggered. Then in this case you are both acting irrationally. It’s only a matter of degree of which of the two of you is more irrational.

It is the mark of a person who is emotionally, spiritually, and psychologically mature who can just ignore a clearly irrational and immature person.” LightSun

 

[ceecee]

I just can't agree with this, nor do I think this is "lefty" nonsense. Liberals are not leftys in any way.

There are people in this world that will tolerate anything as long as it is polite. As long as they perceive it as civil, even if it is anything but. In fact they will even insist it's completely permissible because they are told it is by someone presenting it as "civil". Barack Obama and his foreign policy come to mind. As does the Palestinian genocide allowed entirely by Joe Biden and given cover by Anthony Blinken who is a career diplomat and very polite. George Bush's foreign policy murdered millions of Iraqi's and he is a centrist liberals favorite, since he is hanging out with Michelle Obama. These are the people that tell you to go high when they go low. Turn the other cheek. And you see where that has gotten things.

Donald Trump, otoh, is none of the above. Don't get me wrong, he is a criminal and a pile of shit human. But he isn't wrapped up in being civil or polite. This is somewhat refreshing but as every syllable he utters is a lie, it doesn't mean much.

I like the idea of the rule of three or the Law of Return. But let's face it, karma of any kind is shaky at best. Not a great basis for living life or a functioning society (at this point anyway).

 

[Julius_Van_Der_Beak]

@ceecee I see what you are saying. We've had presidents in both parties make decisions that have killed many innocent people, and people have tended to be rather quiet. Trump gets elected, and it turns out the one time people can't tolerate is him being crass, impolitic and abrasive. Hell, many of the people criticizing Trump for that kind of thing have tended to given their rare moments of praise for occasions when Trump was bombing people because "it looked presidential."

I'm also reminded of a poll I created here in 2016 or 2017, that asked "Is what you say more important or how you say it?"

I've had a few times people point out that the problem they and others were having with me wasn't what I was saying, but how I was saying it. I found that mind-boggling. Essentially, what "it's not what you say, but how you say it" means is that the content is irrelevant, and the only thing of importance is that the proper forms are observed, such as norms, etiquette, and protocol.

On this forum, "how you say it" won the poll in a landslide. (I also remember and appreciate your response.) The consequence was that I put much more though towards "how I say it" going forward, since I was getting tired of finding myself in certain situations.

Regarding the OP, there is the related concept of "being the bigger/better man" that I loathe. I think I'd be more prepared to respect and follow someone who made some snappy comeback to some nonsense some Republican made than someone who does nothing because it's "the noble thing to do." While the person who doesn't do anything isn't doing anything wrong, I think somebody who demonstrates that they could defend themselves in the arena of politics would be a better leader then someone who thinks a moral victory is better than an actual victory. That's just me, though.

There is also the matter of 2004, when John Kerry was defeated by George W. Bush. Almost nobody talks about this, but there were indications of various irregularities in Ohio. Rather than challenge them, Kerry conceded. I read on another message board that this was the right thing to do and that Kerry proved he was the "better man" and didn't we all truly wish that somebody with that character had won? This was utterly insane to me. I'd spent months fighting for this guy (on the internet of course) and he decides that he doesn't even want to fight for himself. I found nothing encouraging about that. I found it frustrating and dispiriting. I look at that election (as I probably looked at it then) as the American people's chance to declare that they would not stand for any of the crimes that happened, and the guy running didn't think it mattered enough to even fight for it. Someone making the claim that he was "the better man" doesn't care, either.

Also, some bystander telling someone to "be the better man" is immoral. It's ruling in favor of the aggressor to continue doing what they do, while the victim has to endure it because doing anything about it would be "stooping to their level". It gives the aggressor no reason to stop, but at least the victim gets to have a "moral victory" while they suffer physical or verbal abuse.

Practicing nonviolence (literal or metaphorical) is a good thing but it depends on the context. It's not appropriate for every situation.

 

[The Cat]

Boy howdy sure has been an interesting few days here on Typology Central.

Here's Clancy the don't call each other human trash Raccoon
Stoping by to remind everyone not to call each other human trash.
​

He's joined by Sandy the Irony Pidgeon because this had to be posted in this thread.

-H&K's The Moderation Team.​

 

[The Cat]

If you cannot learn object lessons, you are destined to be one.

 

[ceecee]

Barack Obama is responsible for today's Ukraine vs Rusia War. He is a spinless leftie who probably Faines concern and twists his head from left to right saying lives must be saved. If he understood the nature of the soul is service, he would not have let Putin march is troops into the Kerch region of Ukraine. Obama was an agent of placation, peace at any price, by the time problems become real I will be celebrated as a national political hero a president to be remembered by the people. He is the criminal and a pile of shit human you speak off. Why may you ask? How many thousands of people have died because Ukraine was not defended after they signed the paperwork that led to the transfer of Ukraine's nuclear weapons being transferred to Rusia? Obama may say ow that little piece of paper. No-One person will think about that when they see me Lifting leftie platitudes on the evening news.

You say, George Bush's foreign policy murdered millions of Iraqis people. His actions led to the death of Sudam Husain. God bless President George Bush. It's a shame he did not Nuke Iran. Iraqis people and their competing Nabours have been killing each other over who has the correct interpterion of God for hundreds of years. George Bush defended the American people. Thank God they eliminated all those harmful chemical weapons.

See the fact is you though your ability to make the law of three within away when you were too young to now remember. And for that reason, YOU ARE THE HUMAN TRASH.

You are so confused you think you are an 8W9 INTJ. LOL You have no chance of making the law of three within, you are one of life's losers. You most likely can't even remember what it feels like to be at the centre of your own being. I suspect no one will ever mirror the lar of the to you so as you can regain awareness of your true centre.


Thanks to your hero President Barack Obama World War 3 may be starting real soon. And who will you blame then it gets real for all? I tell you what I will blame as being the cause, Leftie-Madness and its overcompensation's.

What the fuck are you talking about? Fuck off.

 

[The Cat]

With all due respect, I don't know what you're trying to sell atm, but I'm pretty sure no one is in the market to buy today. You're also drifting from ad hominim which as you've been warned, be against the rules. Those social contracts you agreed to follow in exchange for getting to post here. Now you're drifting into off topic territory. Now by my count this is the third time I've had to address you with the blue text requestiong that you keep civil fingers on those hands. Thrice I say and done: You need to take a step back before you post something you can't math your way out of. Internalize that rule of three and chill.

- Moderation. ​

 

[Julius_Van_Der_Beak]

Ow, someone does not know the political history behind the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

It was your Supper hero Barack Obama who did not act then Putin invaded Sothern Ukraine.4

She expresses disagreement with Obama earlier in the thread.