What Shamu Taught Me About a Happy Marriage June 28, 2006
Posted by tkcollier in Life, Lifestyle.trackback
What Shamu Taught Me About a Happy Marriage - New York Times
I listened, rapt, as professional trainers explained how they taught dolphins to flip and elephants to paint. Eventually it hit me that the same techniques might work on that stubborn but lovable species, the American husband.
The central lesson I learned from exotic animal trainers is that I should reward behavior I like and ignore behavior I don’t. After all, you don’t get a sea lion to balance a ball on the end of its nose by nagging. The same goes for the American husband.
The runaway interest of this article is covered in this “Shamu-mania” Salon article.
I came to the same realization a year or two ago. I think this applies to almost every husband on the planet.
Have you seen “I Love You, You are Perfect, Now Change”. I recommend it. You will find it very funny.
Cheers!
I droped my clothes on the floor.
So my wife removed the floor.
I could not believe it when I came home the floor was gone and dirt was our floor in the bedroom.
Now I never throw my clothes on the ground where the floor used to be because they will get dirty, well, dirtier. So I throw them on the floor in the living room.
To be serious
The article mentions lost keys and a tirade.
When my wife loses her keys I help her because 4 eyes scanning the many places keys might hide in plain sight are easily spotted by more eyes. And vice versa is expected.
She picks up the clothes.
I pick up the dog poop in the yard.
She vacuums.
I scrub the toilets and shower with powerfull chemicals that would make her hands fall off.
The whole thing is lost on humans.
Why don’t we call it sexist when women compare men to animals?
Will women now start to scientifically prove that men are mentally inferior to women?
I seem to remember a word women used a lot 30 years ago: fair. Fairness requires a mutual understanding, recognition of another person’s needs.
Usually if a man is dropping his laundry on the floor, it is in revenge for some other slight, usually the lackluster lovemaking of a woman.
Her kisses are not leading her husband to better behavior, she owes those kisses to her husband for her arrogance.
After the kisses are given, he picked up his laundry because he is no longer owed kindness.
Nobody compared men to animals.
It’s comparing training techniques and saying they are similar - basically, it all boils down to ‘you get more flies with honey than vinegar’.
It works well on children, too.
I love shamu