January 23, 2016

January 23, 2016

Written by Maximus Peperkamp, M.S. Verbal Engineer

Dear Reader,

It is 1-23-2016. On TV you can see and hear the debates among the Republican and Democratic candidates.  Some of them produce more Sound Verbal Behavior (SVB) instances than others, but all of them express more Noxious Verbal Behavior (NVB) than SVB. People say politics is a blood sport. What they mean is that politicians attack each other, one-up each other as they try to win the debate.  Politicians are believed to be smart, shrewd and calculated or they are said to be weak, lacking in leadership and presidential material.  This is all inaccurate nonsense. However, when they are said to be playing to the base, we are getting a bit closer to a behavioral account.  Then we follow the link between their behavior and the environment of which their behavior is a function. Since representatives of each party want to bring victory to their constituency, an aversive environment is created and maintained.  The so-called reaching across the aisle doesn't increase of SVB.  The compromise that is made when ideologies collide, only preserves, deepens and increases the divide.  Also, this metaphor or this rhyme is useless. The frequency of NVB has increased and the frequency of SVB has dropped to an all-time low.  As a consequence, legislation that is written and passed is utterly meaningless in controlling the behavior which is good for the culture, behavior which enhances and maintains the culture.  Less and less legislation is passed on which most people can agree. It seems as if agreeing about anything is something only for the weak. An increase of SVB and a decrease of NVB will dismantle our backward ideologies. If we would really listen to both sides of the debate, we would begin to distinguish between SVB and NVB. Neither Democrats nor Republicans could argue in favor of SVB as it would make them realize and abandon  their unscientific explanations about human behavior. There are no inner selves that are causing us to behave the way we do.  This explanatory fiction is perpetuated NVB, in which the speaker appears to exist separate from the listener. In SVB, there exists neither a speaker nor a listener, but our speaking and listening behaviors will be joined.