Most days when I have the time, I head for my morning walk to Lal Bagh, the 600 acre botanical garden in South Bangalore, laid by Hyder Ali, in the 18th century. The Bagh is a lovely, unspoilt place & many trees probably predate Hyder Ali & his more famous son Tipu Sultan, who died fighting the British at Mysore.
Before I meander into history, I'll get to the point ( I've been accused of rambling & writing blogs which are unnecessarily long ). This morning while taking the said walk I bumped into a seemingly well heeled gent taking a leak at the foot of a very bushy shrub. My senses were appalled & I impatiently waited for the bloke to finish his job to enquire if his occiput was totally devoid of grey matter, as a wonderfully constructed toilet was just 100 meters away & could be used for the princely sum of Rs.1. After the enquiry I walked away in a huff, thinking about the time I carried a paper ( Eco friendly )cup of coffee, for half a day in Singapore, because I could not locate a suitable bin.
Why are we so shameful in our public behavior? I think it can be explained by delving into our history, but how we stop this behavior may be explained by Ope rant Conditioning a concept well enunciated by B.F.Skinner.
The following throws light on Ope rant Conditioning:
In Punishment a particular behavior is weakened by the consequence of experiencing a negative condition.
For example:
A rat presses a bar in its cage and receives a mild electrical shock on its feet. The shock is a negative condition for the rat. The rat presses the bar again and again receives a shock. The rat's behavior of pressing the bar is weakened by the consequence of receiving a shock.
In Extinction a particular behavior is weakened by the consequence of not experiencing a positive condition or stopping a negative condition.
For example:
A rat presses a bar in its cage and nothing happens. Neither a positive or a negative condition exists for the rat. The rat presses the bar again and again nothing happens. The rat's behavior of pressing the bar is weakened by the consequence of not experiencing anything positive or stopping anything negative.
If you folks have any suggestion, please let me know. As for me I'm trying to fix a meeting with the Director, of the LB to see if he can rig a device to deliver a potent shock ( to you know where ) to guys who piddle at plants & trees within the Lal Bagh till they are better toilet trained.
As for Skinner, he can consider himself lucky to have lived in another era, otherwise he would have had animal activists ( Maneka Gandhi) at his throat - Electrocuting rats???????????
Was this blog too long? Please tell me. I wait with bated breath...........
11 comments:
:) Ahem.. It wasn't.. I rem that theory from my psychology classes and with regard to the negative consequence. Even something like a steep fine can do wonders.. but some punishment would do good.
Do you remember that Cyrus Broacha hosted a show where he would visit Mumbai roads and catch people pissing on cameras.. Maybe it helped.. Atleast it was worth a shot!
Radz,
Operant Conditioning with Classical Conditioning is a well known psychological concept. You are right.
If some thing sets us ( Indian male species ) apart, it is the practice of using public spaces as toilets & spitting without a thought.I do not know how successful Cyrus was, but for me I'm at a loss, unless the Government is able to to punish people so that it hurts.
The other day, a friend of mine was fined for jumping a traffic signal. He was fined Rs 100. The guy earns a great deal, so he did not even flinch...........
I also breathe easier now, after your approval with regards the length......
:):) OB!! and psychology :)
I doubt the Indian government would do anything but fine these people...a punishment seems unlikely since such a large section of people are involved in such exhibitionist activities!! :(
lets hope operant conditioning works in this case, though !! :)
Sruthi,
Even fining people, is going to be a tough task for our babus......They can start by fining people within the LB!
I think, our ability to respect others and their space, comes from our upbringing, both within the school and the family.........
As a youngster, I always pooh poohed talk of 'being from a good family', as nonsense.
I must admit that I'm wrong and a sound family upbringing is fundemental to our behavior.'
What's your take?
I agree that a sound upbringing is essential in most aspects of life...
However, I feel that..no matter how great your upbringing is...it eventually comes down to any individual performing according to nothing but his/her will.
The upbringing and values taught may exist within oneself but I think its at a subconscious level at all times and its up to your self to bring it out..and act according to what you feel is right and wrong..
Your blogs are not long.. thats your style .. and personally i like it.. please do not change that.. and as far as public etiquettes is concerned financial penalty and if some how we can do what Amir khan does in 3idiots will do wonders i guess... i will surely write if something comes to my mind
Dear Aak,
Appreciate the support. You are on my side!
As regards 3 idiots, you are at an advantage, as I haven't seen the flick ( but will )
Nice to hear from you again, was wondering why you were hibernating?
So, have you got around the Chicken Sandwich, as yet ? Was reminded of you in a rather round about manner, when the Kannada actor Visnuvardhan, died a few days ago.
His first movie was called 'Vamshavriksha', a fantastic film & is all about our roots and how we are constrained and eventually exploited by the very tenets that we assume to be our foundation ( manifestation of our roots )!
Cheers!
Well, sir was out with friends.. you still wont give me a breather on roots topic.. you should write the mail and i want to see you regarding another topic please let me know what time are you free and available.. i will be waiting...
your blogs are never lengthy, they are really interesting and lucid!!actually they are good food for thought.and as far as public mannerism is concerned we can consider skinner's theory and can give punishments and levy fines...but we should not forget that we indians have short term memory loss too!! we will follow and remember a trend for a very less time and then forget it like as if it had never happened:)and sir do watch 3 idiots..its really gud:)the comments which we write can be big but your blogs are short and sweet!!
Hi,
Thank you.
I should be back at CC on the 7th for a few hours, so we can catch up.
I'm looking fwd to watching 3i's & Sherlock Holmes ASAP.
Do keep commenting..............its inspiring!
Ciao!
hello sir!!
for sure i will continue reading your blogs. i have read some old blogs of yours too. all were nice with unique blend of concept and humor:)
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