Know your audience, and it depends if the profanity is directed at students or not. As Southnarc says in class, there's a difference between "back the fuck up" and "back up motherfucker".
Sent from my PG06100 using Tapatalk 2
Know your audience, and it depends if the profanity is directed at students or not. As Southnarc says in class, there's a difference between "back the fuck up" and "back up motherfucker".
Sent from my PG06100 using Tapatalk 2
Did you ever notice - - - - Some people know how to swear and some don't.
Maybe it's a gift they are born with.
Absolutely disagree, but not angrily. Work at a bar sometime. You will see the most mild mannered, 105lb blonde female go from "How can I help you babe?" to "Shut your dirty Who#e mouth and get the F$#k out of MY BAR!!" in a blink of an eye. I work at a friends bar part time and I seriously can't tell you how these 105lb girls will totally verbally manhandle a dude in less than two seconds and shut them down. It's pretty impressive. I've not once in three years had to physically remove a patron. There is an art to it and it ain't just vocal. Body language, even from a 105lb girl sends a message. It sends a Mother Trucking MESSAGE!!! It really is impressive to watch one of these gals bust up a scuffle. They never get in harms way, they just do some verbal jiujitsu and some aggressive body work and stuff shuts down.Originally Posted by Bill Nesbitt
Did you ever notice - - - - Some people know how to swear and some don't.
Maybe it's a gift they are born with.
Time flies when you throw your watch.
There is absolutely a professionalism in swearing when the training is helped by it.
I personally wouldn't want to go to any training that's... aggressive towards students, but a lot of people flourish in it.
Sometimes you have to be pushed outside of your comfort zone to advance as a student.
Generally, I don't find screaming or insults to enhance teaching, though I've experienced that approach as I'm sure many here have. If the express purpose is to induce stress, I can agree there there is a (limited) application. But there are lots of other ways to induce stress that don't require that as well.
Interestingly, I was actually thinking about this topic a bit more and the instructors who've been *more* colorful have actually tended to seem more approachable and friendly. Maybe it's because they seem to just be being themselves. I've had other instructors who never used profanity and in some ways they actually seemed colder and more distant. I don't think it affected my learning one way or another but I tended to enjoy myself more with those that swore while feeling myself to be in a more 'formal' environment with those who didn't.
That's fine, but people who do it through aggression aren't getting my time or money.
You'd have to define "aggression".
One persons daily interaction is another persons hostile workplace.
I've worked the west Texas oilfields for 20 years, I will probably have a completely different take on what is "aggressive" behavior than an accountant who's spent his time in a corporate office environment.
Profanity and bluster aren't going to knock me off my game at all.
I do have my achilles, but you won't find it with "aggression".
That's why the really good instructors have multiple approaches to how they take students outside their comfort zones.
The majority of people today work in PC environments and profanity can be a great way of throwing them for a loop.
Last edited by JodyH; 11-12-2012 at 06:04 PM.
"For a moment he felt good about this. A moment or two later he felt bad about feeling good about it. Then he felt good about feeling bad about feeling good about it and, satisfied, drove on into the night."
-- Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy --
I would laugh at someone who tried the drill sergeant approach to civilian training.
As I posted in my first reply, insults directed at students are inappropriate.
Good natured back and forth between a instructor and student can create a bonding situation that improves the learning environment, but the instructor has to be able to read people to understand when it's working and when it's alienating.
"Screaming" has very limited applications outside of a carefully planned stress inducing drill.
Last edited by JodyH; 11-12-2012 at 06:28 PM.
"For a moment he felt good about this. A moment or two later he felt bad about feeling good about it. Then he felt good about feeling bad about feeling good about it and, satisfied, drove on into the night."
-- Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy --
I've found that most instructors who try to induce stress by yelling at people are just d-bags.
When I first commissioned in the USMC, my dive buddy's brother was a Major. I joined his family for dinner one night at a Thai restaurant in NoVA. The first thing he asked after introductions was, "So tell me, are the captains at TBS still the biggest d-bags ever?" I, as a brand new loo-tenant, didn't really know how to respond with a major asking me that...so I sort of brushed it off with an awkward laugh. He went on, "Here was my experience: When I was a TBS student, I thought all the captains were being jerks to build us under pressure and make us better; that whole 'he who is trained in the severest school will triumph' thing. But, about 6 months after being in the fleet, I figured out that wasn't true. Nope. They were just dicks, and everyone else in the fleet hated them too."
To date, I've generally found that to be true. As you noted there are very limited applications, but they are there. Like JodyH said, putting someone outside their comfort zone can definitely benefit them. A lot of people think they are doing this, and know how to, but generally are terrible at it and just come off as not knowing what they're doing.
Of course, this is an entirely different topic than just using undirected profanity without a menacing intent.
Reply With Quote