Chat
Oh no! If the discussion devolves into the quagmire of American politics all semblance of reasonable discourse will be lost forever! I didn't like that article at all for a number of reasons which would take so long to get into that I'd have to write 69 pages of my own. But for my political commentary, suffice to say that I fall into the large and rapidly growing category of disgruntled Americans who can't stand conservative or progressive politics, belong to no political party, and refused to vote for either mainstream candidate in the last election.
Even more than the overly simplistic view of politics, what I found awful was the "strict father" vs. "nurturing parent" dichotomy. The author espouses a ridiculously narrow view of family psychology and boils it down to two stereotypes. I get the feeling that this author has some deep-seated daddy issues since she doesn't say "strict parent" (she mentions briefly that mothers can be strict and fathers can be nurturing, but she won't go so far as to embrace gender equality in the terms she uses). She also has no room in her confined viewpoint for discipline and nurture to go hand-in-hand. You are either a strict disciplinarian (read that "abuser"), or you are a nurturer. There is no middle ground in her thinking. Notice that the terms the author uses predispose the reader to hate the one and love the other. The article presents a very dishonest viewpoint which makes me question whether the author has ever met an actual "conservative", or if, like many of our progressive friends, she is making up nonsense based on a lot of politically charged stereotypes. If there's one thing this past election teaches us, it is that, politically speaking, progressives are every bit as didactic and authoritarian as they accuse conservatives of being. Case in point:
"Try clicker training at your boarding barn and see what happens? People who were raised in the strict father model will see your training as immoral. They can’t leave you alone because they view your actions as a threat to their authority. So whether they are in your barn, or on the internet, they will feel that it is their moral duty to punish your training choice. We see this all the time on facebook and in forums. Post an enthusiastic report about your first attempt at clicker training, and what happens? You’ll draw in all the sharks in the neighborhood."
And yet here is this woman bashing anyone over the head with "strict father" metaphors if they don't adhere to HER preferred training technique!
Here's the deal: I have never once said one word against clicker training, nor positive reinforcement--and you won't hear it because I believe it is a valuable and legitimate training technique when applied correctly. However, I do not think it is the exclusive way to train, nor the only correct way to train. I hope that I never give anyone the impression that my way of training is the only way either. We all have many things to learn from one another and from our collective education and experience. It's good to tell what works for us and be honest about what doesn't. I've never met a trainer yet who "knew it all". Right now we are going back to basics with our goat Finn because he's not happy in his training. I plan to make a separate post about that later. The key here is that it's the trainer's job, no matter what technique they are using, to ensure the overall comfort and happiness of their animals. It could be that the animal is uncomfortable because of equipment. Or maybe he's out of shape. Maybe he doesn't like the treat you're using. Maybe you need to improve your handling skills. Maybe the training technique that worked well for one animal doesn't work so well for another. Maybe there's a combination of several things going on. It's the trainer's job to evaluate these possibilities and go back to the point where you were working well together and start over.
One thing that bothers me about several of the clicker training articles I've read is that they indicate that if you're having a training problem, it's because your technique is bad. Fine. But if you aren't having a training problem, then it's because your animal is in a state of "learned helplessness". That is the cheater's way of being right no matter what. If clicker trainers want others to listen then they need to stop taking the "my way or the highway" approach that alienates anyone who has successfully trained an animal using any other method.
Oh, and you actually can see a goblet and two faces at once if you just focus.
Even more than the overly simplistic view of politics, what I found awful was the "strict father" vs. "nurturing parent" dichotomy. The author espouses a ridiculously narrow view of family psychology and boils it down to two stereotypes. I get the feeling that this author has some deep-seated daddy issues since she doesn't say "strict parent" (she mentions briefly that mothers can be strict and fathers can be nurturing, but she won't go so far as to embrace gender equality in the terms she uses). She also has no room in her confined viewpoint for discipline and nurture to go hand-in-hand. You are either a strict disciplinarian (read that "abuser"), or you are a nurturer. There is no middle ground in her thinking. Notice that the terms the author uses predispose the reader to hate the one and love the other. The article presents a very dishonest viewpoint which makes me question whether the author has ever met an actual "conservative", or if, like many of our progressive friends, she is making up nonsense based on a lot of politically charged stereotypes. If there's one thing this past election teaches us, it is that, politically speaking, progressives are every bit as didactic and authoritarian as they accuse conservatives of being. Case in point:
"Try clicker training at your boarding barn and see what happens? People who were raised in the strict father model will see your training as immoral. They can’t leave you alone because they view your actions as a threat to their authority. So whether they are in your barn, or on the internet, they will feel that it is their moral duty to punish your training choice. We see this all the time on facebook and in forums. Post an enthusiastic report about your first attempt at clicker training, and what happens? You’ll draw in all the sharks in the neighborhood."
And yet here is this woman bashing anyone over the head with "strict father" metaphors if they don't adhere to HER preferred training technique!
Here's the deal: I have never once said one word against clicker training, nor positive reinforcement--and you won't hear it because I believe it is a valuable and legitimate training technique when applied correctly. However, I do not think it is the exclusive way to train, nor the only correct way to train. I hope that I never give anyone the impression that my way of training is the only way either. We all have many things to learn from one another and from our collective education and experience. It's good to tell what works for us and be honest about what doesn't. I've never met a trainer yet who "knew it all". Right now we are going back to basics with our goat Finn because he's not happy in his training. I plan to make a separate post about that later. The key here is that it's the trainer's job, no matter what technique they are using, to ensure the overall comfort and happiness of their animals. It could be that the animal is uncomfortable because of equipment. Or maybe he's out of shape. Maybe he doesn't like the treat you're using. Maybe you need to improve your handling skills. Maybe the training technique that worked well for one animal doesn't work so well for another. Maybe there's a combination of several things going on. It's the trainer's job to evaluate these possibilities and go back to the point where you were working well together and start over.
One thing that bothers me about several of the clicker training articles I've read is that they indicate that if you're having a training problem, it's because your technique is bad. Fine. But if you aren't having a training problem, then it's because your animal is in a state of "learned helplessness". That is the cheater's way of being right no matter what. If clicker trainers want others to listen then they need to stop taking the "my way or the highway" approach that alienates anyone who has successfully trained an animal using any other method.
Oh, and you actually can see a goblet and two faces at once if you just focus.