• petrol_sniff_king@lemmy.blahaj.zone
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    24 hours ago

    Yeah, I’ve seen a lot of people react like the treats are indignifying, as if positive and negative reinforcement only happen in a lab or something.

    • logos@sh.itjust.works
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      15 hours ago

      Yeah, the single m&m is a little weird but how is it really different than seeing someone in a bag mood and telling them a joke or something to lift their spirits?

      • T156@lemmy.world
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        11 hours ago

        People wouldn’t blink twice if you’d brought your partner some chocolate, or lunch because they were having a bad day.

    • Ohmmy@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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      15 hours ago

      Pretty sure it’s the lack of consent of the intent that is undignified. Just like many woman prefer to not have their date pay for their meal because it sets the implication that they have to pay via other ways and they didn’t consent to this.

      • petrol_sniff_king@lemmy.blahaj.zone
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        14 hours ago

        Okay, I asked somebody else, maybe you can help.

        Consent to what? What is he supposed to be consenting to? That she thinks thoughts in her head? M&M’s are not actually magic, he does not have to be any happier if he doesn’t want to.

        Like, let’s look at another act of subtle coercion: the advertising industry. An ad agency’s entire job is to either directly or indirectly prime and condition you into believing certain things about whatever it is they’re selling.

        Maybe they want you to believe it’s a good product. Maybe they want you to believe that Apple is “clean” and “cool” and “for creatives.” Maybe they want you to believe that protesters are crazed lunatics throwing firebombs and flipping cars all the time.

        And, while this is deliberate manipulation, I’ve never heard anybody talk about how they didn’t consent to it. If a salesman is trying to coerce you into something, your consent is the contract you sign.

        And likewise, I don’t see how this guy isn’t consenting to M&M’s making him happier when they either did or did not do that in the first place.