[July 08, 2014] Growing up in the Deep South provided me with opportunities for my friends and I to get into trouble and plenty of fistfights with each other. Preceding any fight however, there was the obligatory taunting: sticking our tongue out, name-calling, daring them in some way. My first grade teacher, upon observing one of these fights, gave me some good advice that I did not initially recognize as valuable. He told me that “taunting your opponent will not win you any fights.”
The French castle scene from the movie “Monty Python and the Holy Grail”
Taunting your opponent has little value, especially in the adult world. Taunting can be valuable if your opponent is demoralized or reacts without thinking … both unlikely. On the flip side, it can anger an opponent and make them more aggressive and stronger in attacking the person taunting them … more likely. The risk, therefore, associated with taunting an opponent far outweighs the gains it may bring to someone. Taunting does make a person feel better, at least initially. I felt better in the first grade when I did it.
When adults taunt their opponent, it is usually a sign of immaturity. It shows that the person has not thought through their behavior and what consequences and risks may arise. Leadership can help. Leadership means acting professionally and ethically – taunting is not consistent with professional behavior.
As a first grader I still enjoyed saying “oh yeah?” or “I double dog dare ya”. But I was still not yet 10 years old. Makes one wonder about the televised wrestling matches with all the theatrics, or with our politicians who try to gain our attention through any means.
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[Information about Taunting] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taunting
[The Monty Python – French castle scene script – classic “taunting”] http://www.scribd.com/doc/2946145/MontyPython-Script-French