Not long ago I read a newspaper article describing the behavior
of a schoolboy who had become so unruly that teachers were
recommending that the headmaster expel him. The boy bullied
other children, swore at teachers, and was usually involved in a
fight at least a couple of times a week. The teachers had tried
every form of punishment and detention they could think of but
the boy would not conform.
Eventually the headmaster summoned the boy to his office
and gave him an ultimatum: “You have this choice—either you
accept the offer I am about to explain to you or you will be
expelled.” The boy said nothing.
The headmaster carried on, “This is the offer. You are to
agree to bully once a week, to swear a total of five times a day
(this was a lot less than the current behavior), and to fight once.”
METAMESSAGES 151