I've heard the phrase "use the carrot or the stick" often and wanted to explore exactly what it means. The context in which I heard it recently made me ask, "Wait a minute, is one of those supposed to be a reward?"
The idiom "the carrot or the stick" refers to the motivation tactic that uses a reward and punishment system. I assume it originated with animals where the carrot was the reward for a job well done and the stick was used as punishment.
First of all, if the best you can do is a carrot for a reward, I'm out. I've never been a big fan of carrots even though they are an excellent source of beta carotene. I'll eat raw carrots with some ranch dip. If someone cooks carrots so that they turn to mush, again, I'm out. Bugs Bunny can keep them all.
What's this about the stick being punishment? I've heard the phrase "he got the short end of the stick," which implies something negative. Does that mean the long end of the stick is favorable? You know, nothing beats a good stick if you have an itch on your back that you can't quite reach. A stick is also great for poking around and moving things that you don't want to touch with your hands. Some people have even figured out how to find water with sticks.
I will most likely keep this phrase out of my daily parlance. I prefer phrases that are funny or at least garner quizzical reactions such as the other day when I told someone I was knocked over with a feather.
The idiom "the carrot or the stick" refers to the motivation tactic that uses a reward and punishment system. I assume it originated with animals where the carrot was the reward for a job well done and the stick was used as punishment.
First of all, if the best you can do is a carrot for a reward, I'm out. I've never been a big fan of carrots even though they are an excellent source of beta carotene. I'll eat raw carrots with some ranch dip. If someone cooks carrots so that they turn to mush, again, I'm out. Bugs Bunny can keep them all.
What's this about the stick being punishment? I've heard the phrase "he got the short end of the stick," which implies something negative. Does that mean the long end of the stick is favorable? You know, nothing beats a good stick if you have an itch on your back that you can't quite reach. A stick is also great for poking around and moving things that you don't want to touch with your hands. Some people have even figured out how to find water with sticks.
I will most likely keep this phrase out of my daily parlance. I prefer phrases that are funny or at least garner quizzical reactions such as the other day when I told someone I was knocked over with a feather.
