Mike DomitrzPresident, Author, and Speaker on Respect, The Center for Respect, Inc. · Author & Speaker on Respect for Schools, Corporations, & the Military since 1990 (has reached

Its important to teach people what to do instead of what not to do

22 Oct 2025 · 1 min

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In this short monologue, the speaker argues that warning people—especially youth—about what not to do is ineffective and can even backfire. He cites the 1980s "Don't do drugs" campaign as a prominent example, noting that drug use actually increased after the campaign because it only highlighted the prohibited behavior without offering alternatives. The speaker concludes that the proper educational approach should focus on teaching people constructive actions rather than merely listing prohibitions, as the latter merely raises awareness of the undesirable behavior without providing a positive path.

Chapters

Has it ever been effective to tell young or older people what not to do? No. In the 1980s, they became famous in the world of education because they ran a very well-known campaign on don't do drugs. That was the whole campaign. Don't do drugs. It was on TV all the time. What happened to drug use following the campaign? It actually went up. It was an amazing assessment on what happens when you tell people what not to do. Because you gave them nothing to do. So the idea is I'm going to tell you all what not to do so then you don't do the worst thing, but actually the worst thing happens more often because the only thing I've done is teach you about the worst thing.