I'm guessing you're not married?
(EDIT: I hope this isn't coming off as some '50s "take my wife" routine. My point is that marriage isn't about authority, it's about partnership)
(EDIT: I hope this isn't coming off as some '50s "take my wife" routine. My point is that marriage isn't about authority, it's about partnership)
In all seriousness, my point is that the person with the more radical view on how things ought to be done has to lead in that instance, and lead with authority. This doesn't imply the entire marriage is about that. But in this instance, yes. His wife would have been more receptive to his point of view if he delivered it with more authority. Passive aggressive "experiments" to prove a point will not influence her point of view and will not carry him closer to the goal of making their lives simpler.
(Oh, and no offense, but telling my wife "we're getting rid of this television come hell or high water" would have been... less than successful in the long run. Every relationship is different. Good luck with yours.)
Leading by authority alone doesn't scale. Even in places like the military where leaders have almost unlimited power, relying solely on authority is seen as poor leadership. Either you're ultra-charismatic or you just have to make sense to people.
FWIW, I've been living in the US for the past 3 years but I'm not American and neither is my wife - and our couch is far too small to sleep on (we do have an airbed though :))
Radical views should be backed by solid evidence of their correctness.
(+) Chris Rock recommends this as a way to get a woman to lick your balls, if you're interested in taking relationship advice from Chris Rock's stand-up act.