For me, the "two by four to the noggin" approach ( which I will happily endorse and have actually used *in certain circumstances*) seems out of whack ( no pun intended) here and consequently the scene doesn't pass the the "realism test".
As far as attitudinal change goes... this is just not my experience about how that really works.
A more typical real world result, seems to me... rather than the subsequently enlightened and presumably contrite Finn that the writers apparently produced... would be alienation, anger and withdrawal and... politically speaking.... regression on the part of someone who was "half-way there". He just loses too much face in the scene. He already thinks he's doing great stuff by having a gay friend and breaking the gender-straightjacket by going out for the glee club. ( Which he IS, btw, in most HS environments). By which he puts himself in a situation where he's susceptible to we used to call "homosexual panic." In short... people will start to wonder if HE'S gay 'cause he's friends w. gays. ( They WILL, btw, in real life.)
Far as I can tell, ( again, I've never been able to follow the show, so I don't know the intricacies of the characters and the relationships) people like that tend to be more effectively motivated by *positives*.
Less "stick", more "carrot".
But... it's a tv show (a FOX tv show, yet) and subtlety doesn't carry well.
Anyway... it's a good show; the writers deserve credit for taking on these issues; and they should hire ME so that they can achieve artistic and political perfection.
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