Respect

[Stellata]

How would you define respect?
How do you know someone's respecting you?
How do you know someone's not respecting you?

Are certain kinds of people more 'respect worthy' than others - if not in actual fact, but in society's unwritten 'laws'?

[sdixon]

Treating someone well, and not being inappropriate.

Being treated well.

Not being treated well, and having person issues that were stated not kept a secret.

All people deserve respect. But I will respect my elders more than someone my age right of the bat. It is also harder for someone who is my elder to lose my respect than for someone my age.

[Heidi Tiger]

This is going to be complicated as I can't quite think of the words to describe exactly what I mean. I think we should be respectful towards everyone, but that some people are more respected than others. For example someone can do something that makes you lose respect for them, there's still should be that basic level of respect that all of humanity is entitled too and I don't think being actively disrespectful is appropriate either, but levels of respect can vary depending on the person.

[whirlpools]

I think, for the most part, respect is treating someone the way you'd want them to treat you. And vice-versa. (Obviously this doesn't work if you WANT to be hurt or don't WANT someone to respect you, lol).

I would know I am being respected if someone gives me personal space and doesn't stare me in the eye, and uses a level/friendly voice when speaking to me.

Being disrespected would probably be the opposite of those things.

That said, life is unfortunately not that simple, and different issues can cause people to behave differently, for example, my friend has Asperger's and he might not always know what personal space and too much eye-contact was. The lines of social appropriateness can be blurred.

[[Purple_Rain]]

Someone isn't respecting you when they dont treat you as an equal. I.e. your ippinions arn;t as valid, they talk ove ryou/dont lisen, but yoru needs below other peoples etc.

I do howveer agree with heidi. I respect my freinds, but I respect some of them more, simply becuase they do things/say things/act in a way that i look up to.

[Buttons.]

Respect is showing someone courtesy and accepting them as a valid and worthwhile human being, just like you, I think. I also think people often confuse respect with deference, to me they are different things.

I also believe that being a certain person does not necessarily earn you respect. For example I know I may get jumped on for this, but I don't like the concept of 'respect your elders'. People older than you may have more life experience but that does not make them any nicer, any more intelligent, any more respect worthy. When I give up my seat on a bus for an elderly person (which I do) that is out of morals because I feel if someone is less able than you to stand that is the right thing to do, not out of respect.

I also thing there are two different types of respect. Respect which I try and give everyone regardless of whether I know them or not, basic respects such as respect for their views provided they don't shove them down by throat, respect for their human rights such as the right to express themselves, the right not to be harmed etc.

However a higher level of respect I reserve for people I have gotten to know who have earned it, for example if someone gives a lot of their time and energy for others then for me (everyone has different things they respect, this is just a personal example) that earns them more of my respect. If they have that level of respect then I may then show some level of deference as a Result of the respect. On the other hand someone who for example chooses not to help people has my respect for their right to choice and views from a human rights stand point that I would give Everyone but not my personal respect for them as an Individual, and they would not receive any deference from me.

I.e I try (although I am human) to give everyone regardless of who they are/what they do a base level of respect, but to get respect above basic respect for their human rights it has to be earned.

I don't know whether any of that made sense and sorry for the essay...