Respect: Earned or Given?
Respect is ALWAYS earned. You can't just give it away! You can "show" respect for a position ... like the Presidency ... but the President HAS to earn it in the end! I respected Dubya until he screwed up royally! After that , NO! I never would go after his wife, though, as many did with Michelle. DISRESPECT should be earned also. 2
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Respect must be earned, because providing respect unconditionally is just like lowering the currency. It merely closes the disparity between individuals in terms of how much respect they elicit. In the long term, this would likely lead to an entitled society in which teenagers begin whining about not being respected by others' viewpoints. Oh wait. But anyways, it inflates the perceived, introspective value which is projected onto oneself. In my view, a proper society would involve giving respect and dignity to everyone, unless they disrespect or denigrate another person. My country, the UK, is becoming increasingly rude because people simply do not have any respect for one another. Most of my customers at my work are rude, short-tempered and deceptive. To give respect to each other would create a happier, more well-integrated country. I think the USA is becoming very similar, as seen at Charlottesville earlier this year. Perhaps authority, that is, the ability to compel another to act in a certain way, ought to be earned by those best suited to exercise it, but in my view respect is just something that involves treating others as you would like to be treated and so should be given rather than earned. Both. Surely, respect is earned... But is there not such a thing as common courtesy? What about respect for another's basic human rights? The fact that people treat dogs differently than humans(for the most part) should tell you that there is a certain type of respect we give that isn't earned. 1
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