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Is respect earned??

Dizzi

magical internet cat....
ZD Legend
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Jun 22, 2016
If someone respects you do you respect them?? Cuz i have issues with my boss and she aint getting my respect!!
 

twilitfalchion

and thus comes the end of an era
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Location
Crossbell State
If it's work-related, there's a certain level of respect that's owed due to the person's position if you're their subordinate.

That said, no personal respect is owed. Respect from person-to-person is always earned. Or should be.

It's like trust. Nobody deserves trust right out of the gate. You've got to earn and establish trust between yourself and others to be trusted.
 

thePlinko

What’s the character limit on this? Aksnfiskwjfjsk
ZD Legend
That said, no personal respect is owed. Respect from person-to-person is always earned. Or should be.

It's like trust. Nobody deserves trust right out of the gate. You've got to earn and establish trust between yourself and others to be trusted.
I disagree, I think that at the base level there is some respect that’s owed. Otherwise we’d be going around insulting strangers whenever because we have no respect for them. You can, however, lose said respect, and any respect beyond the base level is absolutely earned
 

Dio

~ It's me, Dio!~
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Location
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Respect:

1. a feeling of deep admiration for someone or something elicited by their abilities, qualities, or achievements.

2.due regard for the feelings, wishes, or rights of others.

Definition 1. That is always earned by actions of the person. I don't admire anyone without good reason unless they have proved themselves. I don't have any extra respect for people in positions of power, for instance @Dizzi the boss in your workplace you mentioned doesn't deserve respect as a person just because they are a boss. You might follow their leadership as that is what is required for your job but you don't need to have any kind of reverence towards them.

Definition 2. This is the kind of respect I have for the people I meet but don't know. Showing common courtesy and giving them a chance to show what kind of person they are.
 

NintendoCN

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Protagonist
I show people the same respect they share me. If I just meet them, I speak to them like a person and with the respect I would like to receive.
 
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I used to believe that there was at least a baseline sense of decency, and only that when someone feels superior and that they are thus owed respect that they don’t really deserve any. But these days I find it is apparently impossible for anyone to go out of their way to not speed down the freeway recklessly or through red lights, not pick up after themselves, etc etc.
 

Azure Sage

March onward forever...
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There's no reason to not be courteous to strangers or people you're talking to or working with right off the bat, and I believe that counts as a form of respect. I don't believe that respect beyond courtesy is owed to anyone, and it's very easy to lose it if something wrong has been done. That said, unless you enjoy having problems in your day to day life, operating without courtesy even to those you don't respect isn't always very feasible. If you work with someone every day and you don't like them, letting them know you don't like them can often make seeing them every day worse, if that makes sense. It's easier and better to not throw the first stone in such situations, unless the other person is doing something directly harmful or something.

People in positions of power over you aren't owed your respect, either, but like I said, being discourteous to such a person in non-extreme situations just because you don't respect them is a great way to give yourself problems that don't need to exist.
 

Morbid Minish

Spooky Scary Skeleton.
Forum Volunteer
I extend common courtesy to everyone unless they give me reason not to. Even when it's not directly to them, whenever people complain about workers or something I usually tend to explain how it's not always their fault and try to assume the best.

I don't like the whole "respect your elders" thing and whatnot though. Because in that case I feel more like respect is earned. They get the same common courtesy as anyone else unless they show otherwise. I'm not going to respect someone more just for being older or in a position of power. Those things don't make them better than anyone else and I don't like the notion that it does. I especially tend to have issues with authority. Lol. The only times I got in trouble during school were when I "disrespected" authority because I thought they were in the wrong.
 

TheGreatCthulhu

Composer of the Night.
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Very much a dude.
I think all too often people confuse common courtesy with respect.

Common courtesy is being polite. Opening doors if they're right behind you, saying please and thank you, excuse me, and if we work together, not creating a hostile work environment by discussing politics, religion, or any other things that are unprofessional, and not work related.

Basically, I'll try my best to treat everyone politely. It literally costs nothing to me, and ensures we get along together in society.

Now respect is a different thing for me. Respect is defined as admiration for someone because of their qualities or achievements, and that is always earned.

It's like trust. I'll treat everyone politely, but I don't trust everyone the same way that I trust my wife, my family, and my close friends, you have to earn trust.

So do I respect someone? Well, my answer is usually, "Well, have they done something worthy of respect?"

Now, for your boss, I'd apply that rule. Has your boss done something worthy of your respect? If not, then all you have to do as an employee is follow their leadership, as that's required for your job, but you don't have to respect them as a person.
 

Aro

Joined
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Location
USA
I feel like when you meet someone for the first time, treat them with common curtesies and such, but you also have a baseline respect for strangers that they don’t earn depending on multiple factors, and with their actions they can show you who they are, and it can lower your respect or increase your respect for them, there is no such thing as 0 respect or such thing as 100% respect, nor is there a way to calculate respect, you just feel it, just like you can’t calculate trust you just feel how much you trust them etc.
 

Jimmu

Administrator
Staff member
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I think that when you meet someone there is a certain level of civility and courtesy you should afford to them as others here have indicated. When it comes to respect it is ultimately up to an individual how much they respect another individual. Respect should be earned through actions, achievements, and treatment of others and if someone gives you a good reason not to feel respect toward them then you shouldn't have to feel respect to them. There are certain situations where you will still have to interact with people you don't feel respect toward and where appropriate and possible you will still need to act civil toward these people. Relationships and dynamics between people are so different for every case so the way you deal with treating someone you don't respect is something you should carefully consider on a case by case basis that takes into account your needs, your ability (or lack there of) to remove yourself from their influence and company, and the surrounding context as a whole.
 

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