Nope - just face it you're wrong!! I don't respect them as human beings in any way and I don't hold them in esteem as it says! 
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R-E-S-P-E-C-T
- Thread starter disenchant
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I feel that a dictionary definition of a word, especially one such as "respect," can never do the word justice.
To me, I find something like respecting someone's right to have their own opinion doesn't mean that I automatically respect them. I may not respect the person at all, but respect my belief (and I suppose certain legal documents as well) that everyone is entitled to their own opinion. In that sense, the respect is not directed at the person whose opinion I'm respecting, but rather their right to have an opinion.
At the end of the day, I find it highly unlikely that you're going to convince Bruce that he's wrong about his notion of what "respect" is, and he's not going to change yours, morf.
Also, I get the feeling that some people who do, actually, see themselves as superior to others can still treat those "inferior" people in a respectful manner. And yet, they may have no respect for said "inferior" individuals, simply based on their own elevated opinions of themself.
Am I making any sense to anyone other than myself?
To me, I find something like respecting someone's right to have their own opinion doesn't mean that I automatically respect them. I may not respect the person at all, but respect my belief (and I suppose certain legal documents as well) that everyone is entitled to their own opinion. In that sense, the respect is not directed at the person whose opinion I'm respecting, but rather their right to have an opinion.
At the end of the day, I find it highly unlikely that you're going to convince Bruce that he's wrong about his notion of what "respect" is, and he's not going to change yours, morf.
Also, I get the feeling that some people who do, actually, see themselves as superior to others can still treat those "inferior" people in a respectful manner. And yet, they may have no respect for said "inferior" individuals, simply based on their own elevated opinions of themself.
Am I making any sense to anyone other than myself?
Well I agree on the dictionary part - I know what respect means from years of experience - not a few vague words!
You have to earn my respect by doing something worthy - others may want to give out their respect will-nilly - but then it effectively becomes worthless!
You have to earn my respect by doing something worthy - others may want to give out their respect will-nilly - but then it effectively becomes worthless!
Nope. I can consider someone to be inferior and still show them courtesy. Respect implies admiration.
Arguing from dictionary definitions is seldom satisfactory. Merriam Webster appear to have changed their definition:
Main Entry: 2respect
Function: transitive verb
1 a : to consider worthy of high regard : ESTEEM b : to refrain from interfering with <please respect their privacy>
2 : to have reference to : CONCERN
It's possible to respect their feelings or respect their rights, without respecting them.
(It's also possible to consider someone inferior without having an elevated opinion of oneself. Some people are, through their own actions, less worthy than others.)
In my opinion, no man can rightfully judge another man's worth. Emphasis on rightfully. Considering someone as "inferior" thus loses its meaning, as while you may believe the person to be inferior, you have no real way to know that they are for sure inferior, since you're comparing a human being (yourself) to another human being, without knowing all the human beings, and what makes up a superior being and an inferior one.
Human beings have many facets, and depending on the context, the definition of "inferior" may drastically change.
For example, while a man may be facist and hate jews, he may be a formidable basketball player. You will not respect his views on jews, but you will respect his basketball skills. Both are facets of the same human being, and you can thus say that you respect the man for his basketball skills.
It's the same for someone you work with. While you do not agree with their views and opinions, you show them courtesy and you're polite to them, respecting their opinion even though you do not agree. Respect doesn't necessarily imply that you admire their opinions, it means that wether or not you agree with a person, you will not put them down needlessly just because they dont have the same opinion as you. That is respect.
Children respect their parents. For example, respecting your parents means not talking back to them, and this does not hold any esteem or admiration whatsoever. You may respect your parents BECAUSE you admire them, but you may also respect them without admiring them.
Respect, IMHO again, means treating someone the way you expect them to treat you.
Human beings have many facets, and depending on the context, the definition of "inferior" may drastically change.
For example, while a man may be facist and hate jews, he may be a formidable basketball player. You will not respect his views on jews, but you will respect his basketball skills. Both are facets of the same human being, and you can thus say that you respect the man for his basketball skills.
It's the same for someone you work with. While you do not agree with their views and opinions, you show them courtesy and you're polite to them, respecting their opinion even though you do not agree. Respect doesn't necessarily imply that you admire their opinions, it means that wether or not you agree with a person, you will not put them down needlessly just because they dont have the same opinion as you. That is respect.
Children respect their parents. For example, respecting your parents means not talking back to them, and this does not hold any esteem or admiration whatsoever. You may respect your parents BECAUSE you admire them, but you may also respect them without admiring them.
Respect, IMHO again, means treating someone the way you expect them to treat you.
With respect
)), that's utter nonsense. Some months ago, the family that lived across the street from me made the national news. The kids were filthy and clearly out of control. They had a number of dogs that would escape and attack people from time to time. The garden was full of rubbish...
Social services had been trying to get access to the house for months following reports to them and to the police from neighbours and the kids' teachers. Eventually, they managed to get a court order to allow them in following the bizarre behaviour of the youngest boy, who continually stank of urine and would bark like a dog when frightened.
When the police forced their way in, they found 22 dogs in the house. The walls and floors were smeared with faeces, there was an overpowering stench of ammonia from urine in the carpets. There were piles of dead flies covering the floors and surfaces.
The children were taken into care and three of the four turned out to be infected with Toxocara canis from injesting dog faeces.
If that wasn't enough, the parents weren't content with messing up their own children, they had to mess up other families by dealing heroin to local kids.
You want to tell me I have no way of telling that I'm a better person than these scumbags?
Admittedly, I'd have difficulty treating them politely once they're released from prison, but I'd try out of self-respect.
Let me then rephrase: One cannot have respect for a man with no respect for himself, because that man is no longer a man but a beast. Don't know who said it, can't remember.
When it comes to the average joe working at the office and you dont respect him because he lurks at woman's bodies too much or something or other, you don't know if inside isn't a great man. You judge by what little you do know, and such jugement, in my tiny young'uns experience (
), never brought any good upon anybody.
When it comes to the average joe working at the office and you dont respect him because he lurks at woman's bodies too much or something or other, you don't know if inside isn't a great man. You judge by what little you do know, and such jugement, in my tiny young'uns experience (
), never brought any good upon anybody.
Nope, nope...can't see myself thinking I'm not superior to the people Dlloyd described in his post. Can't see myself being able to refrain from showing slight contempt for them if they came back and had not changed. All of that neglect and cruelty due to neglect? Couldn't respect that at all.
Respect has a deeper meaning that simple courtesy. I'm polite to panhandlers, but I don't respect them. I try to be courteous even to those people that I dislike. I don't respect them. To me, just the mere fact thatsomeone is human warrants a certain courtesy whenever it can be given. Respect goes hand in hand with esteem and honor, IMO.
Respect has a deeper meaning that simple courtesy. I'm polite to panhandlers, but I don't respect them. I try to be courteous even to those people that I dislike. I don't respect them. To me, just the mere fact thatsomeone is human warrants a certain courtesy whenever it can be given. Respect goes hand in hand with esteem and honor, IMO.
Let me then rephrase: One cannot have respect for a man with no respect for himself, because that man is no longer a man but a beast. Don't know who said it, can't remember.
When it comes to the average joe working at the office and you dont respect him because he lurks at woman's bodies too much or something or other, you don't know if inside isn't a great man. You judge by what little you do know, and such jugement, in my tiny young'uns experience (
I don't really respect myself. I'm depressive, am only a satisfactory student and I don't make enough money to support myself. I'm not lower than low, but knowing my potential, I can't really respect myself.
I am far from being a beast. So that quote is dependent upon the quoters definition of respect.
I agree with trying not to cast initial judgement. It's near impossible not to judge, but it's more possible not to let that judgement affect your perception of someone...atleast until they prove your judgement to be correct.
In my experiences judgements change with perception.
While defining "inferiority" in absolute terms of quality, say, with precious metals and jewels, sure, it's easy to say what's inferior and superior. However, I find your argument about judging human inferiority and superiority to be hugely flawed, based simply on the fact that, as you suggested, humans are not like metals and jewels. There's more to each of us than a whole lot of carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, and other molecules. When combined to make a human being, and the human consciousness comes into play. Awareness of your surroundings, being taught what is "right" and what is "wrong," whether you prefer blondes or brunettes, a whole lot of other factors are involved with people. We are, or at least I feel we have become, innately subjective. What I see as beautiful, you may see as repulsive and vice versa.
As such, my personal opinions of who is superior and who is inferior are based on nothing more than my opinion. My opinion, in turn, is influenced by a myriad of different things. Regardless of what these things may be, if I feel that I am superior to you, in my mind it's true, and at the end of the day, what's true in my mind will be, to me, true in the world. Others may disagree and argue with me, but if everything I know has led me to this conclusion, for all intents and purposes, you are inferior to me.
As for respecting one's parents, I can tell you from things I've seen and heard from friends, classmates, and other people that I know, and sometimes people that I don't know, this is not a universal truth. I know that I respect my parents greatly for raising me the way they did. From the words you chose in your post, I get the sense that you feel the same way about your parents. However, it's unfortunately also true that many people out there don't respect their parents, especially by the parameters you've laid out as what "respect" for one's parents entails.
Given the length of this post so far, I'm afraid that you may get the sense that I'm attacking you personally. I hope this isn't the case, but if that is the feeling you get, I apologize, as that is not my intention. This would also be a good place for me to say that I agree with you when you say that "no man can rightfully judge another man's worth."
Err... sorry - you're wrong there - as usual!
Given the number of asbos flying around in Britain and the fact that the government is going to implement compulsory parenting orders - it's pretty clear that nowdays children don't respect their parents!
And I can think of many reasons why they would have legitimate reasons for not doing so as well - physical, sexual or mental abuse to start with!
I don't really respect myself. I'm depressive, am only a satisfactory student and I don't make enough money to support myself. I'm not lower than low, but knowing my potential, I can't really respect myself.
I am far from being a beast. So that quote is dependent upon the quoters definition of respect.
I agree with trying not to cast initial judgement. It's near impossible not to judge, but it's more possible not to let that judgement affect your perception of someone...atleast until they prove your judgement to be correct.
In my experiences judgements change with perception.
You respect yourself enough not to let yourself go to waste, or your kids if you have any. Thats as little respect as I need to not see you as a beast.
Dont worry, no offense taken, we're just talking.
I'd like to come back on what you've said though. While you may believe at the end of the day, that I am inferior, and while you may also believe that IS the true world, you believing it doesnt make it true for anyone but yourself, and a single's man opinion isnt worth much.
As far as respecting parents go, I meant it in a general sense. Of course there are exceptions, and its those very exceptions that prove that respect isnt specifically admiration or esteem, seeing how there are kids in the world out there that respect their parents without looking up to them. I gave the example merely to show that the notion of respect is much wider than simple admiration or esteem. I never implied ALL kids respect their parents.
Err... sorry - you're wrong there - as usual!
Given the number of asbos flying around in Britain and the fact that the government is going to implement compulsory parenting orders - it's pretty clear that nowdays children don't respect their parents!
And I can think of many reasons why they would have legitimate reasons for not doing so as well - physical, sexual or mental abuse to start with!
Read my last post instead of jumping to conclusions and failing to see the point of my argument. It's really annoying to discuss anything with you because you always jump on whatever little piece of information you can argue and be right about, especially when its not relevant to the subject here. If you're not interested in discussing this seriously please, refrain from replying to my posts
I disagree with everything you said. I think the term "showing respect" (ie, being courteous and polite) means that you are showing that you respect someone. You may not admire them or look up to them, but you still think they are worthy of being treated fairly and politely. That is a form of respect. I "show respect" because I respect other people, not because it's expected of me. There are things I don't do even though they are expected of me. And there have been times when I haven't "shown respect" for someone because I didn't feel any respect for them. I certainly didn't put on "a show" even though people might expected me to.
I'm tired, so maybe that didn't make sense. My point is I am courteous and polite because I respect people, not because it's expected of me. I call this "showing respect" and I do it not as a "show" or a facade but because I respect other people. I don't feel admiration for all of them but I certainly hold them in high enough regard as human beings to treat them fairly and politely (except on very rare occasions).
Read my last post instead of jumping to conclusions and failing to see the point of my argument. It's really annoying to discuss anything with you because you always jump on whatever little piece of information you can argue and be right about, especially when its not relevant to the subject here. If you're not interested in discussing this seriously please, refrain from replying to my posts
Just because you lost the argument!!
Nyah nyah...
