A little discussion on the chat prompted me to make this thread about the subject of respect and how you may use it. Whether it be talking about life time friends, or someone you just met on the street. Here is where your view can be told to others. :)
I guess I give a moderate amount of respect until they either disrespect me or if I surmise that they are just an idiot. Depends on your definition of respect though.
I think I give people I have never met or spoken to before respect as in I let them think, say, value whatever, even if it works out that I'm talking to something horrible like a nazist. However, giving a person respect doesn't mean I'd think highly of them.
I know I already outlined my view on this in the chat, but just indulge me; let me elucidate somewhat.
Until recently, I always thought that respect was inherently deserved by all people until they did something that made them unworthy--and there was very little that could lead to that, aside from criminal activity or complete disregard for someone defenseless or pure of intention. I felt this way because I reasoned that if I wanted to be given respect inherently from all people, including strangers, that I needed to do the same and be patient; give the benefit of the doubt.
Well, life has shown me very harshly and clearly that this line of thinking is not only childish, it's dangerous and moronic. Hobbes contended that people are inherently evil and I was never predicated to believe it, but I am beginning to turn in his favor. Dealing out trust, respect, and friendship to everyone without scruples, without forethought, without careful observation, is the best path to ruination. It doesn't matter who they are; any person given enough freedom in relation to another person's life and emotions will use them as a weapon against that person. They will cut your throat and run, without a second thought. I, personally, have been on both sides of that fence. It's not something that the majority of humanity would ever intend to do. It's simply what happens when two people allow each other to get close to them prematurely. One sees the opportunity, takes advantage of the other, and makes his escape.
Respect is not inherently deserved. It is earned, arduously and over many years. It takes time, effort, and devotion to truly earn respect from another person, and it is easily lost again, in a fraction of a second. It's the same with trust.
Now, I don't intend to say that respect and courtesy are the same thing, that they go hand in hand. They certainly don't. I treat all people that I meet and handle with the utmost courtesy and etiquette. But I neither respect nor trust a single one of them. That's just for my own protection.
I'll be open in saying that all this applies globally, present company included.
You and everyone else on the internet, Nellie. Either way, it then gets into how you define respect. I, personally, see courtesy and respect as being two very similar things. As for Hobbes...you have to believe in good and evil for that, he was mostly just saying that people would act on selfish impulses because that's how we're hardwired. To which I totally agree, I truly believe that we're all selfish and only do anything for ourselves but for me that includes doing "good" deeds and "bad" deeds.