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Steghorn21's avatar

I only half agree with that. Respect should never be automatic; it needs to be earned. If I were a kid, I would respect very few of the adults I see around me today.

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Rikard's avatar

Respect means very different things in different cultures.

For celtic/germanic-originated cultures it means something you give freely and something you work to deserve to be given; it cannot ever be demanded or forced from someone.

Have you served in the Middle East? Doesn't mean even remotely the same thing there: to them, it means showing deference and acquiescence to the stronger. Thus it can be demanded and forced from someone via (the threat of) humiliation and abuse.

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