Respect: a right or privilage?

Title says all, what's your opinion on respect should people be respected regardless of what they do or should people have to earn it?

My personal opinion is no one deserves respect right off the bat they have to do something to earn it, being raised how I was the standard was proving strength but people can prove their worth in other ways.

Now to put a basic summery of my view on respect I don't care what race, gender, religion, political view, group(social, political or activist) family, friends or who you know, fuck all that, what is it that you personally an individual human being have done to deserve respect.
(fyi this is the censored version of what was originally said)

I think every person deserves a basic amount of respect, and that you should be polite enough to listen to them if they talk to you, consider what their saying, be kind to them if you can - all within reason. I don't see any reason to not offer anyone basic courtesy. Not to say that you have to honor everything they ask of you or bend over backwards to please all people, but being polite and respectful of everyone is easy and really nothing bad can come of it.

Trust, on the other hand, I would say must be strictly earned and with good god damned reason. Trust should not be implicit between anybody, and should be earned with your actions, not your words.

Yep this sounds just about right. It's unfortunate that people don't take such listens to heart all the time

Respect people for their actions. People who do nothing are not worthy of respect, even people who have to horrible things, like Hitler, are worth of respect.

To clarify the above statement: Hitler is worthy of respect, as a leader. Not many people could rile up that much support and lead an entire country to war.

Respect is something that people deserve, but should also earn. To explain better: I feel that people deserve a "default" value of respect due to being our own kin, however said respect may increase or decrease depending on several factors, including what that person did or is doing, how he/she appears to society, and so on.

So I'd say that respect is a right, but it's not everyone's right, a mass murderer would never be worthy of respect IMHO, no matter how much he achieved in life before turning to crime (this is a general statement, I'm not talking about the post above, just clarifying).

I really enjoy this question. I feel like it actually touches upon whether or not you're an optimist, pessimist or realist in your ideals pertaining to strangers.

For the most part I agree with what most of the other posters have already stated. People deserve a basic respect, "common courtesy", all other forms of respect can be lost or gained through your words and actions.

However, it's not black a while in Respect either. While you can respect a person's actions you may not respect the person. Or Vice Versa. Take for instance a young teenager that steals to feed a younger sibling because there are no parents to provide. Although the actions taken are wrong, you have to respect the kid for trying to provide for the younger sibling.

Also

I find it fantastically absurd how most people that commented want to choose both options when it is almost paradoxical to have them at the same time. You can eat as much of your cake as you want, I always say, but if you eat them both, your consequent nausea will leave you with nothing, which is what the "I'll go with A but also with B" comments imply.

In my opinion, respect is undoubtedly earned. You can't and shouldn't bring yourself to respect someone you don't agree with because he shares beliefs you consider hideous or because he has committed actions you depise. Unless the biggest trouble you had in your life was someone not invinting you to a birthday party, how can you justify respecting someone that, in your opinion, has no redeeming qualities however? I for one can't which leads me to think respect has to be earned.

To avoid the slippery slope fallacy, this is not to say people deserve to be misteated. That would be a confusion between respect and tolerance. Disrespecting someone isn't the same as being intolerant.

Well said. Frankly, couldn't have put it any better than myself.

before i read the two choices: "everyone should always be respected", and
"anyone wanting to be respected should earn it" I said to myself, people deserve common courtesy as long as they're not a jackass. respect in terms of respect is too much i think, especially in western society today, whereas, a lack of such isn't enough imo. i voted for b btw, because your question is a question of half empty or half full? and i wanted to say well it's in between, but i chose half empty.

In my personal experience, if you give respect, and do things worthy of receiving respect, you will eventually get some level of respect in return. This world is not a fair place, and by god it shouldn't ever be. If this world were 'fair', then how would 3rd world countries exist? 2nd world? Rich people, and those who live in poverty?

Where would we dump our waste and garbage, which we can't 'fairly' dump into nature? The human race cannot exist in a 'fair' world, and so, if you want respect, you must do things that deserve respect in the eyes of other people, not what you THINK will earn you respect.

By contrast, if you do things that other people view as horrendous or evil, like raping children or killing animals for fun, then you will receive no respect, rather, you will receive the disdain and hatred of your fellow man.

That being said, I don't need any respect from anyone here yet, nor do I expect it, because so far I have done nothing worthy of being called a 'respectable act or contribution' to this community. Although, if said respect is given, I will only appreciate it if I did something worth respecting.

Otherwise, your respect is truly insincere, and emptiness may fill my heart if I take such respect in stride.

I think I've said enough.

Bauer out.

Everyone deserves to be respected.

Honor on the other hand, is earned.

Simple as that.

There's being polite. Then there's having respect.

Nobody should be given a respect until the person earned it.

Being courteous, polite, mannered is one thing,
respecting and giving respect is another.

You may carry out your daily routine of calling your elder relative 'uncle' or 'auntie' but deep down there's no respect, that's called being polite and mannered.
But when you understand what they gone through or did something which you think you can never do, calling them is what we call respect.

It all boils down to the heart.

Respect is most definitely a privilege. In some countries [including this one, though to a mild degree], the idea that one should respect your elders, especially your parents, is a societal imperative.

However, in a lot of circumstances, these people have done abhorrent things to their descendants, abuse, neglect, maybe they're deadbeats, drunkards, junkies. Respect should not be surrendered to anyone that claims they deserve it by genetic right.

Respect should be earned.

Human Respect Scale:

100- Haven't found that person yet

50- Animal rescuers/civil servants (firefighters, good police, EMTs)

25- Community helper

0-Average Citizen

-25- Liars

-50- Thieves

-100- Child abusers/rapists/murders

This country is in love with the idea that you should resect everyone instantly. Last year I had to sit through around three lectures from teachers about having to respect your classmates and the members of staff. I havn't met anyone who I honestly thought deserved my respect but I've met many who jump up and down demanding it. I doubt most of those people really know what respect is. It's just a word that replaced politeness. It's a shame that's what's being taught now.

Respect. That status must be earned, common courtesy is a different ball game.

People should be treated with respect until they act in a way that shows they're not worthy of it.

I feel that respect is more of a courtesy. Think about it, do you always treat your best friend respectfully? Or do you horse around swear ect ect while with them.

I feel like everyone should have an initial respect level of 0.

This can go up or down with every word they say, or stay the same.

I also believe that everyone should be given a chance, at least a first, and this initial neutral standpoint can be improved with a simple "hello" or be deteriorated with a "what do you want"