The Importance of Respect Essay Example

As a kid, respect is one of the first things we learn in regard to social behavior. “If you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say anything at all,” for example, is something almost every child has heard when a parent is trying to teach them how to be respectful to others. Being kind and understanding towards others is a universal concept everyone has encountered-- and have probably been lectured about. Society constantly claims to value this trait, with the expectations of being respectful to others written in almost every handbook. You hear that you must respect your elders, those in authority, and everyone around you without exception wherever you go whether it’s on the job, or just out in public. And yet, even though respect is constantly brought up in society, it seems that in recent years the idea of what respect is has lost its meaning.

Respect, as the American Psychology Association states , is “an attitude of, or behavior demonstrating, esteem, honor, regard, concern, and other such positive qualities toward an individual or entity”(“Respect.” APA Dictionary). In short, respect is the way you treat someone when being polite and is a positive act for both parties involved. But contrary to this, in today’s world, respect is being used simply as a cover for greed. When someone says or demands respect, it can be a scenario where if they are not getting what they want, then you are being rude and disrespectful in their eyes. In “Respect. Honor. Dignity” from  British Columbia Medical Journal, Matthew Chow explains, “Growing up I followed the golden rule: ‘Treat others as you want to be treated.’... Later, I was introduced to the upgraded platinum rule: ‘Treat others as they would like to be treated.’ This is fundamentally different. The golden rule is based on my standard. What I want. The platinum rule is about your standard. What you want”(Chow 273). Chow shows the nuances of what respect is. People want what they want, regardless of your opinion, and any deviation from that tags you as disrespectful in their eyes. 

Since such perspective differences exist, misuse of respect can be clearly seen in workplace environments.  The “2021 WBI U.S. Workplace Bullying Survey” from the Workplace Bullying Institute states that “52% of non-management employees”(qtd. in Namie, “2021 WBI”) experience workplace bullying and that around “48.6 million Americans are bullied at work”(qtd. in Namie, “2021 WBI”). People use their authority and position of power to “demand respect”, or in more truthful terms, try to get what they want. Most likely from their perspective, as a boss or manager they have a right to be treated how they want to be treated. If you don’t treat them how they wish, then you are being disrespectful since they are the ones in a higher position and therefore the ones who have the power to determine what respect is in the workplace. In the end, though, respect is being used as nothing more than an excuse to get their way. You can also see misuse of respect in parent/child relationships. When a child does something wrong, a parent will scold them. But, if a child ever tries to defend themselves, they are suddenly labeled as disrespectful. To a parent, a child’s job is to silently accept discipline and learn from their mistakes. When a child speaks their own opinion, parents see it as an act of rebellion, even if a child is simply confused and questioning their punishment. Since any argument to the punishment pushes against a parent's idea of 'being right', the child receives the title of disrespectful, because of a parent's reluctance to accept their own faults. In both cases, those in authority are just using respect as an excuse for them to get their way regardless of the fairness and truth of their accusations. In the end, the idea of respect is determined and enforced by those in power, and because of such it has become corrupt as authority has twisted it's meaning in order to get what they want.

The new meaning respect has been given completely contradicts its actual meaning. It is meant to be a way of being polite and sincere to others, but instead it is being used as a tactic to oppress those without power. Alessandro Lo Presti writes that “[I]t was hypothesized that workplace bullying would be associated with higher anxiety and depression and, through them, with higher physical and psychological negative symptoms”(Lo Presti, “The Associations”). in Europe’s Journal of Psychology.  Respect is meant to be an act that is positive and beneficial to all parties involved, yet it is doing nothing but creating a long lasting negative effect on those not in power. Respect is supposed to be about politeness and understanding one another, but now it is only a device to oppress, accuse, and deceive. Respect has been entirely corrupted to the point where the original meaning has become nothing but a shadow to its current twisted purpose.

In the end, respect is something positive, beneficial, and polite that has been corrupted into a way for those in power to get what they want. The idea of respect has been turned around to mean almost the exact opposite of what it actually is supposed to be. This has caused countless negative effects in the workplace and in one's life. Respect has been corrupted and manipulated, and needs to be brought back to its original meaning.