06/28/02: Doling out Respect

[juju]

Respect. How do you give it out, and in what quantities? Under what conditions?

The assistant manager where I work looks about 35 years old, and I look about 18.

A few days ago, a guy I work with found out that I am 26. He was even more astonished to discover that I am 2 years younger than the assitant manager. After a few seconds ponderance, he stated, "I'll have to start giving you more respect".

I responded with a very perplexed "Why?".

He just said, "Well, you're older, and you've had more experiences".

I tried to convince him to not give me more respect just because I was older, but it was to no avail.

Just because i've had more of an opportunity to have experiences doesn't mean that i've actually had them. I could have sat in my room my entire life (actually somewhat true). And even if I did have more experiences, who's to say I learned from them? I think a young person can be wiser than an older person if they learn from their life lessons more efficiently. But it seems some people automatically give older people more respect.

This seems in direct contradiction to how most people tell me they give respect. These people give no respect, or a minimal amount of respect, to people they don't know. Then, as time goes on the person can "earn" their respect by doing good things. Are older people getting a free ride in this scheme?

My scheme is different. I respect everyone -- even strangers. I treat complete strangers as my utter equal. Then, as time goes on, if they burn me I may take some respect away.

I think this causes people to like me more. This isn't the goal, of course; it's just a side-effect. People like being treated with respect.

I think it bothered me that he said that because older people always think that they're better than younger people. This makes me so red-hot angry. Just because younger people haven't had the chance to learn what older people have learned, they think they're so superior. And then to have younger people actually go along with this outrage! "Respect your elders" indeed. Piss on your elders! Whatever happened to judging people based on what they've done and said? It's all thrown out the window, and people are given more respect just for being older.