General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: Y'know... [View all]FlaGranny
(8,361 posts)speaking the truth. I may have generalized a bit, but I wasn't trying to write a manual on the subject. What I'm discussing has nothing to do with whether someone "deserves" respect. Any child of mine better respect the neighbor down the street, even if that neighbor is a bastard.
Whether or not a person was raised to know better is a matter of opinion. I know people who think they're raising their kids right, but what I see them doing is arguing with toddlers, not teaching them respect for others' property, teaching them to be brats, and on and on. A very religious family across the street sent their young grandkids about 8 or 9 years old to a neighbors yard to take fruit off his fruit tree. Told them that they couldn't take the fruit unless they had the owner's permission. They said their grandmother said it was okay and actually refused to stop until I told them I would have to call the police. Next time those people saw me they screamed at me for not being christian or some such nonesense. Bet you anything those people and all their friends thought they were raising good kids, when they were actually teaching them they didn't need to respect property and could take whatever they felt they deserved or wanted. That neighbor with the fruit tree complained every season about someone stealing his fruit until I caught them in the act and very carefully explained to them that they should not help themselves and should always ask permission of the owner before taking anything. That is respect.
I'm talking about a different kind of respect than you are (which is what I said above - another, different kind of respect). It is there whether a person is worthy or not. If that's a generality, then it is what it is.