Black People : When Keeping It Real Goes Wrong

[river]

What you are saying is true. But I suppose that by my saying respect is earned...I simply mean you're actions are viewed from the time you come into contact with another person. Age really doesn't have any bearing on it...well, at least not to me.

If you meet someone new and act rude and negative, you haven't yet earned the respect of those around you. If you are pleasant and friendly, people will respect you.

Same goes for children. I've gone to the park with my God-son and have run into mean little kids who were rude - and some were as young as 5 years old. I understand that the child's behavior may not be totally his fault...but that child was also far from gaining any respect from me. When I tried to talk to the child, I was almost cussed out.

So you are right, respect is given automatically until you do something to take it away...but isn't that still like earning respect?

I am thinking the word admire would be more in line with what you are describing than respect.

Admiration is how you feel or think about a person and is very much based on their behavior. But respect is how you treat a person and is based on you. The problem with disrespecting a person because you don't feel they have earned your respect is that in any negative interaction people tend to forget their part in the situation and remember only what you did to them. Your disrespectful behavior cancels out their behavior and makes them feel justified in retaliating against you. *** for tat you did this so I'll do that. The cycle spirals downward and nobody remembers who did what first.

 

[toylin]

Dang, are we going to have to start a post in Parenting? "Things Black parents say to scare their kids" LOL... Hmm......

That's just what I was thinking about before I read it. Man this must be a universal saying like all these black mothers went to the same school.

But don't let me have to tell you again. Don't let me have to come in there. You gonna make me hurt you.