Respect: Earned or a Given?

[Chu]

@Max: XD Aw, you poor thing.

People do that to me all the time though. >.>; I'll continuously stand there while they look like the idiot.

Okay, it's almost as if people don't think that they need to respect those smaller than them. T^T It's not fair.


@Hayune: How do you expect to be treated upon first impressions?

[Hayune]

I expect to be treated politely, as I return the favor. But if they do not, and I have done nothing wrong then I will ignore that person.

[Maeve]

I kinda understand the person who said that new users should earn respect. For me, it doesn't mean that you have sucked up to other users, but just that you have to be respectful if you want people to act like that with you. Just like the usual don't beg/don't flame/don't spam/ect., and you will be alright. Some people seem to think that if they join a website, everyone will be there to give them anything they want...

I try to respect everyone when I first meet them and expect the same from them. I'll usually stay respectful unless someone really does something to me or to my friends, or just acts in a way I don't like. Though I'm never really mean with others, I will probably just be a little colder if those people try to talk with me.

I'm not the overly polite kind of person, but I prefer listening to what others say before telling my own opinions, so people usually think of me as a really polite girl...

[Rilea Python]

I think it could be a little of both actually.


In my eyes, everyone starts out being respected. I respect everyone I come across, no matter who they are. Your actions toward me and others around you determine how much I actually respect you from that moment on. I do try to find the good in people before I actually lose all respect in them, but after that, I just end up looking down on them.

After you've lost all respect from me, you've got to earn it back by your actions. Therefore, in my book, respect is both earned and given.

[shroudedgirl]

I try to stay away from sites that have the elitist groups. To not talk to someone or think less of them simply because they have less pixelated items than you do is ridiculous. The items do not even exist in real life. Some people look for any reason to make themselves feel above others though. The sites I tend to stay around for are more mature in user base and do not have the issues with elitism. Every site will have a few with attitude but as long as the general population is friendly to everyone then I am happy.

I hate Gaia mostly for that reason. Its like taking a trip back to 8th grade. There is no real community on that site, just a bunch of people trying to get items.

I don't spend time on these sites just to show off my makebelieve items. I spend time on them to have fun meeting and chatting with people, the items are just a fun bonus and give me something to collect while I make some friends.

Elitism sucks. Lets hope these small avatar sites never become and elitism monster like gaia. XD

[KittinVonTease]

I think everyone should give the same amount of respect they would want to receive in any given situation. I think it is arrogant to automatically assume you deserve some form of entitlement or respect. In those cases, if you are disrespectful to others you would need to earn your respect.

Aretha Franklin anyone?

[monbohn]

Wow! When I read the first page and what Chu had posted I felt like that could have been me ~ except that I wouldn't have worded it quite so well.

I was taught growing up to respect my elders and to respect authority figures and it drives me absolutely crazy to see the lack of respect that most younger people have nowadays. They way they talk to and disrespect teachers, police officers, and especially their parents just astonishes me and, honestly, disappoints and disgusts me too. I would never have been allowed to speak to my parents or teachers the way kids do today.

I give and expect respect upon meeting new people - it all ties in with being polite and courteous. As I get to know people I may gain higher respect for them or I may lose respect for them. Not because of how we interact daily necessarily, but in looking at them and who they are as a person. We can play around and not be rigidly respectful, or we can fight and say some things that may not be so respectful but that doesn't mean I lose my respect for them. If they are a kind, decent, caring person who always tries to help others, for example, I respect what they do and who they are even if we fight and things get a little disrespectful for a moment. I'm not great at wording things so I hope you can tell what I'm trying to say.

I think everyone deserves a certain level of respect from the beginning and then depending on a variety of things that respect can go up or down from there.

[tigerangel]

I think you should most definitely show respect to the staff at sites such as these. They have invested a lot of time, effort and money into making it a fun place for all to be.
I also think you should respect others and show self respect for yourself in the way you interact with others and express your opinions.

My boyfriends game website was previously owned by people that would ban you if you said the slightest negative thing towards them. Unless of course you were in their little cliche. Once we became the owners, we only have staff that is willing to be tolerant and helpful, while still maintaining the rules and codes of conduct of the game.

[Urboros]

Well I think respect should be earned, but most people have already earned it in my eyes such as getting a PHD, they haven't done anything to me physically but I respect them for getting such a high title.

On websites I'm always a bit confused how to act around moderators, some sits that I frequent the moderators have violent mood swings. I was once threated to be band for joking around with some one who was leaving the site, the mod said i was being mean, yet the girl understood I was jokeing with her :/ I'm slightly afraid of the ban hammer.

Pixel artists are different, while they have power most of them aren't involved with banning so I find them easy to converse with and easy to respect.

I remember a feud at sea world some lady told me to respect adults while she had been calling my "dirty loco p***" in spanish (I know most of the cuse words in spanish) behind my back. I guess she thought I needed to be dealt with taught a leasson.... she had no respect for me I had no respect for her. I told her that I was an adult and since she could respect me I wasn't going to return the favor....(I wanted to moon her so baddly) The emotions must have been really high that night cause several "adults" people insulted me and my friends on several occasions, just cause we look like teenagers doesn't mean we are.

[Hikari]

I think new users, like myself, do deserve some manner of respect - else why would we stay at a site we're looked down upon by older, more experienced players who where new once themselves? Unless given a reason not to be respected then I don't see a point in making people EARN respect.

If I'm respectful to you, or polite if you're being rude - something I try really hard to be, but sometimes rudeness can get to the best of us and cause normally well mannered people to fly off the handle - I'd expect you to give me the same treatment. Though if I'm rude I'm prefer you told me rather than let me appear like a jerk because chances are - more than likely - I didn't realize what I had been saying was rude and I'll fix it so it isn't.

[vampirebox]

When I first meet you, you've got 50% respect (to use an analogy from OP).
From there, you either go up or down.

Yes, respect must be earned, but new people should be given the benefit of a doubt.

[Vixie]

respect is earned, never given!!

[Mungo Boo]

I think that everyone deserves a certain amount of respect. Just common curtacy pretty much. But I also think that some respect should be earned, because no body is perfect and some people can be really mean.

I don't know how to say it.. Do you know what I mean?

[Kitty]

Given by default, do onto others as you would have them do onto you.

Say someone betrays your respect, then and only then, would they have to earn it back. Its like trust.

[Chu]

You do have a point. I never really compared it to trust before.