In prison and on the streets of the inner city 'disrespect' is the ultimate insult and in some subcultures a declaration of war. Working in a prison, as a counselor, I had cause to examine this seemingly important attitude.
Respect is an attitude based upon belief, the benefits of being respected, seems to be either to be feared as opponent or to be considered valuable as an ally.
The downside of a lack of respect is to be considered to be nothing, someone with no power and/or nothing to offer.
Those who need to be respected the most are often those with little or no self-respect, so they seek from Others that which they can not provide to their own selves. I advise if one wants something, first give it away. If one wants respect, give respect and one's own respect can be reflected back as respect seen in the face of Others.
Hershel perhaps has the best known truism on the subject, something like
"Self Respect is the fruit of Self Discipline, it is a dignity that grows with the ability to say No to one's own self"
I think also, that an important truism is buried within the word, respect, for to re-spect is to look at someone or something more than once. That is to say a person who actively respects, does not stereotype or categorize based upon first impressions, but rather is able to use P, instead of J.
I think that INTPians respect more than perhaps any other types, because we are secure enough within our own selves, having a degree of Self Respect, so that we can afford to indulge in a 'wait and see' attitude, such as respect.
As far as the Forum, I have earned the respect of a lot of respectable people, in different venues, during my life, so the relative lack of respect I have around here is a matter of amusement and a bit of a challenge. I wonder how difficult it is for anyone to earn respect that is not freely given, by posting sterile symbols/words to an audience of strangers?
Others are are mirrors, and the internet seems to be a very strange type of mirror, for when we are with people we can use nonverbal indicators such as facial expression, tone of voice, posturing etc. to get an idea of who we are as reflected by those who we are face to face with. If a person had to form an identity based solely upon feedback supplied by a computer monitor rather than a human, could they generate legitimate Self respect?
, since everyone here brings great insights sometimes, just that these are the people that have gained my acceptance and respect to a higher level... Betcha I won't be appearing on anyone's list though (must be my posting style in my opinion).
