Respect: earned, or given?

You know how when you enter a new semester, grade or school, you have those first day ceremonies where the principal of the school introduces him or herself, and goes on about how " everyone should show respect and gratitude towards others?" Well, if that be the case, why do we do the opposite and treat others with malice, and insult them and speak of them horribly behind their backs? If respect is truly given, why do I always see people being ignorant and ribald towards others? Based on my own personal experiences in school and society, I believe that respect has to be truly earned. I had to show that I was a fluent English speaker, who was well-talented and educated in certain areas of knowledge, and was a fun person overall. If I was not committed into being myself and showing my true potential as a person, I would've ended up as a true outcast around my own friends and omnipresent peers. Whenever I meet a new person, I tend to be very humble and courteous, and I never usually insult them or mistreat them at all, but whenever certain new people greet me, they think of me as a subordinate being, who's main goal is to provide them with some sort of social servitude or something. Why is it human nature for us to respect others only when they have proven themselves to be worthy of respect? We have to see and hear what they are capable of first, before we befriend them, and we have to have minimal conflicts with them.

These are truly interesting thoughts. Another interesting thing I found was that people are typically more respectful around those of the same or similar race. I read the Joy Luck Club once ( i didn't like it cause it was quite stereotypical), and came across this one interesting quote, which stated, " when a chinese person meets another chinese stranger in a crowd of white people, they immediately treat each other like family." I thought that this quote was rubbish, but then I began to think, and realized how true it really was. When you're in school, you'd usually see most white, asian, black, and Middle easten kids hanging out with people of their race ( cliques), and that one occasional white, black, asian and middle eastern guy or girl within the group ( like me). Another thing which influences respect could be physical appearance. Buff dudes typically hang around other buff dudes. Same goes with nerds, fanatics and girls who fancy music, fashion and certain Television shows or mainstream artists. Other times, this may not be the case. When they meet people who have the same qualities, they may feel as if they're being challenged, and usually compete against them to prove their superiority and machismo ( in the case of the buff dudes, like kozzy). In all, respect is both given and earned. Which of it is more, it depends on the situation and ultimately, the person him/herself. peace