The Personal Website of Mark W. Dawson

R.E.S.P.E.C.T. – “All I'm askin' Is for a little respect” - Aretha Franklin

It is natural to respect someone who behaves in a Legal, Moral Ethical, and intelligent manner. But as we are all human, and humans make mistakes, it is not possible for anyone to be perfect in their behavior, or as I have stated:

“Perfection is reserved for God; humans should strive to do their best.”
  - Mark Dawson

Respect is something we all deserve from everyone until we earn their disrespect by our words and deeds. Respect is something that we should give to everyone until they earn our disrespect buy their words and deeds. Therefore, respect is a two-way street.

This leads to the question of forgiveness for ourselves, and others, who have earned disrespect. For those that have had lapses of illegal, immoral, or unethical behavior, and who have turned their life around, then forgiveness of their past illegal, immoral, or unethical behavior may be appropriate. Forgiveness, however, must be tempered by the severity of their words and deeds, the impacts on the persons affected, and by the repentance we or they underwent. For minor mistakes, a sincere apology to those affected may be sufficient. This should be enough for you to respect, or regain the respect of, someone (including yourself).

There is also the question of someone who has turned their life around remarking on their words and deeds or making a judgment on the words and deeds of others in the same situation. For those who do so, and for those that may disrespect them as hypocrites for doing so, I would say:

“Just because you have committed an unlawful, immoral, unethical, or unwise act, and upon reflection determine that it is an unlawful, immoral, unethical, or unwise act, does not preclude you from speaking out against others committing that unlawful, immoral, unethical, or unwise act. It does not make you a hypocrite, it makes you repentant.”
  - Mark Dawson

Many people lose respect for someone when they change their minds. But simply changing their mind is an insufficient reason for disrespecting a person as explained by one of our Founding Fathers.

“For having lived long, I have experienced many instances of being obliged by better information, or fuller consideration, to change opinions even on important subjects, which I once thought right, but found to be otherwise. It is therefore that the older I grow, the more apt I am to doubt my own judgment, and to pay more respect to the judgment of others.”
  - Benjamin Franklin

And you should remember to:

“Doubt a little of your own infallibility”
 - Benjamin Franklin

If someone has changed their mind based on better information and/or fuller consideration than you should have more respect for the person after they have explained their reasoning. If no reasoning is given, or if the reasons are deficient, or appear to be for the purposes of the person to gain an advantage then you should make a negative judgment on, or perhaps disrespect, the person.

But you should keep in mind your own infallibility, as you may be wrong about the person you are judging. To paraphrase Robert Evans, remember:

There are three sides to every story;
one side, the other side, and the truth.
It is best to discover the truth before making up your mind.

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Then there is the question of respect for politicians. Many times, politicians tell us what we want to hear, not what we need to hear. They, of course, do this to gain our support and votes. Falsehoods, half-truths, misrepresentations, misnomers, empty promises, straw-man arguments, flip-flops, etc., are the stock in trade of most politicians. This is true throughout the world and throughout history, and I expect it to true in the future. So, should politicians be respected or disrespected? I would suggest neither. Politicians should be disrespected if they behave in an illegal manner, or an immoral manner in their personal life. For all other words and deeds, you need to be wary of politicians. It should be shame on them when they do these things, but it should also be shame on us for thinking they would do otherwise. Below are some of the ways that a politician earns disrespect:

There should be no disrespect for politicians who change their minds “by better information, or fuller consideration, to change opinions even on important subjects”, if they explain their reasoning for doing so. If no reasoning is given, or if the reasons are deficient, or they utilize “Torturous and Convoluted Reasoning”, or the reasoning appears to be for the purposes of the politician to gain an advantage, then disrespect for the politician is warranted.

Politicians who make emotional appeals without intellectual reasoning are worthy of disrespect. Without intellectual reasoning, emotional appeals are simply rabble-rousing. If the intellectual reasoning is deficient then the politician is unfit to be in a leadership position.

Don’t be fooled by what a politician says, no matter how attractive it may appear to be. You need to discover the details of their plan, and how it is to be implemented, to determine the full impacts of the plan. And remember that a plan without the costs, and the means to pay for the costs, is not a plan - it is a wish list. And you should be wary, and disrespectful, of politicians who only present wish lists.

Politicians who make disparagements against their opponents without credible, verifiable, and substantiated evidence of wrongdoing are also not worthy of respect. Not only does this contravene my Articles on a “Civil Society” and “The Rule of Law in Non-Judicial Proceedings”, but it makes bi-partnership very difficult in resolving the issues facing America.

Politicians who use their position and/or power to enrich themselves or their families should be disrespected. A politician is elected to serve the best interests of their constituents. They, therefore, should put aside all consideration of financial gain for themselves and their families while they are in elected office.

Finally, politicians who fabricate or outright lie about their past résumé, or deny, obscure, or hide their past words or deeds are not worthy of respect. It is more respectful for a politician to forthrightly explain their past words or deeds, and any change of mind and their reasoning for such, than to attempt to obfuscate their past.

Although you may understand why the politician is doing or saying something that does not mean that you should respect them, but only understand them and perhaps support or oppose them as you see fit. Unfortunately, this means that most politicians are not worthy of respect, but they may be worthy of understanding, as most of them have committed one or multiple actions worthy of disrespect.

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Regarding showing respect for all, let us show respect for all before they earn our disrespect. And even after they have earned our disrespect please keep in mind:

To treat someone respectfully does not mean that you respect them,
it means that you respect yourself.