"Respect your elders"

Accyexplorer · 01-04-2014, 02:11

This maybe the wrong subject for me

Anyway I have been thinking (yes your heard it right

) about how some older generations seem to end up in life wanting this 'entitlement of respect' from the younger folk.
It puzzled me for a while when I was a teen, should I just automatically respect anyone older than me simply out of 'tradition'?
It also puzzled me how folk could claim they're in someway better than me just because they've been alive a few extra years.
Yes, I get it, they've lived longer than the younger folk,they've got more life experience.But that simply does not give elder folk an innate right to belittle the younger generation (even if they do sometimes deserve it).

Now (believe it or not) I am all for respect for others (I know what some are thinking,stay with me

) but only when that person is showing me a similar amount.
Sometimes I just get tired of hearing the elder generation moan and complain about the younger generations and their lack of respect.

I feel that this innate sense that elders should be respected is coming to an end. It's not like it was 100 years ago when few folk lived past say 50 years of age and that meant that they'd earnt their respect , No I think respect is 'finally' coming to where is needs to be earned and not just expected (rightly so if you ask me).

Now, I'm not trying to start any arguments (this time), I believe this would be the wrong forum for that anyway due to its elder members, or hurt anyones sensitive feelings, I am just looking to have a dialogue on this topic and wondered what you folks feel about it.

Personally I'm one of those 'Respect has to be earned' kind of guys. People don't just get my respect because of some arbitrary number. If their age means they have done things I should respect them for,then surely the thing I should be respecting them for should stand on it's own (MPs service to the NHS for example) with no need to refer to their age, which isn't inherently deserving of respect.
In my experience the folk who usually 'demand' to be respected because of their age - tend to be (insert swear word) and not really worth my respect.

Eric · 01-04-2014, 02:40

Quote:

Originally Posted by Accyexplorer

This maybe the wrong subject for me

Anyway I have been thinking

Some advice from a senior: quit thinking; it's not your strong point. Stay with shiite disturbing.

Accyexplorer · 01-04-2014, 02:51

Quote:

Originally Posted by Eric

Some advice from a senior: quit thinking; it's not your strong point. Stay with shiite disturbing.

Thanks for the advice E

Margaret Pilkington · 01-04-2014, 06:35

I do not expect respect from anyone.
Age alone is not a reason for respect.
However, I think that courtesy and kindness are the lubricants of social interaction.
They make life a lot smoother.
It costs nothing(in financial terms anyway) to be courteous.
We meet people on a daily basis and touch their lives.rarely do we know the difficulties that person is living through. Most people, even those who do a lot of moaning, will have private worries and anxieties which may colour how they are perceived.
So a kind word from us(or at least a word which is not calculated to be sharp and cutting) may make all the difference.
So, don't respect me for my age, because inside this old shell there is a nineteen year old wondering what the hell happened. Don't respect me for my past work.....it is gone. I did what I did to earn a crust. It isn't that relevant to who I am now.
If you must respect me, do it from how you find me to be right now.

Margaret Pilkington · 01-04-2014, 07:12

This is not to say that I do not get 'heated' myself at times(some issues just do that to you)....just that I try to put my thoughts as clearly and politely as possible.
Once the personal insults start flying it means that the argument/discussion is lost.

flashy · 01-04-2014, 07:17

who let the pratt in?

accyman · 01-04-2014, 08:33

Quote:

Originally Posted by flashy

who let the pratt in?

is that sang to the tune of who let the dogs out ?

i dont want respect

respect leads to expectations

expectations lead to dissapointment

dissapointment leads to me having to cook my own bloomin dinner

Margaret Pilkington · 01-04-2014, 10:03

Quote:

Originally Posted by flashy

who let the pratt in?

Shaz, you know you respect your elders

I have never had anything but respect from you!

cashman · 01-04-2014, 10:12

I have always took the view Respect has to be earned, age is irrelevant.

gpick24 · 01-04-2014, 10:12

Surely age is irrelevant, doesn`t everyone deserve respect until they do something that proves otherwise?

cashman · 01-04-2014, 10:14

Quote:

Originally Posted by cashman

I have always took the view Respect has to be earned, age is irrelevant.

Quote:

Originally Posted by gpick24

Surely age is irrelevant, doesn`t everyone deserve respect until they do something that proves otherwise?

Posted same time, Great minds or Fools Seldom?

gpick24 · 01-04-2014, 10:15

Quote:

Originally Posted by cashman

Posted same time, Great minds or Fools Seldom?

You pick.

davemac · 01-04-2014, 10:18

I don't think this thread can stop at the respect for elders question, it is the general attitude of society in general. I am old school, and I still hold doors open for people, no specific age, and the only time I get a thank you is from people of my own age group (I am very old now ). So to me it is not an age issue, it is a time period issue, my informative years were surrounded by politeness and guidance in the correct way to behave. The number of times I have been down town and been passed by the "youth of today" shouting, swearing, and just generally absorbed in their own importance is un-countable.
But let us not forget today's generation is the generation we have created and passed the baton too............run for your life..........we are ALL DOOMED

davemac · 01-04-2014, 10:20

Quote:

Originally Posted by cashman

I have always took the view Respect has to be earned, age is irrelevant.

Quote:

Originally Posted by gpick24

Surely age is irrelevant, doesn`t everyone deserve respect until they do something that proves otherwise?

I think we were all feverishly typing at the same time with roughly the same response. and if it helps I am foolish.

Accyexplorer · 01-04-2014, 10:35

Quote:

Originally Posted by Margaret Pilkington

I do not expect respect from anyone.
Age alone is not a reason for respect.
However, I think that courtesy and kindness are the lubricants of social interaction.
They make life a lot smoother.
It costs nothing(in financial terms anyway) to be courteous.
We meet people on a daily basis and touch their lives.rarely do we know the difficulties that person is living through. Most people, even those who do a lot of moaning, will have private worries and anxieties which may colour how they are perceived.
So a kind word from us(or at least a word which is not calculated to be sharp and cutting) may make all the difference.
So, don't respect me for my age, because inside this old shell there is a nineteen year old wondering what the hell happened. Don't respect me for my past work.....it is gone. I did what I did to earn a crust. It isn't that relevant to who I am now.
If you must respect me, do it from how you find me to be right now.

Firstly,I like what your saying,very noble indeed.
Secondly, thanks for your honest reply (not that I'd expect anything else) but i'm not one to erase a past lifetime of contributions just because someone's "shell" may be a little worn (I guess what I'm trying to say is Im not sure if someone's contributions to society become obsolete as they grow older).

Anyway,I'm glad your head is still a very reliable engine even if the shell is a little worn.