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The word respect can hold many different meanings to an individual. According to the dictionary, respect is defined as: “a feeling of deep admiration for someone or something elicited by their abilities, qualities, or achievements”. Though the definition of a word is rarely subjective, actions reflecting that word can be.
America is a melting pot of races and religions, and so is the U.S. military. It is for this reason that one should always conduct him/herself in a respectful manner and be completely aware of what is being said – especially when dealing with controversial subjects. All members of the military should be respectful of the cultures of those they serve with, just as they should expect the same level of respect from their comrades.
One of the greatest aspects about the military is that when you join, you become a part of a family. No matter where you come from, you suddenly have a greater purpose and you become a part of something much larger than yourself. In a way, your military environment becomes a part of your identity. Fostering an environment of respect and acceptance is two-fold. Not only are you accepting the service members already serving, but you are also aiding in creating a positive environment for future service members. Though the push for respect across cultures in the military is present, it is often not executed. It is time to create a culture of respect and diversity.
There will always be times when you will disagree with others, but the true reflection of your character shows in how you carry yourself in those times. By lashing out and calling someone a racist slur out of aggravation just looks bad on you and solves no problems. When you are in the military, you are part of a family; you need to stand with your family and not apart. A hope of RallyPoint is to garner these feelings of mutual respect and continue to work towards a symbiotic relationship - despite any cultural differences - within the entire military community. Together, we are all fighting for the same thing: a better life for our future generations and for ourselves. How much does the display of respect mean to you in your life?
America is a melting pot of races and religions, and so is the U.S. military. It is for this reason that one should always conduct him/herself in a respectful manner and be completely aware of what is being said – especially when dealing with controversial subjects. All members of the military should be respectful of the cultures of those they serve with, just as they should expect the same level of respect from their comrades.
One of the greatest aspects about the military is that when you join, you become a part of a family. No matter where you come from, you suddenly have a greater purpose and you become a part of something much larger than yourself. In a way, your military environment becomes a part of your identity. Fostering an environment of respect and acceptance is two-fold. Not only are you accepting the service members already serving, but you are also aiding in creating a positive environment for future service members. Though the push for respect across cultures in the military is present, it is often not executed. It is time to create a culture of respect and diversity.
There will always be times when you will disagree with others, but the true reflection of your character shows in how you carry yourself in those times. By lashing out and calling someone a racist slur out of aggravation just looks bad on you and solves no problems. When you are in the military, you are part of a family; you need to stand with your family and not apart. A hope of RallyPoint is to garner these feelings of mutual respect and continue to work towards a symbiotic relationship - despite any cultural differences - within the entire military community. Together, we are all fighting for the same thing: a better life for our future generations and for ourselves. How much does the display of respect mean to you in your life?
Culture
Respect
Command Post
Edited 11 y ago
Posted 11 y ago
Responses: 40
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Respect....this is a tough one. It has many facets. Part of the problem is that with the newer generations and civil structure it has become less prevalent. With single parent homes, 2-3 jobs by each person, the advent of expanded TV (no longer the 3-4 channels we used to have), video games, drugs...more and more kids are growing up indoors, and having some type of electronic babysitter. Parents are also more detached from the kid's learning in school, and pushing the full educational responsibility to the teacher. Another problem is the immediate gratification and the entitlement expectations. Kids are loosing social skills. Part of social skills involves respecting people....either due to age, position, or other feature that should earn respect (or at least a respectful attitude). There are still lots of kids that have good upbringing and have learned respect and how to respect others, but many more that are lacking in some aspect of this social education.
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CAPT Stu Merrill
But not all that comes with the 21st century and technology is detrimental. Look at some of the viral "pay it forward" campaigns that have been originated and sponsored by youth. Without the technology that wouldn't have been possible. Solid foundational values transcend generations and technology changes.
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Maj Chris Nelson
Sir, so true. I was generalizing....but in the case of many children/young adults, it IS a significant contributing factor. Technology is just like anything else....moderation is key!
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I feel as if respect has definitely diminished over the years and the word has lost a lot of its meaning within and outside of the military, too many people expect it outright without proving themselves in any way and treat people rude. Respect isn't something that comes with a title, it's something you earn that sticks to you personally.
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Respect? You can't respect anyone anymore. At least, not unless they conform to EXACTLY what you believe. At least, that's what it seems like anymore...
I find it saddeningly funny that when I hold a door open for someone, or show them respect by a certain address (Sir, Ma'am, Doctor, etc...), I typically get a snide reaction w/ a look from on high down their nose at me.
I find it saddeningly funny that when I hold a door open for someone, or show them respect by a certain address (Sir, Ma'am, Doctor, etc...), I typically get a snide reaction w/ a look from on high down their nose at me.
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When I was active duty I found that there were different types of respect that you would give to those above you. As everyone well knows the saying typically goes that you "respect the rank even if you don't respect the person holding it". With that said I found giving respect much easier if I kept that in mind. Though I was loyal to their rank and would follow their orders when they were given didn't mean that I had to like the person. However I am typically a very kind and just person (or so I have been told) and I have found that those two traits have served me well in my past and also moving forward. When approached with the "why should I have to do..." question from my subordinates once I made a little bit of rank I always responded with "I too was once an E-1 and when I was I too was expected to do things that I didn't like... How can you ever expect to earn the respect of those around you if you have never walked in their shoes?" All of that brings me to this point... There will always be two kinds of leaders in the military, heck, anywhere you may find yourself. Those who are leaders because the responsibility was bestowed on them and those who have earned the title. It is up to each individual person to choose who they will follow and the key to this is to choose wisely.
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I feel that respect is important for day to day life. Our society has changed therefore people review respect differently. I spent that last 12 years as a civilian instructor teaching AIT soldiers, we often discussed respect one of the 7 core values, although there were different opinions about what respect is we all agreed that respect is essential. Finally in the military one must respect the chain of command and the chain of command must respect that soldier.
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I believe respect has lost it's meaning. People nowadays think that respect is required or just given. In my opinion, respect is earned. I don't care if you're a 4-Star General or a E-1 Private, if you are a good soldier with good values and you back up everything you say than I will show you respect. However, a lot these brand new butterbars and privates nowadays act like they're the cream of the crop and they know everything and won't take advice off of nobody but at the same time demand respect when they haven't earned it.
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SSG (Join to see)
I agree and understand what you're saying from personal experience.
My only question is that should respect for every individual you encounter in the Army be earned by you? Oftentimes our interactions with other Soldiers can be short lived and brief, not allowing for ample time to build a relationship that fosters respect. I think that may be why the Army "implies" respect through rank. Sure, that leader may not have earned your individual respect but somewhere down the line of his time in the organization, he has earned someone's respect to be where he is today. Hopefully that makes sense! Also, some leaders truly believe that they know what is right and make decisions based on that belief. They won't always be right and they won't always be wrong. But they will make mistakes. We all do and that humbling experience is what makes us better leaders in the end.
My only question is that should respect for every individual you encounter in the Army be earned by you? Oftentimes our interactions with other Soldiers can be short lived and brief, not allowing for ample time to build a relationship that fosters respect. I think that may be why the Army "implies" respect through rank. Sure, that leader may not have earned your individual respect but somewhere down the line of his time in the organization, he has earned someone's respect to be where he is today. Hopefully that makes sense! Also, some leaders truly believe that they know what is right and make decisions based on that belief. They won't always be right and they won't always be wrong. But they will make mistakes. We all do and that humbling experience is what makes us better leaders in the end.
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I don't feel like respect has lost its meaning. I feel like respect has lost its importance, expectation, and enforcement in both the military and civilian worlds.
The world is becoming more and more filled with young (and always growing older) people who have no respect for their parents, authority figures such as teachers or law enforcement, and live the life of expectation themselves. They expect someone will do things for them, give them opportunities, and will have life handed to them at their will. I realize there are exceptions to the rule, but it is a growing trend that cannot be ignored.
The flip side is that there are not enough people demanding or commanding respect, and just complain they aren't getting it.
It takes a village to raise a child.
The world is becoming more and more filled with young (and always growing older) people who have no respect for their parents, authority figures such as teachers or law enforcement, and live the life of expectation themselves. They expect someone will do things for them, give them opportunities, and will have life handed to them at their will. I realize there are exceptions to the rule, but it is a growing trend that cannot be ignored.
The flip side is that there are not enough people demanding or commanding respect, and just complain they aren't getting it.
It takes a village to raise a child.
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I would like to think that respect is not lost only misplaced temporarily, if enough of us keep treating others with respect hopefully it will catch on again. Numerous times I personally "corrected" people both in & out of uniform. Admittedly it is easier in uniform, because when you say something to the person they start remembering it is part of the job. On rare occasions I have had to tactfully correct someone higher ranking than myself, maybe they listen to me because everyone in my unit respects me & where I've been & what I've done. Or it's just that I reminded them of something they already knew and had forgotten temporarily. Either way we all can change the present standards to a higher level than what it is. Remember this you may not respect the person but respect the rank, not just higher but lower as well. Together we can bring respect back to what it once was.
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Exactly what COL Jason Smallfield stated!! With parents becoming younger every year, the word "discipline" fades away with the older generation of parents. Discipline doesn't have to be physical for children to learn respect. But the lack of discipline being exercised in society today inevitably rolls over into our military because of the parents who don't teach their children respect and that gives the soldiers we have now-a-day the "I deserve to have everything handed to me" attitude. You have to earn respect, whether it be proving yourself a hard worker and an asset to your squad or platoon, or just to your Army family in general.
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Don't confuse Equal Opportunity with respect as they are distinctly different.
Respect is respect....It knows no color, sex or religion....Not sure the two correlate in the context of your post. What I mean to say is respect as it pertains to the military is to the ranks of those senior to you and the orders they convey. Keep the race portion out of your question as this is a weak attempt at proving you're blind to the color of the person's skin who is giving you the order in question.
Until we, as a military STOP recognizing Soldiers for things over which they have no control (race and sex) we will never ascend to a higher understanding of the human dynamic. I care less the color of a Soldier's skin, the deity they worship, whom they share their bed with, or what dangles (or not) between their legs. So long as we continue to bring laudatory praise for these things, we will continue to have problems in our ranks.
I believe and endorse TRUE equal opportunity....I will neither recognize your race, religion, or sex, nor throw out ridiculous slurs to describe you. If the time arises that I don't like a person, there are more reasons than simply the color of their skin.
As a military we need to focus purely on the character of the person and their individual accomplishments for the team. No Color; No Sex; No religion, etc, should EVER play a part in supporting out highers' guidance.
My guidance to who-so-ever wrote this question is to stop stirring the pot with racial undertones...it doesn't help the cause of our Soldiers and family members. It further does nothing for our core military than exacerbate the stereo-types already plaguing our ranks.
Respect is respect....It knows no color, sex or religion....Not sure the two correlate in the context of your post. What I mean to say is respect as it pertains to the military is to the ranks of those senior to you and the orders they convey. Keep the race portion out of your question as this is a weak attempt at proving you're blind to the color of the person's skin who is giving you the order in question.
Until we, as a military STOP recognizing Soldiers for things over which they have no control (race and sex) we will never ascend to a higher understanding of the human dynamic. I care less the color of a Soldier's skin, the deity they worship, whom they share their bed with, or what dangles (or not) between their legs. So long as we continue to bring laudatory praise for these things, we will continue to have problems in our ranks.
I believe and endorse TRUE equal opportunity....I will neither recognize your race, religion, or sex, nor throw out ridiculous slurs to describe you. If the time arises that I don't like a person, there are more reasons than simply the color of their skin.
As a military we need to focus purely on the character of the person and their individual accomplishments for the team. No Color; No Sex; No religion, etc, should EVER play a part in supporting out highers' guidance.
My guidance to who-so-ever wrote this question is to stop stirring the pot with racial undertones...it doesn't help the cause of our Soldiers and family members. It further does nothing for our core military than exacerbate the stereo-types already plaguing our ranks.
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