Do you think it is important to respect other people and be polite to them and why do you think that?
Posted by Sea-Payment-8989@reddit | AskUK | View on Reddit | 52 comments
It seems to me that a lot of people show scant regard for other people these days, why is this?
Miserable_Future6694@reddit
No. Ill treat people the way they treat me and think nothing of it after. If you come up to me ranting on telling me this and that your getting the same back. I can be wrong nicely and I can be wrong being a absolute twat. Im just following suit.
Mosty im respectful and id like to think my kids are too
SaysUselessThings@reddit
The higher ground is too above you then, eh?
Miserable_Future6694@reddit
There's no point trying to get the high ground. Its like saying im better than you. Id rather treat people how im treated and make it equal.
SaysUselessThings@reddit
So you'd rather indulge in petty, childish confrontation to prove a point?
Why would you openly admit to acting like an absolute twat just because you're provoked into it? Maturity is learned, and I hope your kids find another source of knowledge.
Miserable_Future6694@reddit
Youve never worked on a building site i see
SaysUselessThings@reddit
Oh give over. Pathetic comment.
Miserable_Future6694@reddit
Youve got the high ground right and now its giving you the right to feel better and talk down to me.
PresentRelevant3006@reddit
Out and about yes. I am in my 40s, I hold doors open for people, say goodmorning to people, will help a stranger, say please, thank you. I have always lived areas where strangers call one another love, had a chat, smiled etc. I think because I am autistic, I have adopted social scripts, and that will never change. I have noticed some people do not have the same social scripts or show the same manners. Perhaps I am typically british in the sense its not uncommon for me to get stuck going into a supermarket because me and another shopper are in a loop of politeness of "No, you go, please, no, it's okay, you go ahead..."
I am a parent to an Autistic daughter as well, she is in her early 20s now, high support needs, but she is also equally polite, having learned the same social scripts.
L-0-T-H-0-S@reddit
I think you should live your life as the world should be, not necessarily how it is.
Jayatthemoment@reddit
Very. Someone who looks angry, impatient, confused, is behaving erratically, etc, might have just lost their child, have early onset dementia, or something.
People are very keen to virtue signal about ‘being kind’ or advocate for people to respect their mental illness or neurodivergence yet have zero interest in accommodating others’ ill health, developmental issues, or trauma.
Lucindaxz@reddit
People underestimate this so much. It's funny when you see people post about "I said "good morning" to someone I passed and they blanked me! Why are people so rude nowadays?" That person could have just lost someone close to them, be in the middle of a panic attack, be deaf, be autistic, have social anxiety.. who tf knows what other people are going through?
escapingfromelba@reddit
I'd suggest that on reddit the amount of over diagnosis is extremely high. People can be having an off day of course, but there's a constant leap to suggest conditions.
Careless-Giraffe-623@reddit
Treat others like you would want to be treated yourself.
I'm always polite until it's not reciprocated, which is sadly far too often.
PurpleOctopus6789@reddit
really? I am the opposite, it's rarely not reciprocated. At worst they're neutral, but being polite and smiling seems to disarm most people.
toby1jabroni@reddit
I prefer “don’t treat others how you would not like to be treated”. Show respect, not deference, unless a person demonstrates they do not deserve it.
Hopeful_chap@reddit
Generally good advice, but for some people maybe not brilliant. Might explain part of the motivation of wolf whistlers...
Careless-Giraffe-623@reddit
Wolf whistling is not polite or respectful lol
Hopeful_chap@reddit
Oh, of course. I was only making a light hearted comment based on your 1st sentence
dr2501@reddit
"show scant regard for other people these days, why is this?"
Because we now have entire generations of people who have been raised to believe they are the most important thing in the world and can have and do anything they want, and that there are few if any consequences if they do something wrong (lenient justice systems, no spanking, no hurty words etc). The internet is also largely to blame, as it gave everyone a far-reaching voice rather than the voice of the majority being what influences a communities direction.
Lucindaxz@reddit
Plenty of boomers are disrespectful and entitled people, and were certainly spanked and told "hurty words". This isn't a generational thing.
dr2501@reddit
As with all rules there are exceptions. There is no one reason for anything.
DumCrescoSpero@reddit
Bad parenting.
Hopeful_chap@reddit
I know you're answering the 2nd question but it's a funnier answer if you're just responding to the title question.
DumCrescoSpero@reddit
I'm not trying to be funny.
Hopeful_chap@reddit
I wasn't saying you were, sorry.
Careless-Giraffe-623@reddit
I don't think wolf whistling is either polite or respectful lol
Lucindaxz@reddit
There are so many reasons for why someone could "show scant regard for other people these days" it's impossible to give one reason or boil it down to a simple answer. It could be as simple as someone having a really, really shit day and be at the end of their rope, but none of this is a new phenomenon..
There have always been people with poor upbringings, people with mental health issues, people with poor emotion regulation skills, and people who've simply had enough.
Lion-Resident@reddit
It is very important to be kind to others. Think how it feels when someone is not nice to you. It doesn't feel good, does it?
Dazz316@reddit
It's a better world to live in if everybody is respecting me, my space and my basic needs as another human in the area. However I recognise the world doesn't revolve around me and if I'm to get that respect, I must give it too. And we must all do this to set the standard so that others join in.
realitycheck38@reddit
Of course it is. It comes down to treating people the way you expect to be treated yourself.
Evening-Tomatillo-47@reddit
Yes, because I'm a civilised human being and not a feral scumbag
TheEnglishNorwegian@reddit
It's a two way street. By default, yes, absolutely. But if someone is being disrespectful or impolite there's no reason to continue being polite if you don't want to. Sometimes continuing to be polite can however nudge rude people back into being less rude though, and sometimes people are just having a bad day or whatever.
steffaann11@reddit
Why are we even asking this question?? Of course you should be polite to people?? That’s a given. If you want respect you have to earn it. We are all living our own lives, we all have our own problems and paths, and in this time empathy and manners have never been more important.
No_Usual_572@reddit
Social media has continually platformed the people that show disregard to respecting others for the past decade. People are often now praised and respected for being outspoken and advocating 'free speech'.
Whereas 2 decades ago, characters like Piers Morgan and Jeremy Kyle would be the outliers of disrespecting people and being controversial, nowadays they're tame compared to the characters that roam much of social media.
We have entered this age where popularity is ever trying to find the most crude and offensive thing to say until someone more controversial comes along that out does the last.
yossanator@reddit
This is sort of off-topic, but it relates to this.
I work as an Agency Chef and go to a variety of venues and I notice at a few the Head Chef will tell a FOH person to take some dishes to certain table, with no please or thank you to the person concerned, yet will then turn to me and say "Hey myname, can you grab me some xx from the walk-in please. Cheers mate".
It's like manners and politeness are something that can be selective with some people. I find it weird.
Manners maketh the man, as they say.
VolcanicBear@reddit
I'm polite to pretty much everyone.
I don't respect them unless they've given a reason to, but I don't need to respect people to be polite to them.
Being polite just makes everything easier.
ReefNixon@reddit
I'd argue it's one of life's only true joys. The fact that i can project positivity into my slice of the world and there's nothing anyone can do about it is immensely satisfying to me.
Tanto207064@reddit
It’s how I was brought up but it’s not all about parenting. Generally people who are nasty have their own issues or dislike themselves. You don’t have to engage in that, don’t make it a competition. Have your own values and stick to them. I have wavered myself at times however am older and wiser now and studying martial arts for a number of years totally changed my outlook. Treat people how you want to be treated yes but if you aren’t treated well that’s no excuse to be the same back. If you truly want to be nice, respectful and kind you do it anyway
No-Daikon3645@reddit
I try to treat others as I'd like to be treated. I also give people the benefit of the doubt, but some people are just so ill mannered that I don't give them the time of day.
Manners cost nothing. But I am no longer a pushover, so if someone is rude, I just walk away now, rather than worrying if it was something I said or did. I'm polite 99% of the time, but if I know I've been unacceptably rude, I also apologise, which is another norm that is increasingly rare today.
BigBastardChap@reddit
I'll automatically show strangers respect and politeness, basically until they give me a reason not to.
And as already mentioned, I do it because of the simple phrase 'Treat others how you would like to be treated yourself'.
Specialist_Emu7274@reddit
I treat people how I wanted to be treated. However, if you are rude I won’t hesitate to be rude back. Contrary to what others seem to say online most people are nice and respectful. There’s a few who aren’t (who you see more working in customer facing jobs), but generally if you’re polite there’s no issues
Bibblejw@reddit
Some people use “respect” to mean “treat like a person” and some people use it to mean “treat like an authority”, and those are fine.
Some people say “if you respect me, I’ll respect you” to mean “if you treat me like authority, I’ll treat you like a human”, and that’s not ok.
Generally speaking, everyone should be treated like a person. By preference, that’s treating them as they would like to be treated, but treating them as you would like to be treated can be a sunstitute.
Worth noting that cultures shift that a little down the line.
DLTBB2@reddit
I treat people like I would like to be treated, simple.
W51976@reddit
Yeah. If people treat me with respect and kindness(although that’s not necessarily required with every interaction), I will do the same.
If people treat me with disrespect, they won’t receive much effort in return.
FOARP@reddit
Answer: Yes.
Reason: The golden rule - that's how I want to be treated, that's how most people want to be treated.
idontlikemondays321@reddit
Until proved otherwise
LilacScentedStoat@reddit
I think having good manners and treating people how you wish to be treated is a sign of intelligence, decency and good parenting.
So the peoplemalckjng those qualities... Stands to reason they're idiots, without decency and their parents were likely scum.
bennythefish@reddit
Just common servility . Otherwise we just be rude and then no one bothers communicates with each other.
Hopeful_chap@reddit
*civility
Servility is a little different.
Working-Fail-7464@reddit
I’d argue it’s just the way I’ve been brought up, I don’t really know any different 🤷♂️
I will also mention though that growing up in a small rural village it was the normal to acknowledge / speak to everyone you walked past saying a simple ‘good morning’ or a ‘hello’. I feel like if you were to do that in a town or city (especially to someone you don’t know) people might think you’re a little strange. Maybe I’m just old fashioned?
Rinthrah@reddit
It's nice to be important, but it's more important to be nice.
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