The current excuse used most often by those who attack others seems to be a variation of “I was disrespected,” or “He disrespected me.” Or occasionally, after some drunk staggers into a family group, it’s still “He disrespected my mother.” Really? Of course, you should defend your mother but think first. Then, after issuing a warning, get over it, and join the club.
People usually aren’t being offensive on purpose, and yes, I know all about the cruel exceptions. I’ve had more than a few in my life, too. For most situations, we either get over perceived insults or learn to forgive and tolerate dingbats and the prejudiced. Or we move away from them, sometimes a long way.
Certain cultures seem more prone to this “poor me” attitude than others. Yet there are cultures who’ve been disrespected for centuries, folks. Or did you never attend school or church often enough to learn that?
A Plague
Feeling disrespected is currently a plague across most nations. It’s fast becoming a pandemic. It’s a pitiful excuse for plain old bad behavior by those who are a tad sensitive to begin with and in their ignorance have never learned anger management skills at home or in school. (The courts can order your attendance at such classes if you’re confused enough to wind up in a courtroom.)
The concept that other people have feelings and rights never enters the heads of lamebrains. And some of those lamebrains wind up in terrifying positions of power. In case anyone thinks I’m picking on cultures I’m not part of, such as Hispanic, African-American, or Teutonic, I’m not.
I’m white English (probably Anglo-Saxon and maybe a little Norman) and from the time I set foot in the United States as an immigrant 50 years ago, I’ve been disrespected by just about every other culture that exists here! The United States is not always a welcoming place. Had I been prone to fight back, I would have donned an invisibility cloak to inflict serious injury on a thousand people by now. Tens of thousands more would likely have been kicked out of my path. But I can’t live that way and neither should anyone else. Stand up for ourselves? Of course. But taking out our bent feelings on others? Not acceptable.
Women have been Disrespected for Eons
So, tough guy crybaby, listen up. You don’t know the half of what being disrespected means. Women have been disrespected for eons. We still are today in many areas of life, and most of us don’t tolerate it any more, let alone endure it well. But it’s uncommon for a woman to kill someone over it, even when they deserve it. Nowadays, the courts are grudgingly easing up on the punishment when a woman has already been badly abused by a so-called “victim” of manslaughter.
In the past when a woman was “taken in adultery,” she was usually stoned to death. Seldom was the man punished. He just got a wink and a pat on the back by the old boys’ club. In 19th century US, a woman could be beaten by a brute of a husband and left for days in her own blood, vomit and filth until her female friends could find a way to rescue her. And generally, without the help of their own non-abusive but cowardly husbands. Men generally lacked the spine to intervene in another man’s “territory”. For the fortunate few, a brother or father would have shot and killed the offender, if/when they found out what was happening to their sister/daughter. There was no legal system to help her or protect her.
Are women still disrespected today? You bet they are. Just pay attention to our flawed judicial system when just a few of the stories surface. We should all be grateful there are victims’ rights groups available to help, as well as shelters for battered women and children. (But it’s terribly sad they’re still needed.) Nothing ever changes until the old men die and sometimes it takes multiple generations to see progress.
Consider Yourself Charitable?
Even those who profess to love our Savior can be guilty of disrespect toward those who seem different as well as those who share the same background. How many times do we disrespect drivers of older cars? How many times do we stick our chrome noses up their butts, trying to force them off the road? After all, they’re not driving some fancy-schmancy leased or bank-owned vehicle, so they must be bad drivers and worthless people, right?
The Solution
To whine and cry and attack someone because you think they looked at you cross-eyed or wore a color that only “belongs” to you and your cronies is beyond ignorant. To do so as part of some gang initiation is vicious and mindless. Give it up! As pathetic and warped as your current behavior is, you are still a child of God. Get down on your knees to our Father in Heaven and ask for His help to take back your eternal soul from the devil.
And on the nitty-gritty side, talk to one of our thousands of good cops! Find out how and why they put their lives on the line every day, even for dumb and arrogant citizens. Straighten out your twisted tail feathers and get back in school. Without an education, you are going nowhere good!
Learn from your pastor or priest what love your neighbor really means and how it can help people blossom instead of fostering hate and fear in your neighborhoods and other parts of town.
Feeling disrespected? Join the club and then get over it.