The Price We Put On Ourselves Is The Price We Pay

Disrespect- noun- lack of respect, esteem, or courteous regard.



When did respect become a value we no longer, well, respected?



When did the terms 'ma'am' and 'sir' turn sarcastic and rude?



When did we lose respect for each other?

When did we lose respect for ourselves?

Were these even two separate events?



When did "tradition"become something to avoid?



We speak frequently of equality, of fairness, of human rights. We have a Commander-In-Chief who is half African-American. No doubt a big step forward, right? I have never been one to judge on skin color- I have found more often that degrading terms more often apply to those who use them than those they are applied to. I don't care who someone has romantic relationships with, so long as it does not cause anyone involved harm, I don't see why anyone else should, either. I don't think abortion is always the wrong choice, despite the fact that I could never imagine having one myself. These are so-called "traditional values", and are much argued over in this day and age. I think these things that we call values are actually not so much values as political issues, things that will be argued over so long as mankind maintains free will. What strikes me odd is that the most basic courtesies- ones that no one ever argued over in a public forum of the magnitude we see these so-called values are- are the things that are truly degrading the human race as a whole. We don't show our elders nor societal superiors common courtesies of titles, or even of the small gestures of kindness. No longer do we take our hats off in the house, no longer do we address our elders as sir or ma'am, no longer do we rise out of our seat on the bus or train or in the waiting room to allow someone older or more physically incapable than ourselves to take a seat. We don't wait for everyone to come to the table before we begin the meal, we don't look people in the eye when we speak to them, we often times neglect to even give a proper introduction. Women are rising to higher positions of power, and have fewer doors held open, and see it less necessary to nurture or mentor those other women on their way up. Black men refer to each other by terms that have always had derogatory and abusive definitions, but are more than welcome, and frequently encouraged, to achieve higher education than ever before. Native Americans are welcome to live tax-free on land set aside from the government, but do not feel the need to work to maintain the majority of the reservations. It is a trend, I fear, amongst all human beings- the moment we no longer have to struggle for what we feel is rightfully ours, it's worth bottoms out. Every group of people that has been relieved of oppression- the majority of which took many generations of struggle and effort- comes to a dead stop when they no longer have to struggle, frequently still speaking of the oppression in the present-tense. It is not just a racial idea- it is mankind as a whole. As a woman, I frequently hear the complaints of my sisters of all races, of all backgrounds, from many, many places still speaking of the oppression we face. When does it stop being oppression and start being low expectations? Where is the line between a societal norm and an opinion? We are no longer strangers, as a gender, to any career- we can do anything we put our minds to. We are no longer oppressed. There are women in the highest reaches of society, outside of certain religious aspects that condemn this. If it is not the standard we set for ourselves, if we do not expect ourselves to reach those high places, how- and, more, why- should anybody else expect us to? We are past the point of being less, or of being oppressed. We are setting our own goals, our own standards, with no more- and frequently even less- obstacles than our counterparts of other races and genders. What we expect of ourselves dictates what others expect of us and what others are willing to perceive of us- as individuals and as a whole. No, my friends, we are no longer oppressed- we are free to disrespect and be disrespected as much as any other gender, race or religion. Congratulations, we made it.