Respect.

Throughout the past few days, I've overheard a lot of people talking about respect. For instance, while I was riding the bike at physical therapy the other day, an elderly man was a few feet away from me on one of the massage tables. He was talking awfully loud and I'm pretty sure that he was doing this on purpose. From what I overheard of his conversation with my therapist, he apparently just received his doctorate and I guess he's some sort of teacher. Although he is now officially a "Dr.", his students still call him "Mr." He said that they're not old enough to know the difference yet, so it's really not a big deal. THEN!!! (This is what really got me angry and I had to bite my tongue so many times just to not make a rebuttal)... Then he had the audacity to say that teenagers these days don't know the meaning of the word, "Respect". He believes this is so because teenagers do not address their elders with their proper title, such as "Mr." "Mrs." "Dr.", etc.
First I'd like to say that if you're going to characterize someone like that, especially right in front of their face, let's have a proper argument to back your idea up. Next, I am going to say why this man is not 100% correct.
There are plenty of teenagers today that were raised to have extremely good manners and to respect others, myself being one of them. You will never catch me being disrespectful towards anyone. Most adults today expect our youth to act like they used to when they were our age. You have to understand that times have changed since you were a teenager and so has society's standards. While there are a few of us who do have behavioral problems, I'd have to say that most of us know how to act civilized and respectful towards others. So the teenagers that you're referring to, elderly man, are very few and far in between. While you make a good argument with the statement about teenagers not using titles when addressing their elders, that's only half true. I do admit that I will sometimes make salutations to my teachers by addressing them by their last name only, or a nickname. For example, I walk into Communications class and say, "Hey Krieger!" I'll go into orchestra in the morning and say, "Hey Mom!" Or, I'll hide in the chemistry room and make fun of Mr. Fitzgerald, but say something along the lines of , "That's inappropriate, Fitz!" This does not mean that I have no respect for these teachers. In fact, I have a sincere amount of respect for all of them. I really don't believe that you can measure respect by a mere title. At the same time, I believe that certain people like to be reminded that they have a title, just to make them feel important. I don't mean to offend anyone when I say this, but if you are someone that really has to hear your name in a formal setting all the time, then you have some serious self esteem issues. Too many people nowadays are abusing their titles as they become more power-hungry. Not all, but quite a few teachers are a prime example of this.
As for myself, anyone that really knows me, knows that respect is a major thing for me. I will only show respect, to those that truly deserve it. Mainly, I abide by the golden rule. This does not mean that I am disrespectful towards those that are disrespectful towards me. No, it simply means that I am civilized towards those people. We've all probably been in a situation where someone has acted completely ridiculous towards us, making themselves look like a jackass. While this person obviously does not deserve respect, it is important to remember to act civilized around this person. It's not that hard, honestly.
In conclusion, Elderly Man, teenagers are incredibly respectful people. Perhaps we don't talk to our elders in a formal setting all the time. I think that's mainly attributed to the fact that we can feel comfortable around them. All I know, is that I would rather feel comfortable around my elders and be able to talk to them honestly, than have the fear of God stricken through me because they are "in a higher position" than I am. Granted, it is important to talk to elders in a formal setting in certain situations, such as a business meeting. Many teenagers know when to kick this awesome skill in, but it's really not needed all the time. I could better understand your opinion on teenagers if perhaps we graffiti ridiculous things all over the town, robbed some banks, or called you the most obscene names we could think of (readers of this blog can use their own imagination with this one). Quite frankly, I have never seen a teenager do any of these things in my lifetime. Maybe this is because I have chosen my friends wisely over the years, but I really think it's because we are respectful and we do know the meaning of the word, "Respect". If you think of anything else that makes us seem that we are disrespectful please let me know. I will respond with a comeback promptly.