Respect and the World Today: What Should It Mean?

Every morning, as I commute in from the West Side of the Salt Lake valley to the East side, I listen to the local public radio station, KUER. I listen to KUER because I find it the least biased news radio that I can find (notice, I didn't say unbiased. There is no such thing as an unbiased person, or message). And every morning I am agog at the political spectrum's reaction to any little news from either side of the divide. If it isn't a Democratic leader directly insulting foreign leaders (i.e., Prime Minster of Iraq), it's a Republican leader attacking the current Democratic leadership for their distain towards the Republican minority.

Then, if politics isn't enough to make you sick in the morning, driving to work becomes a nightmare. There is only one feasible East-West corridor in the Salt Lake valley to get to Salt Lake City proper: SR 201. That means it's backed up considerably, and people are constantly trying to cut each other off to shave a couple of seconds off of their commute. Are these people only from Utah? Good Heavens no! I've been cut off by people from California, Alaska, Nevada, and one vehicle from Georgia. They all felt that their needs were greater than mine, and therefore felt it necessary to run me off the road (once quite literally).

Where has all the respect gone in today's world? Or has there ever been any respect, and I'm searching for the historian's rose-colored glasses? People keep talking about drivers getting more hostile, politics becoming more partisan, and people in general becoming more about themselves than about others. I would like to explore that concept for a moment, if you will allow me to digress.

Respect, as outlined in Wikipedia is an attitude that results from the interaction of other people. Giving respect means that a set of socially accepted behaviors are exibited in order to better the relationship. The key is in the relationship, and this will be outlined later in the discussion.

The Evidence
So, having esablished what respect is, let's look at the experiences that I have already outlined, beginning with Politics. Political posturing has been the hallmark of the political process since people started to rule each other. Any time you have a group of people together, they all try to position themselves into power at the expense of the others. It's the oldest strategy in the book, and unfortunately it is still successful. In fact, Roman politics is a prime example. Partisan politics was the hallmark of the Roman world, and continued to become more divided until murders and beatings became common place in the name of "the State". But yet, people supported it. Why? Why would anyone support violence between political factions?

Before we answer that question, let's look at the drive to work. People cut each other off all the time, and it's becoming more common. In fact, a recent case caused an acid spill in Utah, closing a busy part of the freeway for hours during the rush. And if that wasn't bad enough, 3 additional drivers were then charged for running the blockade while the Hazardous Materials team was cleaning up the acid. Why would they do that? What were they thinking? I think there is a pattern emerging here...

I have two additional examples that I think will help us clarify what has been happening. One is a post made on Slashdot. I would give you the URL to the post, but pretty much all posts on Slashdot have become this negative. The comment degraded the Government for wanting to assist students that were victims of cyber-bullying. How could anyone in their right mind question the motives of someone trying to protect children from a very invasive and damaging practice? It's like asking why a teacher pulled a bully off of another kid with a bloody nose. And yet, the question was posed, the critics were unleashed.

And finally, there is Mugglenet.com. Yes, I admit it, I like Harry Potter books. Not as much as I enjoy a good book from Plutarch or Livy, or even the Lord of the Rings, but it's a great story. That being said, there are a lot of people that don't like it, as it refers to children learning witchcraft, and therefore they are trying to do what they can to stop it. Recently Mugglenet posted a news article on Laura Mallory, a concerned religious mother that is trying to get Harry Potter books banned from the local schools. Here is the post:

Laura Mallory to appeal yet again
Laura Mallory, the mother who has been crusading since August 2005 to remove the Potter books from the County's school libraries, is set to appeal to the County's Superior Court the decision Georgia state made in December to keep the books on shelves.
Mallory said, "We will take a stand for truth, and pray God will touch the hearts of this generation." For the past year and a half, she has vehemently preached that the books indoctrinate children in witchcraft. She hasn't, however, actually read the books.
Mallory says she is poised to take legal action and has apparently received "significant donations" from "supporters" in aid of this.
Emerson's Comment: Ever seen a fly crash itself repeatedly into a transparent pane of glass, never quite getting the hint? Yeah. (Emphasis mine)

For those of you who are not familiar with Emerson, he is the creator of the website, and just started college not too long ago. He is famous for calling those "shippers" who want to see a Harry/Harmione relationship "deleusional". Do you think he would say this to these people square in the face? Does it reflect any kind of respect for their beliefs? Keep in mind that this is all over an fictional character in a fictional world. Is this type of action a result of respect?

The Review
Okay, we have the evidence, so what does it say? Well, let's go over the requirements for respect. First, there needs to be a social interaction. This means there needs to be a social basis for respect to exist. Secondly, the one giving respect can decide what those social boundaries are. So let's look at each of the pieces of evidence again:

1. Political Partisanship: Political candidates are appealing to their parties, and to their parties only. They don't care to have a social interaction with those of the other party, and therefore don't feel the need for giving respect. Hence, you have a situation where insults, digs, and posturing becomes the normal behavior within the political spectrum. That's how you get noticed within your own party, by "standing up" for them against "the enemy". And, I would like to add, that goes for all representatives. They are fighting for their voters back home. That means that New York doesn't care about Utah, Tennessee doesn't care about California, and Virginia doesn't care about Idaho. They are all in it for their social group.

2. Driving Hijinks: The social concept on the road is almost none. People don't see people, they see other vehicles, and these are vehicles that they don't want to have a social interaction with. Hence, there is less of a personal argument to exibit the social niceties that come from respect. It's the personal disconnect from others on the road that lead to a decline in respect.

3. Slashdot: Many technical people have, by their own making, a bad reputation for not respecting other people. Partly because almost every single one of them has, at some point, been the victim of verbal abuse due to a technical failure. So, in order to mentally handle that, I believe that they have disconnected themselves from those who can't fix the issue, and therefore have a superiority complex when it comes to, well, everything. Therefore they ignore many common social niceties, because they are catering to their own "superior" community. I would like to point out that not everyone in technical positions is like that, but there are enough out there that do this that make the generalization fairly safe in it's assumptions. Therefore, their comments are made for the sake of their own community, rather than for the general internet population. Beginning to see a pattern here?

4. Emerson's Comments: I have to admit, it's because of Emerson on Mugglenet that I stopped reading his website for 3 years. Instead, I checked out other comparable websites with the same news materials. Only recently have I begun to return for the Editorials, but I am still annoyed by these little comments of his. Why are they tolerated by the Mugglenet community? It's the equivalent of a CEO slamming the Mail Room because they think mail should be color coded, and he doesn't. The answer is in the question, because it's his community. The CEO can slam any part of the company, because it's his company. Granted, it will mean that portion of people will then leave, but perhaps the CEO thinks that it will not effect the company's bottom line. The same with Emerson's comments. Perhaps he felt that since he didn't agree with these people, he can slam them and not feel the effects on his website. But ultimately, because the rest of the community supports his views, he is not critized or asked to apologize. It's because his social circle sees such disrespect as respecting their views.

The Conclusion
So, given these examples, it looks like people are not becoming less inclined to offer respect, they are just becoming less social in their interactions. Their spheres of influence are becoming more narrow, and so the scope of respect is also narrowing. So what does this mean? Does this mean that flaming emails, flaming posts, and flaming cars are our future?

I don't think so. Nothing can make people more social, but we can all take steps to expand our own social circle. First, we all need to change our mindset. Mankind means we are all of one kind, regardless of who we all are. The concept of equality needs to be expressed for everyone, regardless of their points of view. Sounds like a utopia? Well, it probably would be if it ever could happen.

This is perhaps the hardest for people to act on, as it means singing camp-fire songs with people that just don't agree with you and never will. How can you possibly respect them? By acknowledging their opinion, and not attacking it. I have a problem with attacks for the sake of argument. Just because you can attack someone else doesn't make your point right.

Anyway, that's my rant. My only hope is that in presenting my points here, I didn't disrespect anyone else in the process. If so, I would like to apologize in advance.

British Humor, and the Looks I Get

Those of you who know me well (which should be about everyone that reads this blog), knows that I am a fanatic when it comes to British Comedies. Ever since I was old enough to stay up past 10:00 PM to watch "Are You Being Served?" on KUED, I have been fascinated with the humor coming from across the Pond. That being said, British Humor is as unique as any national cultural phenomenon. It represents a social commentary that gives a satirical insight into the world as seen by the average Briton.

The following will be a quick mention of several of my favorite comedies, and the statements that I receive from them:

Are You Being Served?
Yes, I had to start with this one. I don't know if it's because I watch this show almost every night (as I own the entire DVD collection), or because it strikes a nerve from my early working days in Retail, but this comedy is brilliant. With a commentary on the working relationship between rivals, seniority concerns, pecking order, and the need to dominate within the lofty positions, the show brings a colorful backdrop to the humdrum daily grind.

The show continues to underscore the growing need for one to find a social status that is higher than they believe they possess. Captain Peacock is always trying to show his position as being lofty, regardless of his evident suburban lifestyle. Miss Brahms is constantly defending her background, regardless of her accent. Customers focus on their social standing in how they address the staff. Social order is very much alive in Britain in the 1970's.

As time moves on to the 1980's, it's less of an issue. Then corruption amongst the management becomes the underlying topic. Old Mr. Grace is constantly betting on horses and spending funds on personal luxuries, as well as his secretaries. Even Mr. Rumbold is placed in difficult situations when he uses store funds to purchase "display" items, which then go on sale over the weekend to himself at a considerable discount. That, and the constant threat of a weak 80's economy, energy costs going out of control, and overseas company takeovers, reflect the economic and political environment in Britain during the 1980's. This perhaps rings true to Americans that had lived during this time, because very similar issues were of great concern here as well.

Finally, I would like to take a minute to talk about the writing. Despite various mistakes in the continuity of the story, the overall writing is brilliantly done. The situations are perfect, the innuendos are well placed, and the studio audience keeps one in stitches. I had to mention the studio audience, because without them, the show would be a complete dud. If you need proof of this, watch "Are You Being Served? The Movie". No laugh track, and no laughs. It was mildly entertaining at best, though the same jokes and situations were happening.

Overall, this was perhaps the best show to get me going into British Comedies.

As Time Goes By
This show dates from the 1990's, and is an absolute joy to watch. Though it's a little slower in its pace, the humor is wonderfully executed. Dame Judi Dench is perhaps my favorite actress from across the Pond, as she has the best expressions and emotional range that I have seen.

This story is about aging, not in the same way as "Waiting for God", but rather about that vacant space between the 30's and the 70's where one finds they are no longer able to do the youthful things in life and how they cope with that fact. The one social aspect that I pull from it, beyond the environmentalism and animal rights positions that are almost taken for granted, is the loss of business under Jean's direction from Secretaries to Computer users. They feel the pinch, and then the pinch is gone when her daughter Judy and secretary Sandi take over the business. I'm not sure why the pinch is gone, but my guess would be that they moved from Secretaries with Notepads to Secretaries with Computer Skills. This leads Jean to feel the loss of her youth by not understanding computers, or the Internet.

All in all, I love this story. Love finds itself again, and is rekindled within very modern and real terms. By far, it is better than I would have expected.

Monty Python's Flying Circus
Currently running on KUED Saturdays at 11:00 PM MT, they have a wonderful prefacing disclaimer that says it all: It's nothing but schoolboy smutty humor. The problem is, I was once a schoolboy, and as a guilty pleasure still enjoy such humor in moderation. There isn't a lot that I can say about Monty Python that couldn't be written in volumes, so I will say this: It has all the humor of any British comedy, but with the political commentary of the early Looney Tunes. That is what really draws me to this irreverent satirical show. That, and the fact that every single Pythoner has earned my respect.

Red Dwarf
I admit it, I watched reruns of Star Trek while growing up. I loved Spock, McCoy, and Scotty (particularly Scotty, as he was a Scot), and detested Captain Kirk for all his arrogance and promiscuity with alien beings. So I became interested in SciFi rather early in life.

That being established, it shouldn't be hard to see why I like Red Dwarf. Who wouldn't love watching a lone space ship, light-years away from Earth in deep space, with a single human, an android, a hologram, and a person evolved from a cat. My love for this show can be underlined with a comment made by Patrick Stewart as he returned to his native England after shooting for "Star Trek: Next Generation". He turned on the BBC, saw Red Dwarf, and started calling his Lawyer to see what he would think... That is, until he heard the punchline. Then he immediately hung up his phone, laughing.

Yes, this show is amazingly funny. It pokes fun at the manual workers who seem to have no ambition beyond a "Hot dog stand" in Fiji, a neurotic hologram of a man who was self defeating in his own arrogant desire to improve his life, and an android that was by far the intellectual superior of anyone, but was too nice to take advantage of that position. Oh, and Holli the ship perhaps embodies the entire computing industry as it can be incredibly brilliant at being stupid. The old saying of "Garbage in, Garbage out" is truly embodied within Holli.

Overall, this show was great until it became rather too raunchy for me in the last two seasons. Perhaps I'm a bit of a prude, but those seasons didn't have the same magic. As additional seasons were not created, I can only guess that the BBC felt the same way. But any previous season, such as the first, is well worth watching.

Allo, Allo
Those of you who know me also know that I love History. While Ancient History is the period I majored in and read about constantly, my father began me at an early age on World War II history. This show, set in German occupied France, appeals to that indoctrination by my father, and is his favorite British Comedy.

Beyond the stereotypes that create each of the characters, it's amazingly light-hearted about the German invasion. The Germans appear to be old softies at heart, just having to shoot a few "peasants" from France on principle. The French are less organized than anyone could possibly be in their Resistance movement, and the English are just plain clueless. Yes, they make fun of everyone, including the Americans that free the small village at the end of the show. For sheer fun, I would highly recommend this show.

The Black Adder Series
I am a big Rowan Atkinson fan, and though I don't list "Mr. Bean" as an all-time favorite, I do the Black Adder series. Again, because it is historically based, it appeals to the Historian within. It covers historical events with such light-hearted cynicism that you can't help but love it. When the Black Adder tricks an enemy to stick his head into a loaded cannon, you are taken back. When the Three Witches from MacBeth tell Prince Edmund (the Black Adder) he will become king instead of MacBeth, that's classic. When Queen Elizabeth threatens to kill just about everyone just for fun, that's brilliant.

Yes, I love this series. If you love cynical comics, and have any exposure to Rowan's work that hasn't offended, then you would love this show.

The Piglet Files
Growing up in the Cold War era, this cloak and dagger show with bumbling spies really hits a chord. I love it because even after the fall of the Iron Curtain, it still shows the English MI5 pitting their wits against the remaining KGB. Hilarious in it's refusal to take intelligence gathering seriously, it continues to make me smile.

There are more that I could post, but I will leave it at this. Perhaps in the future I will post about my favorite British dramas as well. Until then, Cheerio! ^_^