What do you hold in high respect?

[CF DolFan]

We used to be a country that held certain things in high respect but that seems to be coming obsolete as the older generations die off. We used to respect things like our elders, the Pledge of Allegiance, National Anthem, and authority figures but now it seems more important NOT to respect any of those things.

Here is my question ... is there anything that you hold in high respect regardless of how you may feel about them? If so, why?

[DaLittle B]

IMO This is a troll question,your asking opinions/feelings to fit in arbitrary absolutes.Ie Very few things are Black or White....Respect,and Authority,or Authority figures is a broad term to me.My opinions on those things are based differently on situation,context,and specific to each thing...

[Dolphster]

I hold the things that CF listed in high respect, but yeah, I kind of agree that it is a loaded question with some pretty high troll potential. 

As for things I hold in high regard regardless of how I feel about them.....that is how I feel about the office of POTUS.  I respect the position, but there are very few who have held that position over the last 30 years that I respect as individuals.

[Spider-Dan]

Here is my question ... is there anything that you hold in high respect regardless of how you may feel about them? If so, why?

This question doesn't really make sense to me.  Are you looking for an answer like "I believe homosexuals are morally bankrupt deviants who are destroying our society but I respect them"?

[Dolphster]

This question doesn't really make sense to me.  Are you looking for an answer like "I believe homosexuals are morally bankrupt deviants who are destroying our society but I respect them"?

I'm not a homosexual, but I'm totally a morally bankrupt deviant.  Yet I still respect the hell out of myself.   

[Dave Gray]

I like the National Anthem, personally.  I feel like it's a celebration of our nation's values, which I support.  I usually participate in singing it, but it's a personal choice.  And there are times when I'm not feeling particularly celebratory, so I don't sing.

I think that the Pledge of Allegiance is bullshit and I always have, ever since I was a kid.  I am fundamentally against what the pledge stands for and I find it jingoistic bullshit.  I feel like my relationship with my country is symbiotic.  I will fight to make it what I believe it should be, but I will not blindly support my country like a sports team when it no longer reflects my values.  The idea of pledging my allegiance to a flag just because it's my flag can fuck right off.

I think where you and I might differ, CF, is that I don't think things deserve your respect just because it exists.  Respect must be constantly earned by all parties.

[Spider-Dan]

Not to sidetrack, Dave, but the reason why we have such an attachment to our flag (the pledge of allegiance is to the flag, not the country!) is because previous nations usually required allegiance to a monarch.  As one of the only democracies at the time, we substituted the flag for the king, which is why we are much more neurotic about the flag being displayed properly, not touching the ground, etc than other countries are.

So in context, I don't really have a problem with the Pledge.  Other than, you know, the unconstitutional part they added in the 1950s.

[Tenshot13]

Things I hold in high respect:

--God and most men of god like preachers and such (pedo priests exempt of course)
--Most elders...I say most because sometimes a person is a piece of shit no matter how old they are
--Anyone who served or is serving in the military
--Bob Dole American Hero
--The national anthem
--The flag
--The pledge

[Dave Gray]

I'd like to add that our fetishism towards all things military is weird as shit. 

[Tenshot13]

I'd like to add that our fetishism towards all things military is weird as shit. 

How so?  I see it as people putting their lives on the line for the betterment of our country.  Politics can skew the true nature of "betterment", but those people are still putting their lives on the line.  How is that fetishism?

[Sunstroke]

Things I hold in high regard:  Good things
Things I hold in low regard:   Bad things

IMO This is a troll question,your asking opinions/feelings to fit in arbitrary absolutes.Ie Very few things are Black or White....Respect,and Authority,or Authority figures is a broad term to me.My opinions on those things are based differently on situation,context,and specific to each thing...

Couldn't agree more...

[DaLittle B]

Err I didn't mean for it sound like I was calling CF a troll...I was pissy from a phone call,but the question Ehhh...

You can have respect for something,and not agree with it.IE I have respect for what the Unions did for workers in this countries,and around the world,but not a fan of big honking unions.

Respecting my Elders to me,is listening to them,and their stories,and history.Learning those stories,facts,and things,remembering them...(IMO we treat elderly pretty shitty in this country) That doesn't mean just because they did it this way when they were young,or they believe this,and we should go back to it.It's not Right,it doesn't work that way anymore,and as a society we've changed.

The Flag is another one to me, that I find a bit odd...

What if the flag is made in another country? What about Tshirt,hats,underwear that looks like they are made from an American Flag.
What about the people that have T-shirts,shorts,underwear that are American Flags...

The symbol of the American flag,I respect the people,and ideas that it represents (even if I disagree with it,and it's actions)...The flag of our City,state has,not really...

I hold in high regard,my right to vote,and make difference in this country.

[Dave Gray]

How so?  I see it as people putting their lives on the line for the betterment of our country.  Politics can skew the true nature of "betterment", but those people are still putting their lives on the line.  How is that fetishism?

Sometimes it's for the betterment of the country, sometimes not.

The military is a tool to be used effectively and only when absolutely necessary, but it's not to be worshiped.  Soldiers deserve respect, of course, but so do other professions.  And sometimes lives are on the line, in war or whatever, but the whole concept that everyone in the military is a hero is just strange, IMO.  Some dudes joined the military because they had no other options and got an education while they were mechanics on helicopters.  Is that a hero, more than any other mechanic?  I don't know...just seems weird to me.

But in general, celebration or worship of military goes hand in hand with jingoism.  I look at military worship throughout history and I don't like what I see.

That said, I still consider myself very supportive and respectful of the military.  I just don't feel comfortable celebrating it or other instruments of war and death.

[Spider-Dan]

Our current version of "respecting the troops" really only dates back to the abolition of the draft.  Prior to that, serving in the military was something people usually did because they were forced to, so "the troops" were held in about the same regard as, say, taxpayers or jurors.  Can you imagine people working themselves into a frenzy because kneeling during the anthem is disrespecting all the people who have served on juries?  Yeah, neither can I.

But with the switch to a volunteer-based military, I can see why we needed to increase the prestige of the job. I mean, many people join the military as a way to escape hollowed-out factory towns with no job prospects, but that's not exactly inspiring.  So instead, we focus on risking their lives.  The problem is, with troops that are in the military by choice, politicians feel much less constrained when choosing to put them danger.

An understated side-effect of that "federal job guarantee" plans that are floating around the left is that with an actual chance to earn a decent living without putting their life in danger, the number of military recruits would likely drop significantly.  It's worth considering that if we ever give people genuine economic opportunity (and decent healthcare), a lot of the draw of joining the armed forces goes away... at which point we will have a big problem.

[BuccaneerBrad]

Police officers.  They are our soldiers who don't get deployed.