Respect and Anti-social behaviour

I just read the government’s website page on the issue of respect. The headline slogan to it reads ‘Give Respect, Get Respect’. This suggests that respect is vertical, and operates from one-direction, instead of being something simultaneously mutual.

In theory, if you give respect, then you should get respect back, but some people in authority aren’t like that. I have shown respect to some people in authority, and had it thrown back in my face, because their idea of respect, is just to have power over you, in order to want to degrade and humiliate you.

They want to have this abusive power, so that you can’t form your own values, beliefs, and conscience, and so that you will agree to whatever they are saying, despite the fact that they are right or wrong. This approach is authoritarian, and it rules out discussion and debate, and consequently rules out any kind of democracy. Maybe this is their general idea of relationships too, and the way their treat their partners, but it is not my idea of relationships.

On the government’s anti-social behaviour webpage, it lists various anti-social behaviours, but it only says that individuals and small groups carry out this, and not also society against minorities, marginalised, and oppressed individuals and groups. It is not just individuals and small groups who can be anti-social, but also societies and communities, fuelled by prejudice and discrimination with things like racism and mentalism. It is stupid and ridiculous that the government’s webpage on anti-social behaviours does not list racism and mentalism as anti-social behaviours.

Another thing the webpage lists as anti-social, is begging. I disagree with the government that begging is anti-social, because if a lot of homeless people didn’t beg, then they would simply starve.

I agree that anti-social behaviours exist, but I think and know from experience that society can be very anti-social too, and I think that New Labour somewhat idealise society.