Respect is a basic right everyone deserves, not something to earn. Treating it as earned reinforces power hierarchies where people in authority decide who's worthy, teaching others to do the same and repeating the cycle endlessly.
Respect is a bare minimum requirement. Here's the problem when you think respect is earned. You're into the power hierarchy of the situation. You got to earn my respect. Who are you to decide whether myself as a human being should be treated with respect? And then if you teach me that, I'm going to teach that to everybody below me. Now you all got to earn. And when they get up to my position, they're now going to play this game with someone else. It's a hierarchy game. There are things you can earn. Respect is given.
