Who ya' Gonna Respect?--Top Answer

Unfortunately, in America, we pick and choose who we’re going to admire. Many people believe we don’t always accomplish this in a fair manner. A partial list of who we admire, in order of importance, would look something like this:

• Celebrities 
• Doctors of any kind 
• Business executives 
• Teachers (As a school volunteer, I see numerous students disrespect them.) 
• Politicians (Okay, many people don’t trust them these days.) 
• Stay-at-home parents

We need to ask ourselves if we should really be respecting people who may mess up lives through arrogance or negligence. My road to health has been full of potholes dug by negligent, arrogant, uncaring, or uninformed doctors and medical professionals. I have heard similar, or even worse, stories from others as well.

The list above is actually in reverse order of importance, as far as I’m concerned. People who stay home with their children for medical reasons, or by choice, usually mold the next generation with solid values. On the other hand, are the values of most celebrities worth emulating? If not, why should we admire them so much? Do we have our priorities straight?

What Goes Around Comes Around

I saw a recent episode of the reality show, Undercover Boss about Peavey, Electronics. For those who don’t know, Peavey Electronics is an American-based company that has manufactured and sold high-end instruments as well as amplification equipment for top bands since the 1970’s. They have serviced such rock legends as ZZ Top and Led Zeppelin. If you look at archival pictures or video footage of some of the biggest names in the industry, you will see the trademark shown above imprinted on most of the equipment.

So, what is Peavey up to today? Apparently, this once proud-to-be-American company, which made its money mainly off Americans, is outsourcing some of its jobs. I was stunned when the episode showcased the following: faulty gear; decades-old methods of testing electronic circuit boards; and, a clueless, detached, uncaring administration. 

The real turn off, however, was when the CEO (chief executive officer) and COO (chief operating officer) chose to close down “underperforming” plant #3 in Mississippi after promising two employees  job security, raises, and other perks. The COO unemotionally admitted they had decided “outsourcing” was the best route to go for the company. Oh, yes? Well, what about the employees who are now out of a job? What about the dependents of those employees?

Seriously, I have to ask myself what Peavey hoped to accomplish by participating in this unflattering episode. Did they hope to elicit the viewer’s sympathy for the “hard times” they had fallen on? That’s a huge miscalculation. In these uncertain times, nobody is going to sympathize with a big business that doesn’t treat people right, or update their equipment and sound engineering methods.

The Law of the Harvest

I predict what goes around will come around for Peavey Electronics. Any company caring only about their bottom line, as well as the comforts of their pampered top employees, will pay for it in the end. I also imagine Americans won’t take kindly to the outsourcing of a company they supported from the beginning.

All people deserve esteem, even those who may seem to be powerless in certain situations. Yet, the most obvious reason for courtesy may be this age-old truth: if you treat reasonable individuals well, they are likely to treat you kindly. In current jargon, we say good deeds get “paid forward”. We reap what we sow, whether malevolence or kindness.

My Conclusion

That’s “honor all people” and “respect all people”, not only those who seem to have influence. We all reap the consequences of the choices we make in every relationship; it’s important to choose wisely.