sprjam byankah fabienna
Florene Pothoven
Respect, also called esteem, is a positive feeling or deferential action shown towards someone or something considered important or held in high esteem or regard. It conveys a sense of admiration for good or valuable qualities. It is also the process of honoring someone by exhibiting care, concern, or consideration for their needs or feelings.[1]
In many cultures, people are considered to be worthy of respect until they prove otherwise. Some people may earn special respect through their exemplary actions or social roles. In so-called "honor cultures", respect is more often earned in this way than granted by default.[2] Courtesies that show respect may include simple words and phrases like "thank you" in the West or "namaste" in the Indian subcontinent, or simple physical signs like a slight bow, a smile, direct eye contact, or a handshake. Such acts may have very different interpretations depending on the cultural context.
Typically honorifics are used for second and third persons; use for first person is less common. Some languages have anti-honorific first person forms (like "your most humble servant" or "this unworthy person") whose effect is to enhance the relative honor accorded a second or third person.
For example, it is disrespectful not to use polite language and honorifics when speaking in Japanese with someone having a higher social status. The Japanese honorific "san" can be used when English is spoken.[3]
In China, it is considered rude to call someone by their first name unless the person is known by the speaker for a long period of time. In work-related situations, people address each other by their titles. At home, people often refer to each other by nicknames or terms of kinship.[4] In Chinese culture, individuals often address their friends as juniors and seniors even if they are just a few months younger or older. When the Chinese ask for someone's age, they often do so to know how to address the person.[4]
In Islamic cultures, there are many ways to show respect to people. For example, one may kiss the hands of parents, grandparents, or teachers. It is narrated in the sayings of Muhammad "Your smiling in the face of your brother is charity".[5] It is also important for Muslims to treat the Quran with great care, as it's considered the word of God. Actions like placing it on the floor or handling it with unclean hands are forbidden and should be followed by a prayer of forgiveness.
In India, it is customary that, out of respect, when a person's foot accidentally touches a book or any written material (considered to be a manifestations of Saraswati, the goddess of knowledge) or another person's body, it will be followed by an apology in the form of a single hand gesture (pranāma) with the right hand, where the offending person first touches the object with the finger tips and then the forehead and/or chest. This also counts for money, which is considered to be a manifestation of the goddess of wealth, Lakshmi.[6] Pranāma, or the touching of feet in Indian culture is a sign of respect. For instance, when a child greets their grandparents, they typically will touch their hands to their grandparents' feet. In Indian culture, it is believed that the feet are a source of love and power.[7]
Many gestures or physical acts that are common in the West can be considered disrespectful in Japan. For instance, one should not point directly at someone. When greeting someone or thanking them, it may be insulting if the person of lower status does not bow lower than the person with higher status. The duration and level of the bow depends on many factors such as age and status.[8] Some signs of physical respect apply to women only. If a woman does not wear cosmetics or a brassiere, it is possible that she will be considered unprofessional or others may think she does not care about her situation.
In Chinese culture, bowing is generally reserved as a sign of respect for elders and ancestors. When bowing, they place the fist of the right hand in the palm of their left at stomach level. The deeper the bow, the more respect they are showing.
Traditionally, there was not much hand-shaking in Chinese culture. However, this gesture is now widely practiced among people, especially when greeting Westerners or other foreigners. Many Westerners may find Chinese handshakes to be too long or too weak, but this is because Chinese people consider a weaker handshake to be a gesture of humility and respect.[4]
Kowtowing, or kneeling and bowing so deeply that one's forehead is touching the floor, is practiced during worship at temples. Kowtowing is a powerful gesture reserved mainly for honoring the dead or offering deep respect at a temple.[4]
Many codes of behavior revolve around young people showing respect to older people. Filial piety is a virtue of having respect for ancestors, family, and elders. As in many cultures, younger Chinese individuals are expected to defer to older people, let them speak first, sit down after them, and not contradict them. Sometimes when an older person enters a room, everyone stands. People are often introduced from oldest to youngest. Often, younger people will go out of their way to open doors for their elders and not cross their legs in front of them. The older you are the more respect you are expected to be treated with.[4]
In many indigenous American societies, respect is viewed as a moral value that teaches indigenous people about their culture. This moral value is treated as a process that influences participation in the community and also helps people develop and become integrated into their culture. For this reason, the value of respect is taught during childhood.[10]
Respect as a form of behavior and participation is especially important as a basis of how children must conduct themselves in their community. Children engage in mature activities such as cooking for the family, cleaning and sweeping the house, caring for infant peers, and crop work. Indigenous children learn to view their participation in these activities as a representation of respect. Through this manner of showing respect by participation in activities, children not only learn about culture but also practice it as well.[citation needed]
RESPECT is designed to build trust and accountability in our community. To accomplish this, RESPECT proactively hosts community-building circles. It also partners with key units to monitor the campus climate and track data on bias reports. By identifying patterns in the data, RESPECT is equipped to respond and to proactively implement strategies to decrease the prevalence of future occurrences. This may be achieved through healing circles, trainings, workshops, speakers, community forums, and other educational programming to openly engage students, faculty, administrators, and staff in conversations about social justice, equity, and inclusion.
Please direct any questions about RESPECT to any of the Tri-Chairs or email [email protected]. For questions about Title IX, bias reporting or compliance, please contact Danielle Haynes, Director of Equal Opportunity, Compliance, and Title IX at 718-990-2660; [email protected].
The RESPECT Bias Response Team consists of faculty, staff, and students who have volunteered their time to assist the university in building community and addressing incidents of bias that affect the individual and/or community.
The RESPECT Bias Response Team are members who have completed extensive, ongoing training to help prepare them for their role. These trainings consist of diversity education, social justice education, restorative justice education, bias response, and hands-on practice. Following the initial training of all new committee members, the committee will continue to meet on a monthly basis to continue education, plan community-building circles, proactively employ prevention methods, and to support and respond to individual and community needs.
RESPECT is currently accepting applications. Members of respect will be asked to participate in an initial 5-day training. Post the training, members can expect to devote about 10-12 hours each semester to RESPECT. If you would like to serve on the 2023-24 RESPECT Bias Team, please fill out the application. Selected members will receive training, beginning Spring 2023. Upon official selection, new members will be listed below.
The RESPECT Bias Response Team has three main roles when it comes to bias response: respond to affected individuals, respond to the community, and assist with prevention. Below are examples of how we will fulfill these roles.
Individuals who report issues of bias go through an intake an assessment process with the Office of Human Resources, Equal Opportunity & Compliance (EOC) Office. They will be able to (1) talk about the details of the incident, (2) provided resources, which include connecting to someone on RESPECT, and given the option about which process to choose.
Individual or group incidents may grow into community incidents. When community incidents arise, the RESPECT Bias Response Team will be there to assess the impact, address the harm, and assist in community healing.
Restorative justice is a collaborative decision-making process that includes victims, offenders, and others who are seeking to hold offenders accountable by having them (a) accept and acknowledge responsibility for their offenses, (b) to the best of their ability, repair the harm they caused to victims and communities, and (c) work to reduce the risk of re-offense by building positive social ties to the community.
Restorative processes help educate community members about the need for civic commitment and build student capacity for evaluating the impact of their behavior on the community. The restorative values of repairing harm, reintegration, and community building is central to the process.
Restorative circles are a useful practice in the restorative justice process that uses authentic dialogue to promote understanding, build community, and accountability. These dialogues take place with participants sitting in circle, so they are sometimes called circle dialogues or community circles.
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