R-E-S-P-E-C-T

Respect is something that is very important to EVERYONE. Some people take it more seriously more than others, and there are those who do not. By looking up the word in the Merriam Webster Dictionary online, its denotation is:

1: a relation or reference to a particular thing or situation (remarks having respect to an earlier plan)
2: an act of giving particular attention: consideration
3: high or special regard: esteem

Those are good definitions of the word respect, and are applicable to certain situations that one may face. But in life, and the lives of others, it has a greater meaning than what is defined in the dictionary….

Kayla Williams, the main character of this autobiography, talks about how respect differs in Middle Eastern countries. She said that, “In the Middle East, people have a different communication style than Americans do. Americans have this three-foot-space rule. We do no want anyone to invade a space within three feet of us when we talk. For most Americans this is standard. In the Middle East the space if much less-it’s more like a foot or six inches. They get right up in your face. And they will yell. It looks to most Americans like aggression. But it isn’t. It’s friendly.” (109) To Americans, when Middle Eastern people were talking so closely to them, they thought that they had no respect for anyone, but because the Arab culture differs so immensely form the American culture, certain things seem a bit shocking.

While reading, Kayla was bothered by something that also upset me as well… In those Middle Eastern countries, respect applies to everyone, but if you are a woman, no matter what age, women do no receive the same amount of respect as men do. Other than witnessing many accounts of women not treated equally as men, Kayla found herself in a similar situation, and was not about to accept it.

When se was in certain parts of the Middle East, males never stared her down, or looked at her too much to the pint of feeling uncomfortable. She had a good Arab friend of hers named Rick, and ”his friends never looked at me sexually. They always treated me with total respect.”(110) She thought that because they were so respectful to here there, that it would be the same everywhere else, but she was absolutely wrong. She says that when she, “flew into Kuwaiti men were staring at me. A couple of them followed me around. I was horrified.” ”You’re not allowed to do this!” I wanted to tell them. “It’s against your religion. You’re supposed to be respectful!” (110)

Kayla goes on to explain, “That’s when it hit me. Rick’s friends’ respectful and polite attitude toward me had nothing to do with their culture or religion. It had nothing to do with me. It had everything to do with Rick. They were being respectful of him- not me. They were showing him respect for his possession. Me.” After reading that passage, I came to a realization too, that attitude that men have toward women does not only occur in the Middle Eastern countries, but also around the world. Women want respect from everyone both males and other females too, but to respect in the manner in which Kayla was, it uncalled for. Nobody wants to be treated that way, and most of the times, males are the ones to treat women like that first. The sad part about a situation like that is that lots of times those women who have low self esteem and hardly any respect for themselves enjoy that twisted respect that males may give her, which only makes males behave like that to many other women.

Respect is something that has millions of different connotations based of off unique individuals, but the main idea is that it is something that should never be violated but always acknowledged.