By Lori Bredemeyer, Student Reporter

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

Find out what it means to me.

R-E-S-P-E-C-T…

As the words of Aretha Franklin echo in my head, I can’t help but speculate on how and why society has lost respect. Whether a person is being inattentive, discourteous, or just plain rude, I’ve witnessed many instances in the past couple of months that make me wonder what people are really thinking.

In one case, my roommate was in music class where the teacher was playing a song about an AIDS victim. A student behind her made a crude and inappropriate comment to his buddies about the AIDS patient and everyone around him laughed. The boy and his friends obviously did not think about the feelings of the composer or the emotions of the teacher or any student around him.

Another friend of mine has an on-campus job working in an office and was acting as substitute for one of the professors. All she had to do was take roll and start a movie. As she inserted the tape into the VCR, the majority of the class left. Not only did they disrespect the teacher, who assigned them to watch the film, but also had no regard for my friend who was in charge of and accountable for the class’ actions.

My last example involves the job that I had over the summer. I waited tables at a local restaurant. Several times lewd comments were made towards me that made me, and usually the people around me, feel uncomfortable. These co-workers had no respect for me, my body or my emotions. I’m sure none of them would appreciate other guys talking to and treating their sisters like they often treated me.

These are only a few of many cases where I have observed blatant disrespect. My solution to this epidemic is simple: think. Before you say or do anything that might be rude, think about what you’re going to say. Someone around you might be affected by your comment or action. The people in my examples could have avoided being impolite if they had stopped to consider how an AIDS patient, or a substitute, or their female relatives would feel. Think, and just have a little bit of R-E-S-P-E-C-T.