"Sometimes people use “respect” to mean “treating someone like a person” and sometimes they use “respect” to mean “treating someone like an authority”

and sometimes people who are used to being treated like an authority say “if you won’t respect me I won’t respect you” and they mean “if you won’t treat me like an authority I won’t treat you like a person”

and they think they’re being fair but they aren’t, and it’s not okay."

-a 15yo autistic girl experiencing ABA therapy

@DionRa
Amongst criminals and workplace bullies, if they say "you don't respect me", it means you're not showing fear of them, and that makes them angry.
@Karenawokekaren @DionRa *it scares them. Bc if someone steps out of line they take it as a challenge, and see it as a threat to their authority. They fear being thrust off their pedestal. Even if you didn't mean it that way, that's how they see it, bc that's their way of viewing the world.