Lost respect

[ThePoodonkis]

I'm wondering, have any of you guys and gals ever had a great respect for someone, or some people, big in your life, just to have that respect come crashing down?

Spoiler: The reason I ask you why

I have recently found out my family is full of racists due to a trip to New Orleans over Spring Break.
"I'd like this city if it wasn't full of (insert derogatory racist term for black persons. This one just so happened to start with an "N") ." - Mother
"This city is just too black" -Brother
et cetra, et cetra.

Then, I found out that they think that anyone crossing the Mexico/America border should be shot on sight. - Father

THEN, I found that they thing that homosexuals should be hanged and burned. - Sister

And finally, we were watching this video [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HbK76okexVk] and I expressed my opinion that it was staged. To which my father replied: "No, it's real. Muslims are just that stupid!" *everyone but me laughs*
My reply: "I'm sorry, the Muslims are stupid?"
Him: "Yeah. Damn terrorists. They need to be shot. Every last one of them."
Everyone but me agreed.


These are some of the many incidents that have made me lose respect for people I usually hold dear. I've never fully understood how people can be intolerant like that.

Spoiler: EDIT: It has come to my attention that I made this a bit biased towards my family. Well, I think I should clear the air a bit.

My mother was raised around the time of the civil rights movement. To a southern family. They weren't too supporting of said movement, so she had been around that most of her life.

My father was raised around the same time, but to parents who supported the movement. He was in the US Army for 23 years, went through the Gulf War and some of Iraq. So he may just be suspicious of the Middle East as a whole.
As for the thing that happened in New Orleans, I found out he wasn't too happy about my mother saying that.

My brother and sister, they're just very impressionable and dumb.

Anyway, enough of my whining! On to the topic!

Has anything like this ever happened to you? Have you ever lost respect for a friend or family member? Did they ever regain it?

 

[UncleAsriel]

Yes, I have. it's always fun having a role model become a hypocrite. But one learns to get over this well enough, if you can find friends you can put your faith in.

 

[RebelRising]

That sounds almost...made up.

I don't recall ever losing any previously earned respect for anybody. My respect is well-founded.

 

[Micah Weil]

To lose respect, one must have it to begin with. That said, I've never had this problem.

 

[L33tsauce_Marty]

Tom Cruise.

 

[ThePoodonkis]

That sounds almost...made up.

I don't recall ever losing any previously earned respect for anybody. My respect is well-founded.

Would it help if I said they are die-hard Conservatives?
EDIT:
I mean: "BAAWW! OBAMA'S A TERRORIST!!" Conservative.

EDIT PART II:

You can tell your family that I, a white man have no respect for them either. Not a shot at you by any means but people like that make me sick. Again, I cannot stress enough that the comment is in no way meant to offend you, I'm sure your family may be good beyond their racist believes, but its just something that I cannot tolerate.

The odd thing is, I've never heard them talk like that until recently. They usually seemed so tolerant and kind.

 

[DeleteMe1112311]

You can tell your family that I, a white man have no respect for them either. Not a shot at you by any means but people like that make me sick. Again, I cannot stress enough that the comment is in no way meant to offend you, I'm sure your family may be good beyond their recist believes, but its just something that I cannot tolerate.

Anyway, I'm fortunate to say that nothing like this has ever happened to me to that extreme. A few falling outs between friends, etc. but nothing ever too serious.

 

[jboking]

Yeah, I have had someone lose my respect. I enjoy debate and forensics quite a bit and care for my team. We helped train our president to go to nationals in three events. Two weeks before districts she is more than prepaired. She had everything memorized, all the actions down solid, and had performed each of them at over 5 other tournaments and won high places in each of them. THE WEEK BEFORE the district competition she decides that it is too stressful to complete the week and go to a nationally represented tournament where they are known to provide full ride scholarships to good actors. Much respect was lost. At least I was there to ensure our school was represented at nationals in Lincoln-Douglas Debate. : ]

 

[megapenguinx]

Yeah I had a mini rant on here earlier.
One of my friends did things (won't elaborate) with the girl I liked. So I lost respect for the two of them (both knew my feelings and both were my friends), but they got some of it back when my ex came back into my life.

 

[garfoldsomeoneelse]

All the time, back when I used to give people the benefit of doubt.
Now I'm suspicious of everyone I meet, and have turned into a bitter, misanthropic asshole.

 

[Bocaj2000]

Bah. I found out that one of my best friends has been patronizing me and talking down to everyone around him. When talking to some of his friends that graduated [he was a senior, i was a junior. we are one year apart in age] "Go away, the big kids are talking."

I found out that another one of my friends was both racist, like your family, and also antisemetic [me being jewish].

Obama isn't as radical as he once claimed to be. I thought that he was a social reformer... turns out to be another politician who is well spoken. =(

 

[blackcherry]

Oh, yeah no doubt.

Spoiler

I used to be good friends with a teacher in school. I knew her from outside of it and to me she always a great influence. She was a S.E. teacher (the equivalent of an ethics teacher who told you idiots who didn't already know about sex, drugs etc) who never judged anyone seemed a very balanced individual.

That was until one day, as part of work experience with her, I was helping some year 8s with their drama project. Now they wanted to insert some form of swearing into the end where they all died just to highlight the comedy of the whole situation.

I suggested bugger, just off hand as its a non-offensive word really and in the UK, once you are past 12 you can pretty much drop it into conversation without people thinking you are being rude. Its not something that parents would be up in arms about either.

Turns out that you cannot use the word bugger. The reason why? It promotes homosexuality, a deviant lifestyle, which in turn spreads AIDS, and gay people spread AIDS a whole lot more than straight people. This she proclaimed loudly in front of not just me, but her whole class.

Not that I was that annoyed at her for that, let her believe such stupid ideas if she wants. Even when I bought up that as a S.E. teacher, she would have in her time seen enough evidence to disprove the rubbish she was coming out with. But to do it in front of her entire class, some of who would have thought it the right thing to believe because someone in a position of authority had told them so.

I raised the point of Africa too. Turns out they are all ungodly heathens and actually all homosexuals too, so thats ok *sigh*

 

[Weaver]

No, I respect very few people.

 

[cathou]

i used to have respect for my mom, now i dont.

i was also betrayed once by a close friend, but beside that no.

 

[ThePoodonkis]

...Were I capable of hate, I would hate every single member of your family.
As it is, I just wish horrific deaths upon them.

No offense intended, you understand. I just have a low tolerance for intolerance.
Also, stupidity.
That is, if you're not just being absurdly silly.

Just out of curiosity, when is it ever okay to wish death upon one's family, then say "no offense"?
I may have lost respect for them, Hell, I'm pretty angry with them, but they're still my family. Needless to say, I am offended, sir.

Although, I do believe I set myself up for it.

 

[Sparrow]

Lost respect for a long term friend of mine. Ended up in me cracking him square in the face.

He was a dick. Can't believe I didn't spot it. Everyone makes jokes and that at my school, calling each other gay and stuff, but he started beating up this girl because she was bi. I had to tear the stupid dick off of her, and beat him to a pulp.

And the police questioned ME. Bleh.

 

[Kogarian]

Yeah, this happens to me all the time. Mostly with teachers. I just learned not to respect most people.

But I also learned not to be completely intolerant to intolerant people. Then I'd be just as much of a douche as they are.

 

[Bofus Teefus]

Pretty much my whole family falls into the racist category, but they're the ones who are quick to point out that they "have black friends." They had one. She was my friend's mom. She couldn't stand my parents because they were obvious closet racists.

An exception is my biological father, who I've spoken to maybe twice. He is a member of one of those groups. You know, one of those groups. He never tried to get me to hop on the white supremacy bandwagon, though, which doesn't make sense from a "strength in numbers" perspective. Guess he's too stupid to be a good bigot.