Disrespect is felt as humiliation. Humiliation is the violent or aggressive assertion of hierarchy. It is putting someone in their place, a place below the humiliator. Much violence, both that directed outwardly onto others and that directed inward onto ourselves, is a direct product of humiliation.

Disrespect through hostile competition

Hostile competition breeds disrespect. Believing that a situation can only have zero-sum results, where for one side to gain the other must lose, negates others’ ideas and opinions. It conveys a message that there is only one “right” way and other ways have no right to exist. This type of competition fosters expressions of disdain and contempt for others. People and organizations caught up in this pattern see no grounds for compromise or collaboration.

Fighters and those inciting conflict engage in displays of negative competition, dehumanizing their opponents. Intervening agencies and individuals mirror this attitude when they badmouth one another. When we do this, we send the message that we do not respect people with whom we do not agree.We contribute to the dividing mindset that we do not need to work with those with whom we do not agree. Working with them is impossible.

The difference in attitude between most athletes who play for a professional sports team and the most rabid fans of that team can be stark. Athletes enjoy competition against great players and teams and often express that pleasure with accolades for others. Fanatics, by contrast, belittle athletes on opposing teams, engage in hostility toward other fans, and denigrate whole geographical regions. They, it seems, get little pleasure out of the athletics on display, enjoying instead the hot social antipathy expressed toward the “other”.
 
When we use the word “competition” in Do No Harm, we are aware of the potential for healthy competition, such as that often displayed between sports teams or in commerce. Just as with the word “conflict”, the concept of competition itself is not negative, but it can be carried by people into a dark place of active disrespect and disregard.

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Related Topics
Disrespect through Aggression, Anger, and Belligerence
Disrespect through Indifference
Collaboration and cooperation as expressions of respect
Organizations and Disrespect