S’pore Redditor thinks respecting elders is ‘bull’, says respect should be earned regardless of age

Redditors challenge social expectations of respecting elders in Singapore

A Reddit user took to the Singapore Subreddit to challenge the expectations of respecting elders in Singapore.

In the thread “Unpopular Opinion: The Idea of Respecting the Elders is Bull”, the Redditor asserted that one should earn and not demand respect.

Redditor questions idea of respecting elders

In the post, the Reddit user shared how their view came about after seeing another thread on the forum, discussing if seniors are automatically entitled to a seat on public transportation.

They then expressed their opinion on how respect should be accorded based on mutual regard and not age:

I respect everyone regardless of their age and I accord them the respect depending on their attitudes and behaviour.

Reddit post divides opinions online

The post garnered divided opinions online on the topic of filial piety.

Some commenters agreed with the idea of mutual respect, affirming the “they diss you, you diss them back” mentality.

On the other hand, several others claimed that there is no correlation between respect and helping someone in need. In their view, respect ultimately comes down to “being kind”.

However, most agreed that the idea of respecting seniors has become a cultural norm. They believe that the concept should be challenged to achieve mutual understanding across generations.

Also read: ‘You lose the face of S’pore’: woman berates North-East Line MRT passengers for not giving up seats

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Featured image adapted from carmonaguerrero on Canva.