I really hate the whole “respect is earned, not given” because I feel like you should respect strangers who haven’t done anything to you… so maybe we should replace it with “malice is earned, not given.”
This is a better sentiment. Assume that everyone is worthy of respect until they, by their words and actions, show that they’re actually just a complete jerkass.
Innocent until proven guilty.
people who say “I will not respect you unless you respect me” really mean “I will not treat you like a human being unless you treat me like an authority figure”