USCG Auxiliary Diversity Moment
Diversity Officers, here’s an opportunity to start a discussion with your unit at your next gathering,
and doing so, fulfills Goal Category 1.3 in the NACO 3-Star application.
Leadership, please consider adapting these ideas expressed in leading out your units.
May 2024
Optimized Respect
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“Let every man be respected as an individual and no man idolized.”
~Albert Einstein
The Coast Guard’s Core Values are “Honor, Respect, Devotion to Duty.” Must respect always be earned? If we show disrespect to our shipmates (or really to anyone), then why would anyone want to continue to serve, much less join our team in the first place? If we go to the other extreme, idolizing, then again, why would anyone want to participate with those who foster and/or submit to that behavior?
Among adults in our culture, respect is usually something that is earned rather than automatically granted. This is particularly true in where individuals are expected to demonstrate their competence, integrity, and consideration for others over time. Respect is the acknowledgment of someone's worth, abilities, or qualities, which is what Einstein was driving at. In the military, it is an outward display of recognizing one’s position as well. Respect is an act of balance. Idolizing tends to involve a sense of unrestrained reverence and adulation usually directed towards a higher power or authority. Here, the line between respect and worship can sometimes blur, leading to unhealthy dynamics which we will call “toxic idolizing.”
It's important to recognize that there's a baseline level of respect that is often expected in all human interactions, simply as a matter of common decency and courtesy. This basic respect should be given initially to everyone until their actions or behavior indicate otherwise. This is not an argument to justify rudeness, however. So, while respect may need to be earned in deeper or more significant ways, basic respect for human dignity and rights is considered a fundamental aspect of social interaction. Exhibiting proper respect avoids toxic idolizing and invites all our shipmates to be positively involved.
By staying mindful of these dynamics and actively working to maintain healthy boundaries and perspectives, you can ensure that respect remains just that—respectful admiration while avoiding toxic idolizing behavior. In situations where there's a significant power differential, such as between a leader and their followers, respect can morph into toxic idolization as people feel compelled to defer to authority unquestioningly. In any case, basic respect of our fellow shipmates covers pretty much everything we represent, or at least, should represent to ourselves and those around us.
Michael Brown, BC-DUP Outreach (Diversity & Inclusion Directorate)
Submitted by:
Thomas W. Bamford, ANACO-DVd
Deputy Assistant National Commodore – D&I
U.S. Coast Guard Change Agent
U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary
U.S. Coast Guard Seventh District
“Enthusiasm, Encouragement, Empowerment”