American Thinker,
by
Mike McDaniel
Original Article
Posted by
Hazymac
—
12/14/2025 8:36:28 AM
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Among the first things I taught my new students at the beginning of every new school year was the difference between deference and respect. One defers to others because of their position of authority, regardless of whether they are honest, honorable, decent and capable. Respect, however, must be earned every day. We defer to others because of their positions and to a lesser degree, their accomplishments. We respect others because of who they are, because they’ve proved themselves worthy of our respect regardless of their positions of authority.
In the military, you defer to rank, but you respect those who don’t trade on it, or who fling their accomplishments