Author speaks on loss of respect

Jason Perry says he knows what it’s like to be invisible, to lose the respect of others just because of the uniform he was wearing.

But instead of letting the experience destroy his self confidence, the author told a group of a dozen Judson University students and faculty members Friday that it changed his perspective on respect and the devolution of respect in society.

Perry, whose latest book “dissedRespect” examines the culture of disrespect, said work is needed in defining respect and understanding how it affects every aspect of our lives.

“If you leave a saw out in the rain and don’t stop the rust it keeps spreading and soon you start calling it a rusty saw,” Perry said. “Its identity is redefined and it’s the same way with disrespect. People start corrupting others and it spreads throughout the community ... It becomes the way things are. It becomes culture.”

Much of the problem, Perry said, is that the definition of respect creates a disconnect for young people.

He said to an 18-year-old, respect hedges on how they are treated.

“To them, respect is a single-layer idea,” Perry said. “Once you disrespect me, I am no longer obligated to respect you. They have lost the understanding of what respect is and the construct of respect. Their definition of respect is how you treat me and if I like you.”

Perry’s own experience happened a few years ago when he was having difficulty finding a job. Perry found work making and delivering sandwiches. He then got a call asking him to give the chapel address at Olivet Nazarene University. It was a success. He said the audience gave him a standing ovation and told him it was the best address they’d ever heard.

The next day, Perry delivered sandwiches to the same university.

“I was standing in the elevator and people were looking at the numbers like they’d never seen the numbers one, two, three, four before,” Perry said. “I got no respect and that fundamentally changed me.”