Scale of Respect
| “ | I'll consider knocking you and Susan up my scale of Respect each by 2 points (0=No Respect...10=Respect). | ” |
| Chris[1] | ||
The Scale of Respect is a fine example of Chris using video game terminology to describe his feelings towards other people due to his lack of social interaction. It was mentioned in a 2004 e-mail to Mary Lee Walsh.
Since autistics have trouble expressing subtle differences with such intangible concepts as "respect," he might be putting the differences of respect between, say, a schoolteacher to a pedophile, in literal physical terms that he's familiar with to better understand the concept. While even small children don't resort to such retardation, instead learning about it through "give and take", it boggles the mind that even in his twenties, he still clings to this system of treating respect as if it were rungs on a ladder.
While sociologists have done surveys, made graphs, and written papers to find out which professions the average American feel the most respect for (The top 3 being Doctor, Soldier and Teacher, in that order), it's difficult to say which person you have more respect for when things like authority are taken into account, because one respects authority (or at least pretends to) out of survival. According to Chris's "Scale of Respect," things like authority aren't even considered, meaning that he can't differentiate between the concepts of "respect" and "authority" or understand that the two often blend together. This is likely the reason for his troubles with Mary Lee Walsh, whom at the time of her run in with Chris was the Dean of Student Affairs, giving her authority over student activities, including the ability to forbid pathetic man-children from employing retarded methods of attracting attention from the opposite sex. One must always listen to authority figures, whether one respects the person or not. But one can still respect someone who has no authority over you. This is one reason why Chris might not be able to hold down a job, because he has no concept of authority, and this is coupled with his sense of entitlement, he would refuse to answer to higher-ups if they disagree with him despite their authority over him.
Chris believes that his "respect" is valid to use as a bargaining chip during negotiation.