To think being older doesnt necessarily deserve you more respect regardless of behaviour?

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I'm watching CBB and Janice and Les Battersby are both in there. Les is raging at everyone and has shouted at various people, mainly women. Charlotte (in her twenties) raged back at him and swore at him and told him to leave another young woman alone. Now Janice is saying that she can't believe Charlotte can speak to an older man with such disrespect. But Les is shouting at her and other young women with no respect at all (and is actually quite scary!). I don't get why he (and Janice) think other people should respect his behaviour when their (similar) behaviour angers him so much.

I think this applies to people in real life sometimes too where they expect to be treated with respect because of their age despite them being completely twattish in behaviour.

Am I being unreasonable to think age doesn't automatically deserve more respect regardless of behaviour?

lucille I completely agree with you.

I quite often feel really bad for groups of teenagers. They get such bad press. I've asked groups of teenagers (even the really 'rough' looking ones) to help me carry a pushchair down steps or help in other ways and I've yet to have anything other than a positive response.

It's amazing you know, if you treat them like 'normal people', that's how they tend to behave....

The behaviour of some older people towards younger people is shocking sometimes.

Older people will be naturally more vulnerable and should be treated as such and cared for, but just because someone has more years than someone else does not mean their views are automatically correct.

Folk. I agree!

I try to judge people by their characters. Young or old does not deserve priority/respect just based on age alone.

I think ageism is vile and sign of an uneducated cunt.

I respect everybody unless they lose that respect. IMO respect is something that is lost, not earned.

YANBU OP. Unfortunately there is a demographic of older folk who believe they are entitled to the utmost respect regardless of their behaviour because of their age. I've found that its people like this who have a 'children should be seen and not heard' mentality and would think nothing of behaving appalling towards those younger than them. My husband's elderly GM is one of these people, and she's vile (has been regardless of age).

Age has nothing to do with respect, nor should it.

I have a basic level of respect and politeness that I use for everyone, regardless of age, unless they act in a way that makes it difficult for me to respect them. I do not make allowances for age with this. Elderly people do not get an extra chance just because they are old. If they are rude, condescending, obstructive or deliberately awkward, they will get the same short shrift as anyone else with these behaviours.