This goes back to OPs point about devaluing the concept of respect. I'm generally polite to stangers I meet. Not because I respect them (how could I? I don't k

This goes back to OPs point about devaluing the concept of respect. I'm generally polite to stangers I meet. Not because I respect them (how could I? I don't know them), but because it's morally good to behave decently. By conflating respect with basic manners/decency, you really devalue what it means to deserve respect and to be respected.