What's your gut-reaction to authority?

I would say that if said authority wants my respect then they should earn that respect as is expected of everyone else. I respect in a practical sense, but the pleasantries just seem unnecessary most of the time. I respect police in the same way that I respect any other thug with a gun, in a very cautious sense of the word.

I think that someone who deserves respect doesn’t have to demand it with a gun. Respect is one of those things that comes naturally for most people. If someone is worth respecting, then they usually don’t have to coerce people into doing it. One of the things I respect most about respectable people is that they don’t exploit the respect that people have for them.

Skepticism. I tend to question it. Along the lines of “what gives you the right to tell me what to do?”

Unfortunately, I was raised with a chain of command. My father was a military officer. So my knee-jerk reaction is to accept authority and authoritarian dictates. My life experience has made me aware of that tendency and made me question authority. Very interesting.

In a non-emergency situation no one has authority over me until they
A). Prove there is a need and
B). Prove that they are capable of filling that need.

If there is an emergency I’m as compliant and solicitous as I can be. Same if there seems to be a clear and compelling reason that some authority take hold of a situation.

Otherwise my experiences with corporate management and law enforcement have been so poor I feel bound to question authority. I served on a criminal jury trial and I felt such contempt for the county prosecutor that was open about it from the jury box. He literally made shit up! And the green public defender didn’t even object! I mean, I could have had them read his opening statement back during the trial and shown that it was 30% fiction.

I generally cast an evil eye at it until I know better.

Surprisingly good.,,
Definitely had no idea that would be my answer..

Law enforcement or government authorities? Fuck’em.

Parental authority I have a considerable amount of respect for.

I tend to give it the benefit of a doubt. I understand the need for authority, that it at least has the potential to make things go more smoothly, and so I’m generally willing to play along nicely. But I’ve also been the authority in various circumstances, so I hold no illusions that there’s anything truly special about the people who hold these positions, and having authority doesn’t magically change that. It’s just a social game we agree to play so that things work better.

Problems arise when the people with authority start to believe too much in their own specialness. When authority becomes an ego trip, I call bullshit.

I don’t lump all types of “authority” together. You’d have to ask separate questions about each type for me to give you separate categorical answers. Frankly, even then, I tend to respond on an individual basis. I’m not prone to generalizations of this kind.

The answer of course must vary with the individual, as well as the “agency” involved. I mean there’s the FBI and then there’s the hall monitor. There can be stalwart capability in either “profession”, but experience demonstrates that there’s no reason to expect either to surpass the other when it comes to competence. Titles are necessary to regiment us into some form of order. It is a rare thing for the individual or agency in authority to rise to the competence worthy of its supposed importance. The prudent response to authority would seem “remain suspicious til proven otherwise”.

Be polite. Obey. My problem comes in when authority is my boss, and she’s an idiot.

I respect and accept most of the time but it depends what the authority wants.

This brings up an interesting point involving the civic arena. There would appear to be an enormous decline in the respect for authority afoot these days. From cops and teachers to priests and politicians, one is left with the queasy feeling that our society is rapidly unraveling around us.

Society demands that we respect the uniform, and I do, but the person in that uniform has to earn my respect. some do and some do not.

I generally refute authority but respect competence. If you have to assert your authority, then you don’t have enough competence to earn any respect from me. On the other hand, if you’re competent enough to actually deserve authority, you won’t need to “pull rank”; I will overlook your uniform/badge/title and respect your aptitude.

I fight authority and authority always wins.

I respect authority.
But I also question authority.

It’s like the teacher that gives everyone an A in the class. You just have to work to keep it. I will give you the respect that you say your position deserves. But you have to work to uphold it.

Respectful and, as @jerv has already said, competent authority is okay but undeserved and mishandled authority stokes my ire.

I fight Authority and Authority always wins…

I fight authority and I have a decent track record, @Yetanotheruser.

Know how to pick your battles.
Know how to state your position in few words, and stay on topic.
Mind your temper.

As a total anarchist, I diss all authority, your Majesty! ;-p