This may seem elementary to you ...

But I think it's really helpful. Not that any of it is shocking to me, but it still helps to read stuff like this in black-and-white, including some of the thinking behind it.

As I continue to think more about this, the word "respect" comes to mind. If we ask ourselves how we can respect the person(s) in question, my guess is that we'll get it "right" more often than not -- assuming that we truly want to get it right.

While I think many -- although certainly not all -- men have improved in that regard in recent years (and I would definitely put myself in the "work in progress" category), there can be a difference between directly respecting (or disrespecting) someone and "indirectly" disrespecting (or respecting) someone.

A lot of guys, myself included, probably could stand to do a lot better at respecting the "absent" and also understanding how women in general can be disrespected by a comment or behavior even when it's not directed at them.

I think the post in question probably implicates both scenarios.