The lower the value we attach to people the easier we can justify dishonoring them with our words or treating them without respect.

• A. False
• B. True
• C. Not specified
• D. Not applicable

Answer: (B)

Valuing each person is the basis for moral duties to treat others with dignity. When someone is perceived as having lower value, it weakens those duties and makes it easier to justify disrespectful or demeaning language or behavior. In sport, this shows up when opponents, teammates, or officials are branded as less worthy, inviting insults, exclusion, or humiliation. Upholding the view that all people have inherent worth helps resist easy rationalizations for harming or demeaning others, so the statement—that lower value makes disrespect easier to justify—is true.