I'm a meek person, in turn I'm seen as a weak person. Gentlemen of Reddit, in my position how would you demand thier respect?

Firstly, not everyone deserves respect. Respect is earned.

In your case, you didn't earn respect, and I'll explain why.

Men who grew up being the 'nice guy' tend to have the mentality that seeks approval and validation from others. This is a completely submissive behavior because men who do this would rather submit to another person's decisions, ideas, etc. rather than stick with their own. And sometimes, these 'nice guys' don't even have ideas of their own because they're not wise enough in the first place.

The one thing that makes you wise is experience. You'll get it from everywhere, as long as you're constantly trying new things, putting yourself in discomfort (because you can only grow in discomfort), etc. Concerning the latter, if you find yourself comfortable 99% of your life, you're pretty much remaining stagnant. Only new experiences will cause discomfort, and as such, will help you grow as an individual.

That being said, the 'nice guys' can have this horrible combination of inexperience and approval/validation-seeking behavior. This just isn't respectable.

Just from this you can already intuit how to become respected. Firstly, you have to grow. Learn something new every day, try something new, and keep a routine that involves regular tangible results. Don't be a Do Nothing Bitch. Why? Because society doesn't accept men who are, and women are repulsed by them. (This is funny because for women, society accepts them either way, and men don't care if they're DNB's, as long as they're hot and sociable. Such is life?). No offense, but just from your post alone, I can already guess you're probably not as successful with women as you'd want to be.

Secondly, you have to develop good values, beliefs, habits and boundaries. You do this by experiencing more of life. Eventually, you'll know what are good values, beliefs, habits and boundaries.

Thirdly, don't let anyone break your good values, habits, beliefs or cross your boundaries. This is the part that has to do with being submissive and approval/validation-seeking. 'Nice guys' and guys in general who get disrespected (by women and other men) are CONSTANTLY thinking about others and what others think of them. The reason why they do is because they feel better about their selves when they conform to another person's ideas/decisions, when they should be feeling better about their selves by being independent and resourceful on their own. By not thinking about what others think of you, you already eliminate the biggest part about your inability to be respected. Now, to actually BE respected, sticking to your good values, beliefs, habits and boundaries is what lands you a high status in society.

Example: I once had a girl say something that crossed my boundaries. We were with a group of mutual friends so she thought she could get away with it since she knew as many people as I did. Unfortunately for her, I stick to my guts. I told her off in front of everyone. What happened? She quiet down and learned to respect me. She actually ended up liking me for it too, because, as we all know, nice guys don't get the girls.

Another example: My girlfriend always wants to go out and eat. And I mean always. Now, it's ok to eat at a restaurant one or twice a week, but every day is a bit too much, and since I'm currently cutting (trying to lose body fat while maintaining muscle), I don't have the luxury of eating out all the time. What did I tell her? I told her I can't break my diet and I can't miss my workout. I need to stick to my good habits. Because of this, she respects me more as a man. She knows I'm doing this to better myself and that she's not dating some spineless guy who bends-over to her every whim.

TL;DR:

Respect is earned. Learn more, get more experience, and be uncomfortable to grow. That way, you'll become wiser. Develop good values, habits, beliefs and boundaries. Don't let anyone break your good values, habits, beliefs and boundaries.

/r/AskMen Thread