What's your gut-reaction to authority?

Mine is complicated. I feel uncomfortable when pressured into showing “respect” I don’t feel. For example, I have trouble addressing people I know by anything other than their given names.

I can remember authority being an issue for me when I was tiny – maybe five years old, or so. Even at that age, I consciously used “Can I…” instead of “May I…” when asking permission to do something. In my mind, the latter version seemed demeaning, and I hated that feeling.

On the other hand, probably due to the same underlying distrust, I feel fascinated by authority. In a “can’t look away” manner: Authority is like the car wreck I have to glance at, even if I don’t like what I’m seeing.

P.S: I recently learned there is a distinction between “practical” and “theoretical” authority: The latter being self-explanatory and logical, such as a doctor’s… The former, on the other hand, being authority only due to status, like a policeman’s. I’m talking about the practical authority in this thread. Hope I’m making myself clear.