Thanks for reminding me of that long post I keep meaning to write about people hating Raoul and preferring the Phantom because they perceive the Phantom to be "manlier" than Raoul. :P

On the topic of respect, it's interesting to note that Raoul's duet with Christine in the musical is about love, whereas the Phantom's two duets with her are respectively about control and lust. Raoul is the one who respects Christine as a person, not the Phantom.