Is chivalry dead?

Not dead, but certainly beaten down by Feminism.

I agree. Though I am a girl and would like not to be discriminated against I wouldn’t mind being the first off a sinking ship. I also like not having door slams in my face. My friend says that the extra quarter more an hour men get is for boat crashes and such.

Naw, it’s alive as it ever was.

That’s not really a lack of chivalry, it’s an excess of ego.
There are still plenty of men who hold doors and assist those in need.

People should all be more considerate of each other rather than trying to “get theirs” first.

I think very highly of my wife and I treat her like a queen and I know part of my behavior involves chivalry so no, it is not completely dead. And just for the record, I’m not sexist but I certainly am gentlemanly.

@Bluefreedom YAY! :D There is hope for mankind yet!

I still open the door for others, especially ladies. I pull the chair out for my wife at dinner even though she is a feminist. I do everything I can to use the etiquette I was taught as a child. It seems to make my life feel more civilized.

@steve6 mad props!

I am civil and polite to everyone. Your vagina or lack thereof does not influence my decision to hold the door for you.

@Jayne you are a Barbarian.

I am sorry. I’ll make sure to step on your shoes next time I see you.

Made dinner tonight for my girlfriend and a couple we double date with. Marinara w/ ravioli, caesar salad, french bread. Bought some carnations for the table, lit some candles. Watched a movie, had some ice cream, and said goodnight. Now I’ve got mountains of dishes to do. But it’s worth it. I’m in love for the first time in my life, and it’s a pretty wonderful feeling, as I’m sure you’re all aware.

Chivalry is not dead, it’s just harder to come by. Anybody who says different just hasn’t seen it lately, or hasn’t found the person they look forward to being chivalrous towards. So to all the skeptics, I wish you luck. Hope you can feel what I’m feeling right now someday soon.

So should I soak the crock pot overnight or start scrubbing now?

No offense, it’s just we felt your use of vagina was unwarranted.

@trumi Soak it and a hearty good answer to you. Congratulations on your primary love.

@steve6 Sorry. ‘Twas a bit crass.

I think manners in general have decreased a bit. I try to hold doors open and offer seats on the train for people, too. Civility!

Although I have to stifle the urge to put the smack-fu on guys who take up three seats on the (usually crowded) trains by spreading out their legs. :\

@Jayne, Thank you but it’s too late. My wife already went to bed. I was just sticking up for her…vagina. Just trying to be chivalrous. You are OK. I didn’t mean to criticize you. I agree with your point about being nice to others regardless of their sex.

I find it to be more prevalant down in the south.

Wait. So is Mrswho Steve6’s wife?

Lots of answers here, too.

@trumi Soak tonight, scrub tomorrow.

We saw several nice examples of it this evening. Unfortunately we saw a few examples of the opposite sort.

How about: Chivalry isn’t dead. Its chain mail is just a little rusty.

@augustlan What? No, I’m not his wife.

No, my wife is not a poster. She just happened to be looking over my shoulder tonight.

I thought she was asmo in disguise

Where is asmonet? Would have expected her two cents by now.

Ok, got it. I was a little confused…

This post should be dead….

@trumi ~ das so cool! congrats and lurve :)
soak the pot, I highly recommend Dawn dishwashing soap

@simone54, This is a good thread. What’s not to like?

In a narrow hallway I always step aside for an oncoming woman. I go so far as to make a little “after you” hand gesture with a slight bow.

Same with holding a door.

I’m a big believer in “ladies first”. When entering a doorway, in a conversation.

I offer up seats on a train, offer to help with bundles, packages or anything that looks heavy.

I sign things from my wife then me.

Chivalry is a big part of my day to day life – certainly isn’t dead for me.

And, I’ve yet to receive a negative response to it from anyone (I’m sure some of them must have considered themselves feminists).

I, for one, am always appreciative of good manners.

See, there ya go. And Alfreda’s no pushover.

As the mother of three young boys I am doing my best to see to it that chivalry does not die. I have taught the boys to open the door for me and hold it, along other manners important for a gentleman.

Last week the boys and I were out with a friend. When she and her children walked through the doors my sons took turns opening them and holding them. After a couple of times she asked “did you train the boys to open the door for you?” I told her that I did because I want them to be gentlemen, she told me that no guy she ever dated has opened the door for her a single time.

A woman can be a lady without sacrificing her feminism, just as a man can be a gentleman without sacrificing his perceived “manliness”.

Chivalry’s only dead if you believe it is, for we act the way we believe.

As a woman, I am the recipient of kind acts (doors being held open) pretty often, enough to conclude that many men in Canada are chivalrous, with no overtones of sexism, simply overtones of kindness. I make sure to give thanks after such events to reciprocate the kindness, and thus the balance of kindness in the world goes up.

I go out of my way to be kind to men and women alike. I will hold doors open, make the elevator wait, offer the last shopping cart, etc, for kind-looking people regardless of sex or age. I don’t see it as chivalry, I see it as tongue-in-cheek sorta karma, or simply an extension of the golden rule: I do good things for people because I appreciate any good things done for me.

I don’t do it for tit-for-tat.

@dynamicduo I like to refer to these as small random acts of kindness.
Just ‘cuz they’re small, doesn’t mean they won’t have a large collective impact on making the world a better place!

I agree with Jayne. Politeness for everyone regardless of sex.

I got 5 boquets of flowers yeaterday. I love my “Knight in Shinning Armor!”

@dynamicduo – So you only do those things for people you perceive as “kind-looking”?

@aidje – what I meant by “kind looking people” is that I would prefer to hold the door open for a mother with a child or an old man versus a scruffy looking teenager smoking below the no smoking sign. But yes, I do allow my perceptions of people to influence whether I choose to aid them or not. I see no reason why not doing so would directly benefit me, and don’t desire to change my behaviour.