Chivalry is Dead

 

Chivalry is Dead

 

 

　

Hey everybody! I figured it was about time for me to write a real blog post! So here goes. Today I wanted to talk about chivalry. A while back, my brother`s friend and I were having a discussion about chivalry and he said "Chivalry is dead." And I have to say I agree. In this day and age, you honestly don`t come across chivalry that often. But what is chivalry?

According to ancient description, it is the code of conduct that the knights used. The rules contained in the code included protecting the innocent, respecting those deserving of respect, being noble, courtesy to women, etc.

　

But these days, chivalry tends to mean something else. Most describe is as a man, or his behavior, showing courtesy or attentiveness toward women. Others refer to it as a gentlemanly quality, again usually directed towards ladies. Like I said earlier, you don`t seem to come across this chivalry these days. Some people are glad about that though. They see gentlemanly chivalry as being sexist. Holding a door open for a woman implies that she is too weak to do so herself. Stopping to pick up something she dropped makes it seem like she isn`t capable of doing it herself. A man paying for dinner on a date must mean that the woman is unable to make as much money as a man. Chivalry assumes that "women are wonderful but weak". Or at least that`s what all the feminists say. After all, women should be treated totally equal as men. And chivalry is just a form of benevolent sexism, right?
Wrong. That`s all just so wrong. Sure, some men probably have that mind set. But I`d wager that when most men are being chivalrous, it is simply to treat women with the respect that they deem them worthy of. Pier Massimo Forni says of chivalry that "It was a form of preferential treatment that men once accorded to women generations ago, inspired by the sense that there was something special about women, that they deserve added respect, and that not doing so was uncouth, cowardly, and essentially despicable." I love that definition. It perfectly describes the view I`ve always held on chivalry. That a gentleman doesn`t act chivalrously towards a lady because he finds her weak and unable to do anything for herself, but because he sees her as a precious treasure totally deserving the best treatment he is capable of giving her.

 

I personally hope that when my "knight in shining armor" comes, he will treat me with absolute respect and be chivalrous in every way. Some may scoff at this. But I`d like to think that having him treat me as a lady worthy of respect makes him feel more of a man. It`s not that I can`t open a door myself or am incapable of pulling a chair back from the table. Of course I can do that. But having him do that for me, as a special sign of the respect he bears for me as a lady, that I would love. Some people might see me as some "damsel in distress". But the way I see it, he would be my knight and I, his princess.

 

 

And chivalry doesn`t just encompass how a gentleman treats a lady. It`s also how he treats his fellow human beings. The elderly, the weak, those in need of assistance. Showing respect to everyone and anyone, whether they seem worthy of it or not. Being a gentlemen and treating women as ladies. I think some of the decline in gentlemen these days goes back to what Emily was saying about respect. People in general treat fellow humans with less and less respect these days.

 

 

 

Of course, many men these days seem confused as to whether it`s allowed to treat women with chivalry. If they hold the door, will it seem sexist? On one side, women complain about being treated as equal to men in every way. On the other, women complain about "chivalry being dead" when a man does something disrespectful or, well, unchivalrous. I don`t blame men for being confused about how they should treat women when they get such mixed signals. But for those of us who wish the menfolk would act more like knights in shining armor sometimes, ask yourself these questions.

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Do you act like a lady? Do you conduct yourself in a manner that deserves chivalrous behavior from guys? Do you expect all the men to act like gentlemen when you yourself don`t act as a lady? I try to always be a lady. Sometimes it can be hard, especially in these days, when everyone is pushing for men and women to be in every way equal. But if you truly wish to be treated as a lady, now is definitely the time to start acting like one. And maybe just maybe, the more you act as a lady, the more the guys will start to act like truly chivalrous gentlemen.

 

 

 

 

 

God bless, everyone! Love ya all!! <333 ~Giselle