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kangaeru · 03-10-2010, 11:33 AM

Chivalry as it existed in the days of medieval knights is long gone, for sure.

But a lot of common social conceptions about how men should treat women (there's not really many the other way around to be honest) that are the descendants of Chivalry are definitely still alive and well.

1) If a ship is sinking or an army invading, it's still save the women and children first.

2) You still hold doors open for women (although this is really common courtesy to people in general)

3) Men are still expected to propose, not women

4) Men are still expected to pay for a lot, especially in the beginning of the courting process

5) Although gender roles are not set in stone, and some men stay at home, men are still expected to grind it out in society regardless of whether their spouses work or not. If a guy stays at home to raise his kids, I think he's either got a naturally weak character and has been brow-beaten into submission by an aggressive wife, or lazy.

6) It's a social norm that hitting women, even if they're hitting you or deserving of it, is forbidden. Yes, men have always beat women but the whole gender equality thing didn't lead to the logic "If a woman punches me in the face then I'm not a bag guy if I punch her back" This is because Chivalry espoused that women are the gentler gender, and the man would always be in a situation where he is abusing his superior physical power if it came to violence. It's dishonorable to fight an opponent who you know has no chance of winning.

I think Chivalry as it was originally defined is dead, but common politeness, and the social expectation that men sacrifice themselves in ways large and small for the good of women as a social status quo definitely persists in modern society.

Women have a lot of legitimate gripes about being treated unfairly vis-a-vis men in certain situations, but most forget that there are a LOT of unrecognized advantages to being a woman in this world. Well...maybe that's only if you're attractive.

03-10-2010, 11:33 AM	#33 (permalink)
kangaeru Crazy Location: on the road to where I want to be...	Chivalry as it existed in the days of medieval knights is long gone, for sure. But a lot of common social conceptions about how men should treat women (there's not really many the other way around to be honest) that are the descendants of Chivalry are definitely still alive and well. 1) If a ship is sinking or an army invading, it's still save the women and children first. 2) You still hold doors open for women (although this is really common courtesy to people in general) 3) Men are still expected to propose, not women 4) Men are still expected to pay for a lot, especially in the beginning of the courting process 5) Although gender roles are not set in stone, and some men stay at home, men are still expected to grind it out in society regardless of whether their spouses work or not. If a guy stays at home to raise his kids, I think he's either got a naturally weak character and has been brow-beaten into submission by an aggressive wife, or lazy. 6) It's a social norm that hitting women, even if they're hitting you or deserving of it, is forbidden. Yes, men have always beat women but the whole gender equality thing didn't lead to the logic "If a woman punches me in the face then I'm not a bag guy if I punch her back" This is because Chivalry espoused that women are the gentler gender, and the man would always be in a situation where he is abusing his superior physical power if it came to violence. It's dishonorable to fight an opponent who you know has no chance of winning. I think Chivalry as it was originally defined is dead, but common politeness, and the social expectation that men sacrifice themselves in ways large and small for the good of women as a social status quo definitely persists in modern society. Women have a lot of legitimate gripes about being treated unfairly vis-a-vis men in certain situations, but most forget that there are a LOT of unrecognized advantages to being a woman in this world. Well...maybe that's only if you're attractive. __________________ Dont be afraid to change who you are for what you could become