I, and I’m sure many other girls, often ask this question: is chivalry dead? Whenever a door is held open for me, and I am not talking about when someone in front of you just hits the door again with their hand to keep it open, I honestly get a little shocked because it really doesn’t happen too much. This week, we asked our Real College Guy to give us a little insight on this topic.
Should men be expected to hold doors open for women and do things like that or is chivalry dead?
To be chivalrous is to be polite. Politeness is all about acknowledging other’s consciousness, as strange and existential as that may sound. When we hold the door for someone, we’re saying to them “I see you are entering this building, I respect you, please go first as a reference to outdated cultural stigmas of importance.” When we clear someone else’s plate, we’re saying to them “I see you are finished, you probably do not want to stand up from the table, I would like to make you a little bit happy.”
Chivalry is not dead, it’s simply evolving. Politeness can be shared between all people of any gender, race, or creed. The idea of men having to hold doors open for women might be fading into memory, but the era of men wanting to hold open doors for anyone who might be passing may be beginning.