PrintJanuary 5, 2006
The New Chivalry
When one hears the word chivalry, thoughts of both the fanciful and practical are evoked. There are the quaint images of a valiant hero rescuing a damsel in distress from train tracks or of a man throwing his coat over a puddle for an enchanting belle (Was this obligatory with leather coats, too?).
In practice, though, the manifestations of chivalry were often far less heroic and far more mundane, as they might involve holding a door or carrying packages for a member of the fairer sex. Of course, there was the maritime standard governing evacuation from a doomed vessel, 'women and children first,' which, while it might not have held the charm of fairytale salvation, was certainly not lacking in nobility.
But now these images and norms are fading into history. The feminists came along and said that chivalry was condescending, that women were to be viewed as equals in all things and that social codes dictating otherwise were anachronistic. They told...(Read Full Article)
