If chivalry isn't dead, it should be

Women have made huge advances in equality in the last hundred years, and rightly so. These days, any inequality they do face is down to the prejudices of a minority of individuals and their actions rather than the construct of society. I like to call these people 'douche bags'.

But there's an anomaly - the concept of chivalry.


The dictionary defines chivalry as 'courtesy towards women'. I'm not against that. Partly because doing nice things for girls is... nice. But mostly because you should be courteous towards everyone. Unless they've done something to annoy you.

What I am against is what some women think chivalry actually is - being picked up, carried around, and given stuff like they're having their palms greased before a dodgy business deal. It's a classic case of some females being happy to accept inequality because it benefits them.

There are plenty of examples of what I mean by this, but here just a few to convince you I'm not talking bollocks:


- The Man Should Make The First Move.


Well, why? What's stopping a girl approaching a guy if she likes him? Sure, it's not easy. But it's no easier for men. And there's no reason why girls deserve to be approached any more than guys do.


- The Man Should Decide Where To Go Out.


Unless the girl in question has a reduced mental capacity, there's no excuse for this.


- The Man Should Pay.


Don't girls who believe this feel guilty? Going Dutch should always be the default option, unless someone decides to treat the other person.


- The Man Should Buy Gifts.


Again, is there any reason why a guy should give more gifts than he receives?


I could go on, but you get the idea.

Before I'm accused of making generalisations, I should point out that I don't think all women are like this, and not all of the ones who are do it all the time - it's just their default setting, which changes when they're in an especially good mood. But it is very common.

I'm also not saying that there's anything wrong with guys making the first move, deciding where to go out, paying for things and buying gifts. Personally, I love doing those things (apart from making the first move actually, but I still do it!) and I will continue to do them. Granted, I'm single and I don't often get the chance, but I'm optimistic.

So, now that the 'I'm not sexist' bit is out of the way, here's what I am saying.

1. Chivalry should never be expected.


If someone is expected to do something nice, and would be looked badly upon for not doing it, it isn't nice. It's just a transaction. A payment made in exchange for brownie points and no hassle.

What's good about that?


2. Girls should be as chivalrous to guys as guys are to girls.


I'm going to put it out there. I'd love to be 'taken out', and I can't see what's wrong with that.

In fact, I'm going to go even further. I'd like to find a girl who would do as many chivalrous things for me as I would for her. I defy anyone to provide a good reason why I shouldn't.


So if you're one of those girls who thinks she has the right to be 'treated like a princess' by someone who you don't need to treat like a prince, give it a bash. You might find you enjoy it even more.

And if you don't, please don't ask me out. Actually, you wouldn't anyway...



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