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The concept of chivalry
Jun. 11th, 2013 01:10 pmI am reading a lot of feminist blogs lately, because I am still trying to wrap my head around the positioning of women in our West-European culture versus positioning in other parts of the world. What I really wanted to to write about is the White Knight concept. Or more specific, the concept that there is such a thing as chivalry or the courtesy towards women by men. The White Knight concept is that of a guy rushing to help a damsel in distress, defending her honor and (according to the meme) hoping to get laid in the process.
I am familiar with having a boyfriend who cares for you and takes care of you, but I'm not sure if guys do this because they like me as a person, or if it is 'the right thing to do', or because they want to get laid. Could be a little bit of both, I guess. Should chivalry be discouraged in the light of feminism?
As an extension from normal courtesy, the way we treat the people around us depends on their age and sex (thank God that we decided that differentiating on race is a bad thing). Elderly people should be seated in the bus before younger people. Pregnant women and the disabled should be treated with special consideration. If men and women are equals, should this also equalize the courtesy towards each other? If I hold open a door for a man, is that against the rules? Or (and maybe I missed this) someone told me that the role of women is to be gracious when they receive an act of kindness: that a 'thank you' and a smile is what women are supposed to do in return.
When was the last time that you received a courteous act and how did you respond to it?
I am familiar with having a boyfriend who cares for you and takes care of you, but I'm not sure if guys do this because they like me as a person, or if it is 'the right thing to do', or because they want to get laid. Could be a little bit of both, I guess. Should chivalry be discouraged in the light of feminism?
As an extension from normal courtesy, the way we treat the people around us depends on their age and sex (thank God that we decided that differentiating on race is a bad thing). Elderly people should be seated in the bus before younger people. Pregnant women and the disabled should be treated with special consideration. If men and women are equals, should this also equalize the courtesy towards each other? If I hold open a door for a man, is that against the rules? Or (and maybe I missed this) someone told me that the role of women is to be gracious when they receive an act of kindness: that a 'thank you' and a smile is what women are supposed to do in return.
When was the last time that you received a courteous act and how did you respond to it?
