Gallantry Is Back

Who Says Chivalry Is Dead?

We've all read the stories; knight rides in on a big white horse, sweeps princess out from under the dragon's nose and they ride into the sunset, to live happily ever after. Unfortunately, the times where all a girl had to do was sit daintily and await her prince's arrival are long gone. But i suppose it wouldn't have been all sunshine and rainbows; it would be awfully dull.

Don't you wish you were old enough to remember the times when a man would lie down his coat across a puddle for you, or stand when you left the table? Now, that would be fun - those dresses were amazing. No wonder nobody wanted them to get muddy water on them!

These days, chivalry takes on a different meaning. No longer are there dragons to be rescued from, thongs and shorts hardly need to be protected from mud and with the feminist movement still biting, men are partly terrified that opening a door for us will end up with them being slapped with a prejudice suit.

Some people today argue that chivalry is dead and that the common Aussie bloke cares more about his stubby than he does about any woman in distress. For some men, maybe that's true. But i have a sneaking suspicion that those men aren't the ones we'd want to be chivalrous towards us anyway. Either way, i'm not totally convinced that all men are the lay-abouts we claim they are, happier to watch the footy with a pizza than help us out.

Today alone, chivalry was everywhere. Felix the Cat was sweet enough to let me through all the doors first, another random dude whom i saw everywhere went out of his way to hold doors open for me. I saw one guy give up his seat to another girl who couldn't find one anywhere. I had one guy say he'd meet me for lunch, even though i'm sure he had other friends he could've seen; but this way i wasn't left sitting alone like a looser. Where else is the chivalry in today's rat race? Girls, think back. When was the last time a guy offered you his jacket when you were cold? Or got you a drink when yours had run out? Gave you a lift home? Paid for your dinner when you were flat broke? I bet you can think of time when those things happened, in the not-to-distant past.

My point? Despite what society can be lead to believe, this generation of guys isn't totally useless. They know the basics, they're just sometimes a little slow on the uptake. The verdict? Chivarly most definately is not dead... although, at times, it may seem like it's in hibernation!

Annie