On Chivalry									Shariq Ansari

The concept of what a gentleman is has dated back to the Dark Ages, when the 
concept of chivalry was born into the western society after the Crusades.  The Christian 
knighthood and the principles of chivalry prevalent therein were founded on concepts and 
ideologies learned from the Muslims.  The Islamic religion regards women highly and 
requires that women are shown a certain amount of respect, and because chivalry was 
based on ideas learned from Muslims, this respect towards women is one of the main 
precepts of the chivalrous ideal.

Throughout history, this concept of chivalry has always manifested itself, from 
the gallant knight courting the fair maiden all the way to our own modern dating customs.  
All of the customs, such as opening the car door for the lady, helping her with her seat, 
and escorting her to her front door, are a part of the modern chivalry.  Young men have 
always been taught to be chivalrous, and so many try their hardest to live up to the ideal.  
But recently, chivalry has come under scrutiny of feminists.

Sociologically speaking, feminists look at societal customs using the Social 
Conflict Paradigm, which states that society is comprised mostly of power struggles, and 
that everything else is a power resource used in these power struggles.  Therefore, when 
feminists look at societal customs, they see the conflict between men and women, and 
will invariably "find" (i.e., make up) an ulterior motive on the males' part, and proceed to 
criticize the societal custom because it promotes male dominance over females.

Back in the 1950's, men were expected and perhaps even required to practice the 
modern chivalry on dates, to show respect and consideration for women, to pamper them 
and treat them like princesses.  Men acted like gentlemen because that was the social 
norm.

But in the past 50 years, women have become more independent, and as a result, 
some, mostly the feminists, have come to view modern chivalry as oppressive and 
disrespectful towards women.  Feminist say that men don't act like gentlemen because 
they respect women, but that they act like gentlemen so that they have a reason to get sex.

This causes a bit of a dilemma for the young man of the new millennium; he 
cannot know what is expected of him anymore.  Should he continue the tradition of 
practicing chivalry, or should he abandon the archaic institution and treat his date as a 
complete equal, expecting her to split the bill at dinner?  Fortunately, there is a solution.  
For the young man of today, chivalry on the first date has become the default behavior.  
He uses these chivalrous acts to test the waters of his date, to find out how she feels.

The feminist viewpoint of the gentlemen is entirely backwards.  Their 
interpretation is one of the male oppressor, but in reality chivalry is not the practice of 
oppression towards another; it is the willful subjugation of oneself towards another.  
People say that chivalry is dead, but this is not the case.  Feminists have tried to kill it, 
but because of their reversed viewpoint, they've missed completely.