Chivalry is a touchy subject. It is touchy for women, because men who practice it sometimes don't display intentions that are, shall we say, pure. It is touchy for men, because they don't know if women want it or not (as if all societal norms should be or are determined by what women or anyone else want!). It is touchy for "other women," the sameness feminists (for whom all differences between men and women ought to be overcome) because it implies a difference. I think that this difference that chivalry implies is precisely the reason it ought to be continued.
So basically, I can open my own doors. I'm quite strong enough. I can also open and shut the door to my own car. In fact, I do this all the time with no help. I'm fairly certain that chivalry implies no inability on women's part, but rather shows a desire to serve (a fitting desire to serve, I think, as men and women ought to serve one another). It also points, through its affirmation of the division of labor, to a complementarity between men and women and to the dependence that they have on one another. It is the division of labor with an eye toward the whole that the different laboring parts point toward.
Not only do I believe in chivalry (its existence and that it ought to continue to exist), but I also believe pretty strongly in flirting. This flirting isn't limited to men and women of the same age. This could be controversial, but I think that all interactions between men and women include an element of flirtation, and it is good that this is the case. By this statement I don't mean that men should fool around with other women who are not their wives/girlfriend. I also don't mean the type of flirting that leads straight to sex. What I mean is that one's sex is relevant to who he is and to his conversation. Therefore, flirting is at least one way to acknowledge and celebrate that difference.
So basically, I can open my own doors. I'm quite strong enough. I can also open and shut the door to my own car. In fact, I do this all the time with no help. I'm fairly certain that chivalry implies no inability on women's part, but rather shows a desire to serve (a fitting desire to serve, I think, as men and women ought to serve one another). It also points, through its affirmation of the division of labor, to a complementarity between men and women and to the dependence that they have on one another. It is the division of labor with an eye toward the whole that the different laboring parts point toward.
Not only do I believe in chivalry (its existence and that it ought to continue to exist), but I also believe pretty strongly in flirting. This flirting isn't limited to men and women of the same age. This could be controversial, but I think that all interactions between men and women include an element of flirtation, and it is good that this is the case. By this statement I don't mean that men should fool around with other women who are not their wives/girlfriend. I also don't mean the type of flirting that leads straight to sex. What I mean is that one's sex is relevant to who he is and to his conversation. Therefore, flirting is at least one way to acknowledge and celebrate that difference.
Note: I'm posting this while I'm gone, because I'm somewhat shy to say this out loud, but with Sr. Margarita's support, I'm brave enough to say it while I'm away from the internet.
Plus, I sometimes suffer as a result of my adherence to my principles.
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