Molly Stine
Reporter
In medieval times, knights rode around on horses and acted in a way that made every woman swoon. Chivalry was the guide by which these knights lived, but in today’s modern society, many wonder if chivalry is still alive, relevant, and expected in a man’s courtship of a woman.
Senior Meredith Jonker defined chivalry in her own terms. “Chivalry is a guy being a gentleman and caring for the girl in order to win over her heart,” she said.
Senior Sev Saiz agreed. “I think chivalry is how a proper man should act in the company of women,” he said. “It just means to be polite. Don’t be obnoxious.”
Junior Caroline Muller believes that today, chivalry isn’t as essential as it once was. “Chivalry is more of an added bonus than an expectation like it used to be,” she said. “Boys rarely go out of their way to be chivalrous or polite towards girls.”
According to senior Moses Charles, chivalry, dead or alive is still important, “I do think chivalry is dead, but there is no reason that it should be,” he said. “Nobody is actually a gentleman or treats a girl with respect anymore. But it doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t just because nobody else does.”
Senior Jacob Geyfman thinks the extinction of chivalry can be attributed simply to forgetfulness. “I think sometimes in the spur of the moment men act in a way that is not representative of the type of chivalry they uphold their lives by,” he said. “A man’s character should not be determined based on these actions.”
Although chivalry has evolved, it is still present in today’s society. “I think it has taken on a different form. It is not really so much as taking off your coat and putting it over a puddle so a girl can walk through it,” Sev said. “It is more refined and subtle today.”
Meredith believes that this adjustment is due to societal changes. “Women want to feel more empowered, so if you’re on a date with someone, sometimes it is okay to split the check or have the girl pay, so it’s not always the guy’s job,” she said. “I don’t think it’s fair to have them always pay and it’s old fashioned.”
Jacob agreed that women’s views on chivalry have transformed. “Feminists over the years have tried to put women on the same plane as men, which has taken away some of the aspects of male chivalry,” he said. “I’m not saying that males and females aren’t equal, but some women question why you would hold the door open for them but not another man.”
Caroline thinks that despite modern gender equality, boys should still be courteous. “Boys should treat girls with respect as their equal, but also be polite and chivalrous,” she said.
“If I am just friends with a guy, I want to be treated just like a friend.” Meredith said. “No special treatment because I’m a girl–that’s ridiculous.”Although this chivalrous treatment may offend some, Sev believes there is nothing wrong with simply being kind to girls. “There is a fine line to balance, because a lot of girls don’t want it to seem like you are coddling them or being condescending,” he said. “But at the same time no one is going to be offended if you just take the extra step to be a nice guy.”
Senior Dana DeFranco claims that she sees these extra steps being taken all the time. “I see boys holding doors open for girls and letting them go first in line a lot,” she said. “I think that this generation of boys are starting to see that chivalry is what will really impress girls.”
Meredith agreed. “If a guy wants to show that he cares about a girl then he should show that by acting in a chivalrous manner.”
While treating girls in such a way may be considered special, Moses believes it is also something that should be put into practice daily. “Doing things like buying a girl food and holding a door open, shouldn’t be seen as chivalrous; I see that as what you are supposed to do,” he said. “Just overall treating a girl like a queen–there’s not much else to it.”
