Not Dead Yet

Sometimes there are these little moments that reaffirm your faith in mankind. Little moments where for that brief shining second you pause and think, “Huh. That was nice.” And once more you believe in mankind’s ability to be nice.

And I do mean mankind. See, these moments  of affirmation are more precisely moments where you forget all the arguments for why chivalry is dead, why gentlemen just don’t exist anymore, and why your perception of all male-kind looks a little like this:

Sorry men

I know it’s not fair to all the men out there who don’t live the Jersey Shore/bro/douchbag lifestyle, but there comes point in every girl’s life where the phrase “men are pigs” becomes a mini-motto. That is until you realize  that maybe, just maybe, you’re being too hard on mankind and that maybe they can be gentlemen. Like when a man holds the door open for you, offers to help  carry your groceries, or even lets you go first in a crowded line.  Is chivalry dead?

Some argue...

Today was one of those days for me. There was this moment that made me take stock and reevaluate the dudes around me. And I came up with a new theory. Gentlemen do exist, but instead of riding their white horses and limos–I’m looking at you hooker-loving Richard Gere–they actually ride the subway. The urban steed of chivalry and politeness. And its opposite.

See today, I saw three instances of chivalric behavior on the subway during one trip and two connections.  First, this big, tattooed, bro-looking guy gets up out of his seat and offers it to the young girl standing next to him, saying, “I’m a guy” as his explanation.

Woah. And he wasn’t the only male on the subway to forfeit a seat for a standing woman. I also noticed that most men also let women onto the subway first, off first, and sometimes even try to hold the doors–though they get yelled at for this. It was an eye-opening trip that was topped of when I got off the train at my stop. The young guy in front of me gallantly held back and offered to let me go through the turnstile first. I know. Mind blowing.

So yeah, maybe the gentlemen best seen in Regency romances are a thing of the past–thank goodness because the trade-off was the right to vote for women– but chivalry isn’t quite yet dead. It’s just underground. In the subway. So ladies, next time you start to think that all men are assholes, take a trip to the metro, it’s the place to go to find modern examples of polite gentlemanly behavior.

 

A little scandal and a lot cute!