Gents, this one is for you, so listen closely.
You may have heard somewhere along the line that chivalry is dead. But why does it have to be that way?
Is that an excuse to behave in a way other than that of a gentleman?
It's hard not to notice just by simple observation around campus that the majority of men have let chivalry fall by the wayside.
For example, it's been evident that the young men on campus have no problem using foul language in front of and towards young ladies.
Now, in no way do I see women as "delicate" or "the weaker sex", and fully endorse them as equals, but there is an unspoken difference between talking with your bros and talking to women.
But from what I've seen, some guys just aren't getting it.
Chivalry is more than just being polite and being respectful to the women in the community. It's carrying yourself in a manner that your parents or grandparents would be proud of, a way that would be worthy of a first impression with a total stranger.
It should be every young man's goal to hold onto this value as says so much about character.
Yet more and more we see that young men are less concerned with being respectful to women today.
And ladies, don't expect men to treat you any better if you keep settling for how they treat you now.
You're worth having doors held open for you, having him take you out to dinner if he is interested (and paying) instead of just an invite to his room, and you're worth getting a call the next day.
Settling for less says that being treated well is not of supreme importance to you.
So how did we get here?
Does it matter?
The biggest question is how each of us can put a little more effort in our daily lives to reverse the trend of chivalry becoming a dying value.
Think about what you're doing, guys. Letting go of chivalry as a value lumps you in with a crowd of animals.
However, there is time to curb this behavior, grow more mature and become a more respectful guy. Reflect and ask yourself if you're acting the way you were raised to and if not, maybe it's time for a change.
Brett Montana is a senior communication studies major from Islip, N.Y. He can be reached at brett.montana@student.shu.edu.
