My first reaction was that I agreed. It would be considered courteous but also old fashioned if a man held the door open for a woman. Then I thought this should not be a bad thing. This gentlemanly act should be something that grows from simple appreciation, a matter of basic etiquette between men and women that shows respect for each other in their unique dignity.
The modern feminist movement is a topic I am passionate about because I think it is severely detrimental to both women and men, and disorders the way we think of each other’s sexuality. I think our culture needs to turn away from this disorder and bring back these “old fashioned” chivalrous acts.
In the midst of modern feminism, I have discovered that it advocates for something that doesn’t really get to the heart of feminism.
The feminist movement is fighting for women to be treated exactly the same as men. The truth is that a woman should not and will never be treated like a man because they are not one. A woman will always be a woman and a man will always be a man. We are only equal as children of God, before God.
Personally, I would respect a man a lot more if he acted in a gentlemanly manner. Simple chivalrous acts lead to the realization all women deserve this treatment.
When I spoke to my friend Eden O’Brien about this, she made the point that modern feminists believe a person’s identity does not rest in their identity from God, but in what they can do.
So when a man opens a door for a woman, it is often seen as man challenging a woman’s identity and ability, which is why some women now find the gesture insulting or patronizing.
But, Eden pointed out, the real identity of a woman rests in what God has gifted to her, not her identity based on her physical abilities. I agree.
When I broached the topic with my friend Ben Mombourquette, he also agreed. He said men are made for protecting and serving women. Holding a door, serving in the duty of the moment for a woman, is ingrained in men. Ben also said men must be aware that this action could offend a woman.
Modern culture has a disordered view of how men and women serve each other. We need to be reminded that all men and women are equal before the cross, but both sexes also need to realize neither is perfect on this Earth.
Men and women need to work together to fulfill one another in their sexuality. This begins with men doing chivalrous acts for women, like holding a door, and women respecting men by allowing men to behave in ways that acknowledge a woman’s femininity.
(Sifert, 21, is a third-year student at Our Lady Seat of Wisdom College in Barry’s Bay, Ont.)