Is Chivalry REALLY Dead?

  When I was younger, I used to dream about going back in time and living in the Medieval era (which would be a great time period to live in if, you know, toilet paper and vaccines had already been invented then.) What attracted me most to that era, of course, was the romantic idea of knights in shining armor. Growing up, I believed that my dating life would parallel the beautiful love stories of that long-gone age. I imagined that I would be the princess and he would be the gallant knight who would sweep me off my feet and treat me the way I deserved to be treated. And while I certainly have found my knight in shining armor (or my knight in shining tin foil, as he likes to jokingly refer to himself), I must say that his breed of kind and noble gentlemen is a rare one.
  This morning as I was boarding the train to New York, I was pushed and shoved by people (mostly men!) trying to get seats. I was one of the last to get on the train and at that point, I knew that I'd be standing the whole ride. In high heels. Very very very uncomfortable heels. And what were the men doing? Sitting comfortably in their seats, of course. They didn't even bother to look my way as I gave them all death stares. It wasn't even the first time something like that happened. A few days ago, I gave up my seat for a woman who was clearly with child (because none of the guys did so.) Seriously, they were all too busy napping or flipping through their newspapers. And then I couldn't help but wonder: am I the one who's wrong in this situation? Is giving up a seat for a woman NOT on the same level as opening a door for her?
  So I consulted the person I trust most on this topic: my boyfriend. He's the sort of guy who always holds my door open, walks by the curb, and lets me go first in whatever we're doing. His answer? A resounding yes! Men are SUPPOSED to let a woman have their seat if she is standing. He's right - where's the manliness and sense of honor in making a girl (and her tired/abused feet) jealous of how relaxed you look in that air-conditioned seat? Is it really so hard for you to give up those twenty or so minutes of extra sleeping time? Ugh! It gets me so annoyed.
  Just when I was starting to lose hope in the male species as a whole, however, something quite unexpected occurred on my Path ride home. It was a particularly bumpy ride and, despite holding onto the pole in the center of the car for dear life, I tumbled forward and nearly toppled over. Just when I began to blush from embarrassment, the man standing beside me turned and said, "Don't worry; if you fall, I'll try my best to catch you." And yes, it was a small gesture. But it was more than any of the snoring guys sprawled on their seats had ever done. So it did instill in me a little speck of faith in 21st century men.
  Anyway, the moral of this rant blog post is that guys need to learn some etiquette. It really only takes some care and manners to become a girl's chivalrous white knight (even if just for the length of the train ride.)

(Image from weheartit.com)