Chivalry isn't dead...its a zombie.

(I would like to apologize beforehand. I'm terribly sorry for the ensuing rant.)

Yes. You read that right. Chivalry is an undead, slobbering, brain-munching zombie. And this is one zombie apocalypse where chainsaws and machetes won't be of much use...

*thinks about it*

Then again...

*shakes head*

No... I will resist the urge...

Must resist...

Resist...

Resist...

*sighs*

I was cleaning the "Your Highness" theater when this realization whacked me upside the head. Nevermind the completely vulgar parts and sketchiness of the movie, what upsets me most is the mockery of once prevalent chivalry. Its not a dying art form. Its been dead for a long time. Sure, a shadow-like wraith of it still haunts our society here and there, but mostly it has been forgotten.

Let me explain what I mean. After the movie, a small group of college aged kids were goofing off. On of the males hopped over the wall and dropped down the 8 feet instead of taking the stairs. What, you ask, is chivalrous about that? Not a whole lot. Especially considering his girlfriend told him not to. But it brought a thought to my mind.

Our sin-saturated culture today is telling us males that we are supposed to be animals. Both in the scientific sense and in the behavioral sense. We're told that real men are to have sex as often as possible, with as many females as possible, and that in the lulls that we should be thinking about it. We're told (subliminally) that women are things, mere objects for our amusement. We're told that all of our energy should be put to pleasure and excitement and risking bodily harm. And that our success is proven by the car we drive, the women we date, and our time spent at the gym.

And we've almost bought every single word. Almost.

I firmly believe that all men still have the chivalrous part of their brains intact. Its just been dulled, forced into submissive silence, or perverted to some unintended use. Take this ledge-leaping guy, for instance. I believe that the part of his brain that made him decide that dropping down would look cool and impressive in front of his girlfriend (and thus, was a good idea) was the same part that would entice men to go to war for prospective partners centuries ago. But in our culture that impulse doesn't have the same outlet. So we have to find other means of proving to females our worthiness.

And we do it by being jerks. I'll confess I've been guilty of it as much as every other guy. The temptation to treat every single thing I do as a way to impress Meg is a huge one for me. I'd love to have her in awe of my masculinity and toughness. But that's missing the point. (And never going to happen...) She doesn't love me (or not love me) because I can (or can't) do 100 push-ups. She doesn't love me (or not love me) because I do (or don't) drive a super, amazing car.

She loves me because I make her laugh. And because I have a lot in common with her. And because I'd walk for miles in the rain just to hand-deliver a letter if the Internet dropped out of existence and I couldn't drive. She loves me because I love her. And because I love God.


So maybe chivalry is polluted and undead. But there's still hope for it. And its hope lies in the male population of Planet Earth realizing that there are other ways to deal with the urge to impress. Its quite simple, really. We just need to spend less time fighting for our own honor, and more time fighting for other's.