Dead, dormant, vegetative and comatose are all ways to describe “chivalry” by many West Chester University students. The act of chivalry is to show politeness and courtesy toward women. It is about holding the door for a woman, but also the elderly man who is ten steps behind her. Its biting one’s tongue to make someone look good. It exudes self-confidence, but also compassion and empathy for others. There are so many other components to being chivalrous.
The Shakespearean play Romeo and Juliet probably would not have been as influential, or seen as one of the greatest love stories of all times, if it had been set in present day. If the two crossed paths or laid eyes on one another at Barnaby’s rather than Juliet’s balcony, with Romeo on one bended knee, the story would not have had much impact. It is very clear that the times have truly changed since the days of poems and love letters, fancy dinners and the lending of the sweatshirt when a girl is chilly.
The love letters have now been replaced by 160 character text messages and the infamous “Facebook poke,” now the focal point of college courtships. Let’s not forget about the anticipated changing of the relationship status from, “single,” to “in a relationship,” to it’s “complicated” on Facebook.
We ask ourselves, is chivalry really as dead as the skeptics claim in all areas of life, or is it only dead on college campuses? Do we all long for something lost that cannot be resurrected? Chivalry tells us that we each need our own personal code of behavior. We need to know exactly what we believe, what values and virtues are important to us, and then use that information as a reference for the way we live. Chivalry makes time honored suggestions as to what those virtues might be, but the choice is ultimately ours.
Fourth-year West Chester University student Orrin White said, “I do think Chivalry is dead, for it was founded on the grounds of achievement and to treat with honorable rapport with a member of the opposite sex, most times female.these days so many things are given and not earned, such as relations with women, therefore if women do not first honor themselves than they do not deserve it from a potential suitor.”
A second-year student said, “Chivalry is not dead but it is essentially something you do in the beginning and then you just seem to forget along the way.”
Another student said, “In this generation, disrespect is the new chivalry, because prior generations never took the time to teach us what we need to do.”
Asking if chivalry is dead misses the point. The important question is, is chivalry alive in oneself? Is there a place in ones’ own heart that burns for the passion of meaningful commitment? For justice? Longing to be dedicated, to something greater than ones daily needs? Chivalry is not a thing, it lives as long as there are people who respond to its calling.
Ronni Cain is a fourth-year English major with a minor in journalism. She can be reached at RC631645@wcupa.edu.