Surprisingly, the New York Times has just conducted a symposium on chivalry.
It’s a very good sign that the newspaper of the New Class has raised the question of the value of this neglected virtue, even if there was the mandatory “It Contributes to Chauvinism” contribution.
Our favorite contribution came from the New Criterion’s Emily Esfanani Smith (also in IWF Modern Feminist), who said in part:
[C]hivalry is not dead yet. It's just on life support. And slowly but surely, it is making a comeback. Ordinary people are seeing that chivalry contributes to healthy relationships. A recent study in the academic journal Psychology of Women Quarterly found that chivalry is associated with greater life satisfaction among men and women.
An initiative called the Gentlemen’s Showcase, led by college women on campuses across the country for the past few years, rewards young men for helping out others in need. And perhaps most important, a major study of more than 10,000 people from around the world — one of the largest studies of its kind — found that the No. 1 attribute that both young men and women seek in a mate is not money or beauty or intelligence, but kindness, which lies at the heart of the chivalrous act.
Being good — being noble — is also at the heart of chivalry. As a society, we can agree that certain types of behavior are better than others. It is, for instance, better to hold the door open for a woman than to let it slam in her face; it is better to give up your seat to someone in need rather than let that person stand in your stead; it is better to forgo a late-night cab when a stranger with young kids needs it more….
Read the entire essay.