Chivalry is defined as “The combination of qualities expected of an ideal knight, especially courage, honor, courtesy, justice, and a readiness to help the weak.”

Sounds pretty great to me.

But in 2018, I fear that chivalry may become extinct. When women treat men with rudeness, disrespect, and march around with reproductive organs on their heads, they aren’t showing anyone respect and are making themselves look ridiculous.

Women want equality and respect, but become angry and offended if a man says something they don’t like. There needs to be courtesy, manners, and respect on both sides – of course, the hats make it a little harder to respect the women wearing them. Somehow, they haven’t seemed to grasp that those women’s marches are having the opposite result than the one they want.

Women complain about guys being confusing, yet they are the ones changing the rules at each encounter. Women want to be treated like ladies, but don’t you dare call them one. Chivalry is not meant to be degrading to women, or show they are less than men; it is a sign of respect and kindness. Men that hold doors, buy the meal, say ma’am, and let us in front of them in line are the men that have been raised right.

I recently went to a NAPA Auto Parts store and was treated with about as much respect as a lady could receive. The two men in front of me were asked by the employee if I could go first, to which they very kindly obliged. I was treated like a lady and had my requests taken care of courteously. The amount of kindness and chivalry I received caused me to leave that store with a smile and feeling like the lady I am. The holding of the door and letting me cut in line weren’t meant to be rude, mocking, or make me feel like less of a person. Those men were simply being kind and showing me respect – human to human and man to woman. It was refreshing to be treated with such honor by these men.

We have lowered our expectations and shown men that we demand less respect in the name of equality. Yet, those men at the NAPA store showed me that chivalry is not yet dead. Most of us want our Prince Charming and knight in shining armor, yet there are women who complain when men act that way – chivalrous, kind, and respectfully. I say we turn things around. When a man holds the door, says thank you, or offers to pay, let them. If they offer to hold your books, why not? It’s not that difficult, and it makes a difference.

We are often called the “next generation,” but what about the generation that will come after us? If men grow up in a world where they are told to treat women with respect but receive rudeness in return, chivalry will swiftly die.

There also needs to be a clear distinction between the men that have been exposed in the #metoo movement, and the ones that are kind, respectful, and courteous. Men that rape women, call them degrading names, violate their privacy, and treat women like objects should be punished. Unfortunately, good men are thrown into the mix just because of their gender. I don’t want someone to assume things about me because I am a female, and gentlemen don’t want to be grouped with men like Harvey Weinstein just because of their gender either.

Maybe the way to true equality and peace is to make up our minds about what we want and expect from men and then let them meet our expectations. If we want respect from men, why don’t we treat them the same way? If everyone treated each other with kindness and respect, there wouldn’t be a need for marches and inequality claims.

Let’s allow chivalry to continue so it does not disappear altogether. Maybe I am old-fashioned, but I think relationships would be stronger and sweeter if we allowed men to treat us like ladies and if we treated them like gentlemen. If chivalry is on the decline, it is our job, ladies, to ensure its survival.