Chivalry: Alive or dead?

by Alicia Massey, staff reporter

According to  Medieval Times website, “The Code of Chivalry was a moral system which went beyond rules of combat and introduced the concept of Chivalrous conduct – qualities idealized by the Medieval knights such as bravery, courtesy, honor and great gallantry toward women.”

These Codes of Chivalry also incorporated the notion of courtly love. The Code of Chivalry was the honor code of the knight. The Code of Chivalry was an important part of the society and lives of people who lived during the Medieval times and was understood by all.

This was how chivalry begun. It started in Medieval times and was a code that knights were to follow. Somehow chivalry evolved and became something more. It was no longer a code for just knights to follows, but all men in general.

Men were expected to open the door for a woman, pull out the chair for a woman, pay for her, order for her, stand up when she enters the room,  help her with her jacket, offer their jacket if it was cold, walk her to the door, etc. But this form of chivalry has become what is known in today’s society as “old-fashioned”.

Chivalry shouldn’t be described as dead. Dead is too drastic. The truth of the matter is that chivalry is not dead but it’s not alive and well like how it use to be. Chivalry is pretty much comatose.

“It’s still thriving but it’s slowly dying,” freshman Rajaa Singh said.

Chivalry is better described as being in a coma. When someone is comatose, they exhibit a “complete absence of wakefulness” and that is what is going on with chivalry. Chivalry isn’t dead but many men today are not aware of previous mannerisms that were once a major part of society and ethics.  We live in a different time and many things have changed, some for the better and some for worse.

“It’s not dead but it is certainly different from what it use to be. We live in a society where there’s not an emphasis based on treating others nicely,” teacher Mr. Nisonoff said.

“I see guys open doors for girls. I sometimes open doors for girls, if they are pretty,” sophomore Kevin Torres said.

Chivalry used to be something that men didn’t even have to think about it. They would just automatically do it. Some guys just don’t have the same mindset as those who were brought up learning how to be a gentleman and how a woman should be treated. A lot of other guys just follow their friends. They don’t think about what the “right” thing is to do because that has become completely subjective. What one person may view as morally correct, another may view as immoral. So many guys take the easy road and follow their crowd of friends.

“Chivalry is not taught these days. The teenage boys today feed off of each other. If they see one male disrespecting a female and treating her like crap, they will follow and do the same. It’s a domino effect and each guy will act exactly the same. It’s also based on the community that you are raised in and how they mold you,” junior Elijah Harris said.

It’s not fair to say that chivalry is dead because there are still guys who practice it. There are still those who take the time out to be courteous to a woman.People may not see it in every man but it still exists. It isn’t as strong as how it use to be. It is no long considered a norm. It’s more like a characteristic one would find in someone special.

“The old fashioned chivalry is not really around. The 20th century, modern chivalry has its give and takes. It depends on the man. Not every man has chivalry in them,” school safety Security Guard Purvis said.