The sequel - an eye opener!

I know I am guilty of making a sweeping statement by combining chivalry and chauvinism together. It is rather apt that the two start with the same alphabet, yet have vastly different meanings and in today’s society, women *and to a larger extent, men* do not tolerate chauvinism. We have learnt to accept that women are equal to men in everything. Sure, they are different in terms of physical attributes, but the buck stops there. The rest of the supposed differences are merely a societal perception on women/men that have been filtered down through the generations

If women want to be treated as equals to men, why is there a cry for chivalrous behavior? Door opening, offering of seats, etc. these actions may be a symbolism of a man submitting to the fact that the woman needs help, but it can also be interpreted on a deeper level. One such interpretation may be the fact that the man subconsciously admits to the fact that the woman is weaker than he is, and thus requires his help and effort to help the woman overcome whatever that he is doing for her. Like opening and holding a door for her. Empirically, isn’t this an acknowledgement that one is weaker than the other?
A man too may require people to hold the door for him when his hands are full or maybe he does not have enough strength. But, these somehow become his shortcomings. A lady on the other hand, has doors opened for her even though she may not be stuffed with shopping bags or a box of files. What was her shortcoming? Was it because she was carrying shopping bags, or was it because she’s a lady and that’s the right thing to do?
Let us consider a bus scenario. A person can be chivalrous and offer the seat to the lady, or offer it to her due to kindness and goodwill. Maybe the lady looked faint?? Or maybe she was pregnant.
To sum up a long story, my question to women folk is this. do you girls want to be treated equally? or differently?
Just remember, WHAT YOU GIVE, YOU GET!!
A common fallacy among men and women is that chivalry is one-sided, which means that a woman can also take the initiative and do something chivalrous or be HIVALROUS for her man, especially since the times have changed.

To all you ladies out there, how HIVALROUS are you?? Do a quick scan and check if you do any of the following to make your guy feel your worthy of him…

• He opens the car door for you and you unlock his door once you are inside
• You offer to split the bill at the fancy restaurant you went to for dinner (or even better, you pay for it once in a while -- if you don't pay for it, you pays for his movie ticket after dinner)
• You surprise your hero with that CD he has been talking about or send him flowers at work.
• You take over some soup/hot coffee or the like when he is feeling under the weather.

More than anything else, show how appreciative you are of his actions and recognize how lucky you are to be with him!So guys/boys, do you think SHE IS WORTH IT??!
GENDER didn’t weed out expectations, did it??? So, don’t just sit waiting to be swooned over LADIES… You can do it tooo….

As chivalry now means being kind to everyone, the best thing to do is just be yourself. Act normal, and don't try to be too chivalrous or the woman you're pining over will see right through your act. The truth is, if she isn't appreciative, then she's probably not someone you'll want to invest your time in. If you like her, then you will automatically put her on a pedestal without realizing it. And once she's on that pedestal as high as the castle tower -- where you are the only one to rescue her -- she will look out for the knight in shining armor in you.

This Valentine's Day, bestow upon her a very special gift: your consideration, your benevolence, your not acting like an ass. And yes, you still hold the door
happily ever afters exist after all and i do hope all of you get there...!
Hail HIVALRY!!

He-valry / SHE-valry!

Why do we often have such discussions on CHIVALRY?? How often have you ladies touted someone as a MCP [read: Male Chauvinist Pig] Why is it such a big deal when a woman rises to power and wins accolades??

I am not a feminist, but insensitivity shown by men towards their counterparts is something i just cannot stand!! It affects me in unexplainable ways ..

It is imperative to point out here that chivalry is a word not just connected to men but very applies to women as well. It is a myth that needs to be uncovered. For our gang at MPBIM, the word CHIVALRY is BIG and may be that’s one of the reasons I chose this as the first topic fro my blog...

So what’s the buzz all about anyway???

Once a darling friend of mine coined this term ‘HE-VALRY’. Amused, I asked him what it meant.. Pat came the reply- ‘Good manners shown to men by men.’ lol... Man,needless to say, it got me thinking…!!

What could have probably gone in the head of the person who actually invented the term CHIVALRY?? Did he/she draw inference from the pronunciation SHE-VALRY??? Ha ha… It does make some sense, the word- HE-VALRY.. !

The damsel in distress is knotted and neck deep in danger... Her only hope for survival is the prince, her knight in shining armor who will cross ocean, climb mountains and arrive to take her out of the mess she has landed herself in.. And drum roll, please here he comes, gallivanting his way to the abode of his lady.. He lifts her up over his shoulder, and props her onto the horse. He slays the demons and the happy couple are whisked away into the glimmering night sky.Nowhere in this fairytale did the princess say, "I can get onto the horse myself, thank you very much," nor did the knight say "Hey baby, let's go back to my place and have some fun."

This fairytale analogy isn't intended to be nostalgic, it's meant to point out the difference between the old-fashioned days of chivalry, and how it has evolved today. Today’s movies are no different… We are just so goddamn used to seeing the hero perform all the stunts, claim his love from rooftops, be the care provider and carry out myriad errands… While the female is still portrayed as the sheltered one even if she is fully capable of handling herself in all ways…

In the name of Chivalry, is chauvinism creeping in somewhere along the picture… You bet it does.....

Chivalry is a plain and simple act of being kind and courteous?? Overdoing it amounts to chauvinism...

Irrespective of the sex, I believe that each and every person needs to be chivalrous or he-valrous or she-valrous as the case may be..lol.. :)

Is that wrong...?? The upper limit assumes different scales for different people..

So HOW MUCH IS TOO MUCH?? the million dollar question that we ask ourselves even if it meant just extending kindness is

"IS SHE/HE WORTH IT as in REALLY REALLY WORTH IT?? "

The topic is vast..

Watch this space for more..

DISCLAIMER!:)

BLOGGIN is MINDBOGGLING… It has kept millions glued for a long time now.. Well, I ve always wanted to be a part of this wave… Writing has been one of my strong interests for sometime now and m hoping I can explore it through this canvas here..

First & foremost, the ones looking for serious topics can give this blog a miss…I do not claim to have researched the topics presented here nor do I claim that it is totally true… However, here you will find trivial issues that catch my fancy presented in an interesting way…

I will do my best to keep the readers entertained...

This will be used more as an extension of my expressive side...

Hope you guys ENJOY flipping thru!!Any comments, suggestions will be taken in the stride.. M open to it!!:)