To be, or not to be. Alas, I knew him... Rant

...BTW, when was the last time you stood up when a lady came into the room?

That's a good question. Don't know. I do stand when a lady leaves or comes back to the table. I always hold the door, or allow a lady to leave the elevator first.

or held a door open for a lady

BTW I always do.

I always hold doors for others (ladies, men and children) and will stand when introduced to ladies (or men) unless it'd be conspicuously awkward, such as when I'm sitting 3-deep in a corner booth at Denny's. I don't stand when a lady enters the room...never tend to be in a situation where that'd be appropriate. (I don't go to formal parties or similar gatherings.) At a nice restaurant I'll help my wife to her seat, but I don't get up when she leaves to use the restroom or when she returns.

Some "rules" of etiquette are pretty archaic and outdated, in my opinion. For example, things like which side of a lady to be on when you're both walking down the sidewalk might have made sense in the first part of the 20th Century, but in some urban areas these days, there's more danger lurking in shop doorways and down side streets and alleys than there is from the roadway itself. I still tend to walk between the road and the lady, but I let the circumstances -- not someone's 100-year-old notion of civility -- dictate the situation.

I think these days people of any gender appreciate simple respect more than adherence to somewhat outdated (and often very chauvinistic) "rules". ;)
 
The day I knew chivalry was dead was when a dad and his three sons (all under age of 11) were coming out of a store (4-abreast and pumping their chests) and no one was going to get in their way. I just stood to the side and let them pass.

I always wait and open doors for everyone, it's just being polite :)
 
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