By Kelly O'Connell ——Bio and Archives--January 16, 2013
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This is now bone of my bones, And flesh of my flesh; She shall be called Woman, Because she was taken out of Man.In an exasperating number of everyday scenarios, old common-sense standards of chivalry are abandoned in lieu of politically derived solutions maximizing neither human happiness, nor safety. In fact, the modern default of public behavior towards self-centered behavior and self-satisfaction in the name of progress, is not merely troubling but a sign of the collapse of principled society. But to examine the old chivalry standards is a breath of fresh air and freedom when considering our right to free expression within social settings. Further, these chivalric codes condensed the ideas and experiences of a thousand years within the template of a Christian worldview. This code dispensed moral truths within the framework of society, and thereby created a new standard for safety, humanity, and overall happiness. So why not consider returning to this romantic wisdom of the ages instead of watching as our society crumbles and burns to the ground in the name of a raft of worthless dogma, Marxist creedalism and socialist group-think?!!
Modern feminism in the 21st century is simultaneously illogical, unnecessary, and evil. First, modern feminism is illogical because it is based on the vanilla assumption that, but for lifelong gender socialization and pernicious patriarchy, men and women are on the whole identical. An insurmountable body of evidence by now conclusively demonstrates that the vanilla assumption is false; men and women are inherently, fundamentally, and irreconcilably different. Any political movement based on such a spectacularly incorrect assumption about human nature--that men and women are and should be identical--is doomed to failure. Finally, modern feminism is evil because it ultimately makes women (and men) unhappy. In a forthcoming article in the American Economic Journal: Economic Policy, American women over the last 35 years have steadily become less and less happy, making more and more money relative to men. Women used to be a lot happier than men despite the fact that they made much less money than men. The sex gap in happiness (in women's favor) has declined in the past 35 years as the sex gap in pay (in men's favor) narrowed. Now women make as much as, sometimes even more than, men do. As a result, today women are just as unhappy, or even more unhappy than, men are. Money does not make women happy...
Things are out of kilter. And pretty dismal, according to a Harris Poll released Monday. Eight out of 10 Americans, in fact, say, "Women today are treated with less chivalry than in the past." A majority of the respondents, 52%, say relations between men and women are not "fine" these days. Just 13%, in fact, strongly agreed that the sexes are in harmony. The feminist fervor appears to have lost its cachet as well. About three-fourths of Americans across the board--men, women, Republicans, Democrats--say that the nation has "more important issues to fix" than gender equality. The poll of 2,227 adults was conducted June 14-21, 2010 and released to coincide with the 90th anniversary of the 19th Amendment, which guarantees a woman's right to vote.
Most Americans continue to feel their fellow citizens are becoming ruder and less civilized, and half say they have actually confronted someone over their behavior. A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 76% of American Adults think their fellow Americans are becoming ruder and less civilized.It is true that we all feel our nation is losing its ability to be polite. One writer states:
In 1996, U.S. News & World Report surveyed Americans about the condition of civility in modern society. Of the 1,005 respondents, 89% said incivility was a major social problem, and 78% said the situation had worsened in the last decade, whereas 91% percent believed incivility contributed to violence." When a society upholds a set of manners, it promotes a level of respect and understanding for others. Without "civility," the society lacks solidarity, leading to a disconnection between the single person and the community. Participants in the U.S. News survey logically believe that incivility leads to violence because the attacker has little or no respect for others. As time goes on, the level of civility continues to travel down the slippery slope towards incivility, unable to restore proper manners and respect to society. Particularly dinner table manners have changed over time and are almost nonexistent today.The fact is most Americans know that something is desperately missing from today's society. We follow sets of rules that go against all instincts and which have no foundation in American history, or even common sense and logic. For example, why allow women on planes to struggle to lift bags too heavy into racks too high, in the name of "feminism"--as healthy men look on, indifferently? As society continues to break down, dating goes from courtship to simple rutting without any sense of dignity or even purpose, beyond the Pleasure Principle. And every boorish behavior has a likely excuse.
Chivalry is an ethical system emphasizing personal honor. As Maurice Keen wrote: "the most important legacy of chivalry to later times was its conception of honour...Transaction of honour, a contemporary anthropologist has said, 'provide... a nexus between the ideals of society and their reproduction in the actions of individuals--honour commits men to act as they should'...Chivalry helped fashion the nineteenth-century ideal of the 'gentleman'...
Love God Almighty with all your heart and all your powers Love your neighbour as yourself Give alms to the poor as ye are able Entertain strangers Visit the sick Be merciful to prisoners Do ill to no man, nor consent unto such as do, for the receiver is as bad as the thief Forgive as ye hope to be forgiven Redeem the captive Help the oppressed Defend the cause of the widow and orphan Render righteous judgement Do not consent to any wrong Persevere not in wrath Shun excess in eating and drinking Be humble and kind Serve your liege lord faithfully Do not steal Do not perjure yourself, nor let others do so Envy, hatred and violence separate men from the Kingdom of God Defend the Church and promote her cause.Along the same lines, historian Léon Gautier sums up chivalry's Ten Commandments, taken from the large body of medieval literature:
...etiquette and courtesy encompass two interrelated and essential components: principles and manners. "The principles of respect, consideration and honesty are universal and timeless," she says. But "manners change over time and from culture to culture." To strengthen relationships, she says, "we need to articulate these principles in all our interactions. It is respectful to make requests rather than demands, to show gratitude and appreciation, to greet others, to give our complete attention, to acknowledge appreciation shown, to acknowledge and show respect for age, standing, importance."More than anything, were the vast majority of everyday Americans simply to go off what they believe, instead of what some bombastic expert tells them is the "right" thing to do in any setting, we would be quickly saved from our dilemmas. For the essential elements of chivalry and civility, perhaps first summed up by Charlemagne, stand for timeless values which can never do their bearers wrong. For who of good intentions could possibly find fault with a code emphasizing men always honor God and the Bible, celebrate and assist women in every setting, assist the poor and crippled in all manners, defend country and resist infidels, remain honest and humble in all dealings, protect animals, develop virtuous habits, and overall dedicate oneself to battling evil and doing good? Finally, wouldn't such a re-embracing of our great past ideals almost certainly guarantee America would overcome its current demons, and emerge phoenix-like from the gathering ashes of self-inflicted ruin?
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Kelly O’Connell is an author and attorney. He was born on the West Coast, raised in Las Vegas, and matriculated from the University of Oregon. After laboring for the Reformed Church in Galway, Ireland, he returned to America and attended law school in Virginia, where he earned a JD and a Master’s degree in Government. He spent a stint working as a researcher and writer of academic articles at a Miami law school, focusing on ancient law and society. He has also been employed as a university Speech & Debate professor. He then returned West and worked as an assistant district attorney. Kelly is now is a private practitioner with a small law practice in New Mexico.