The Open Door Policy of the Modern Female

With advanced shout out to Jack White -- it truly IS growing harder and harder to be a gentleman, everyday.

It seems, these days, even the simplest of gestures, such as opening a door for an approaching woman, is more often-than-not met with: A) kind of blind indifference likened to that of an interaction between a mortal and thin air; B) a perplexing glance that may or may not suggest the female is seriously considering you might be a serial rapist; or C) the squaking war cry of the post-feminist "angrychick" movement, where the woman fights a never-ending battle against the tyranny of the ever-present sexist pig male who's only being nice as a means to an end... that "end" being the prize inside those Victoria's Secret lace panties and $100 Lululemon yoga pants.

Take note, female race, there IS a D).... the fella is just being a kindly gentleman, and nothing more.

He may already be wed to the woman of his dreams, or currently dating somebody he's had his eye on for some time now, long before YOU arrived on the scene. Perhaps he's old school, and understands that a woman should NEVER open a door if there's a man around to open it FOR her. It's not that he thinks you're weak, nor incapable of understanding exactly HOW a door "opens"-- he's merely trying his hand at knightly chivalry. A hand, by the way, you just went medieval on with the verbal equivalent of a Gatling Gun, peppering him with bullets of disregard and disdain, leading him to question whether or not chivalry is an obsolete social trait within modern society?

The answer: yes.... and no.

Individuals brought up correctly, raised within a household of common courtesy and respect independent of socio-economic status, WILL say "thank you".  It's the norm, for with them there is no agenda, nor ulterior motive -- it's simply an act of courtesy and nothing more.  To the "Guarded Warriors" (I like to call them that... drives them nuts), their retaliatory strike is a kind of preemptive suit of armor -- protect BEFORE the need for protection actually arises. Perhaps the man really does view the female as a trophy for him to win, and if that is indeed the case his intentions will, soon enough, become all too obvious. But, if this is NOT the case -- if the gentleman is merely "being a gentleman" -- then you've offered that man one more reason to simply no longer care about common courtesy, about being kindly and generous to the female world, about being "the knight".

Perhaps being "the dragon" is a less hurtful solution?

Congratulations, Guarded Warrior. He just became the monster you thought he was, when in fact he never was.... until YOU arrived.

Cheerio.