Ask Valet.Modern Men (and Women)
 
Oct
13
2009
  • Does being a gentleman mean always giving up your seat to a lady on the train or bus? What about opening doors? No matter what I do in these situations, I feel awkward. How do you handle it?

    - Matt, Chicago, IL

  • In these times, when chivalry (along with the battle of the sexes) is all but dead, such situations can lead to awkwardness. But here's how it's laid out in the Valet code of conduct: Offer your seat to anyone who shouldn't be standing on a moving vehicle—the elderly, the pregnant and anyone with small children or a seeing eye dog. But we're all pretty equal these days. Offer your seat to an able-bodied female and she may take it as a come-on or worse, an insult. As far as opening doors, it's simply polite to open them for all. Gentleman are nothing without their manners.

 
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