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Gentleman- Sexist or Mentality?

Are today’s gentlemen sexist…or is it the mentality?

Sexism is a strong term these days. It relates to differentiating treatment between men and women. Usually, sexism is attributed to men’s treatment towards women, but it works vice versa. Typical stuff is that a man gets higher pay than a woman. A man has a higher chance of employment than a woman. A man is stronger than a woman…

 
Gentleman- What is that?

 
Some people define being a gentleman as ‘it’. It is a trend, what every woman wants. Some think it’s outdated. Perhaps, you have heard that chivalry is dead. What can we agree on? Gentlemen are men who offer kind gestures to women. You know, opening the door, watching his language, offering his seat, kissing the back of her hand, offering her his jacket…

 
Hold on!

All these ‘kind’ gestures are sexist then. A man can open the door for another man, but is it usually the case? There are things men feel obligated to do and sometimes based on how they were raised…by (usually) another woman- mom. What straight man holds another man on his arm; let’s be honest, they would feel uncomfortable. Kiss the back of his hand… C’mon, you get the idea. These are gestures towards women, but they have become socially acceptable. Sometimes we don’t even notice that they are sexist acts themselves…. Yes, even the feminists don’t necessarily notice such kind gestures as bad.

 
Now, does it mean that men that act like gentlemen support sexism? It isn’t fair to jump at him for being kind. But how do you know if he is being nice, or if there is a traditional view to his actions? After all, it has become the mentality in society; if he doesn’t act so, he gets called out and sometimes by women themselves- He doesn’t know how to treat a woman, right?

So, is it sexist or is it a mentality? Well, it depends on his intention. Uh! We can’t read intentions. We can’t see them. So innocent till proven guilty is applied here. If he is sexist, you would sooner or later realize it by other of his actions. If it is an act of kindness, it’s cool! Traditional gestures expected by men can also be done by men towards men and women towards women. It is humanity and compassion. Sometimes uncomfortable, so always ask when it comes to touching. Simple as that!

What do you think?

For more topics of discussion, let me know.