Sometimes I think Chivalry is dead. On this day I was definitely right.
Chivalry is dead! Yes, it is dead! To put today’s train adventure in context, the Cambridge English dictionary defines chivalry as “very polite, honest, and kind behaviour, especially by men towards women”.
So ponder this: I was standing in the train one morning along with other men and women when someone got off the train and a seat became vacant. I watched in utter amazement as a man and a woman fought to grab that seat. You would expect him to let her have it, but he did not. The woman was tough too, she moved swiftly to stand in front of the seat while he used his bag to block the front of that seat. Then with everyone glaring at him in surprise, he finally gave up and let her have the seat.
Wo wo wo! ? What just happened? I can’t believe he fought over a train seat with a woman. Since l am not the bold and gutsy black woman l once thought l was, (don’t laugh ??♀️) l didn’t say anything. Instead l used my eyes to do the talking. So l glared at him with a look that could only be interpreted to mean
“Seriously? how could you”? He glared right back at me with his eyes probably saying
“mind your business”.
He was no gentleman. He was a black man too. I thought my black brothers were nice when it comes to things like this. Apparently not this black man! ?
Shortly after, someone else got off the train and as expected ‘Mr LoveSeat’ grabbed the vacant seat. He didn’t offer it to a woman and certainly not to me who quarrelled with him with my eyes. ? That man’s behaviour is an embarrassment to all men……. or maybe l spoke too soon because someone is standing in front of me and speaking to me while l am writing this down. I lifted my gaze and it’s a woman. She wanted to give up her seat for me. She said she’s getting off at the next stop so wanted me to have her seat before another man grabs it. We both laughed annoyingly loud! ? To annoy that man I hoped.
I thanked her and said “chivalry is truly dead” and she nodded, laughing even louder. Ah! Isn’t she wonderful. ? We are kindred spirits already. I sat down and enjoyed the rest of my commute. I did glance at the man l named ‘Mr LoveSeat’ once more to see if he had a problem with his legs or some form of physical disability, making it difficult for him to stand for long periods. I couldn’t see any.
Maybe he was just a silly man who couldn’t be bothered with chivalry or being a gentleman. As we say in Naija, this man na agbero! (which means a thug).
Guys please never behave like horrible ‘Mr LoveSeat’.
Be nice and chivalrous enough to offer a vacant seat to a woman by simply letting her have it. If you do that, you will not have people like me and the rest of the carriage giving you the evil eyes.????
So has anyone else experienced or seen this happen on public transport?
Is chivalry truly dead?
Have a fantastic weekend BEAMers.
Ciao ?
