Chivalry

Had a wonderful evening in Deal on Saturday, and what a terrific town it is. I used to consider Margate the finest Kent coastal town by some distance, but I have to say that Deal is now giving Margate the proverbial run for its money!

Anyway, today’s subject – chivalry. Is chivalry dead?

I can’t remember ever being on public transport and not giving up my seat for a lady. However, I have noticed on trains of late a worrying increase in men who refuse to offer their seat. And these same men I would imagine don’t hold doors open for ladies either.

I suppose this is a sign of the times. It’s just one element of the unstoppable march of modern society. Everything is changing. However, I am a strong believer in the idea that some things don’t have to change…

African-Americans used to be slaves and slaves they are no longer. Now they can do anything. They can run America, they can write books; they can even co-star in films with Tom Hanks. It goes without saying that that is a good thing. However, does that mean that all things should change? Of course it doesn’t

Not everything that happened in yesteryear was necessarily bad. Tuberculosis was bad. But community spirit was great. Suppression of women’s rights was unacceptable. But handwriting was infinitely more disciplined and attractive in exactly the same era. Not all change is for the better…

There are things nowadays, lest we forget, that we would all like to see the back of. Overbearing health and safety regulations, reality TV, knife-crime, the EU… we’re not so perfect ourselves. What we need to do is mix and match the best bits of now with the best bits of the past to get exactly the right balance. I’d like to see a man hold a door open for a woman, and then for both man and woman to walk into the same office they work at where they get paid the same money (depending on their respective skills and work ethics of course). Then we’re getting somewhere. Let’s not go backwards, please. Otherwise what are we left with? Tuberculosis and knife crime. Stalin and reality TV. Let’s mix and match. And let’s not dismiss everything that happened in the past as evil, because some of it was bloody wonderful. You only need to watch 5 minutes of Fawlty Towers to see that…

God Bless

M…