You don't get it both ways

I'm sure I'm over simplifying, but I see most of the feminist influence on women being divided into two spheres. On the one hand, you've got the die-hard, man-hating feminists, the ones that promote men and women are the same, that a man better not even think of opening the door for, that consider any form of chivalry by men to be an affront. The second group, I almost find to be worse, because there's so much hypocrisy involved. I'm talking about the women that think they should be deferred to since they are women, that expect men to open doors and pay for dates but then turn around and champion the feminist agenda that they shouldn't have to behave as ladies or show any respect to men, because they're liberated females. You don't get it both ways. If you don't want to show men any respect, then be prepared not to recieve any in return. Ofcourse, considering the precedent set by society, you can hardly blame them. What do the Paris Hiltons of the world teach girls today? That it's o.k. to have virtually no redeeming qualities...just as long as you look good. With examples like that, and the lack of responsible parenting to counter it, it's not so surprising that a girl might think she need only show up and look good.

If you were to ask my husband one of the first things he loved about me, he'd relate a story to you about how, when we were first dating, I asked him if he was hungry and then proceeded to fix us both lunch. You, like me, are probably thinking 'big deal'....but to him, it was. According to him, all of the girls he'd previously dated would have whined, "I'm hungry, make me a sandwich". He'd never once had somebody show concern for and try to take care of him. Relationships should be about taking care of each other. A husband has no problem being a gentleman, when their wife has no problem being a lady. I've found that a lot of men will be gentlemen...when in the presence of ladies. I worked somewhere once where there was a lot of flirting that went on. The guys there were always making sexual suggestions to the girls, married or single, and some of the language they used was atrocious. One of my female co-workers remarked to me that while the guys would say things about me when I wasn't around (you know, the things guys normally express to one another about a girl they find attractive), they were always very careful not to say them in front of me and were on their best behaviour when I was around. They were always respectful and would even apologize for swearing in front of me. This other girl didn't understand that, but I did. They knew that I not only showed respect, but that I deserved it in turn.

My motto is to try and take the higher road and respect everyone, regardless of whether they deserve it. It's amazing the change that can be wrought in an individual who's shown respect when they're unused to recieving any. Unfortunately, the current war of the sexes, that has divided what should be united, pitting man against women, has assured that fewer and fewer people show or receive respect when it comes to the opposite sex.