John Maher’s haiku separates chivalry from courtesy.
Editor’s Note: Chivalry may be dead, but it’s a modern issue very much alive in the psyche of many men. About how to treat a woman they’ve taken their cues from movies, books, and from advice passed down to them. While some of this can be helpful, what’s often missing is the way in which the individual woman would like to be treated. This is often the missing link that brings clarity to the blur between old chivalry and never-old courtesy. In an attempt to move away from chivalry and more fully respect a woman, some men have admitted to becoming less courteous. This haiku seeks to set the record straight.
Chivalry is dead—it went with Arthur, years back.Courtesy is not.
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–Photo: Digital Collections at the University of Maryland/Flickr