Chivalry

Chivalry Lives On Some wonder if chivalry is dead or if it was ever more than a flimsy folktale. Yet we can find striking instances where we are clearly chivalrous, acting to support women and to hold men accountable.

Chivalry protects women

Our chivalrous passions  judge similar acts according to widely separate standards. A man hitting a woman is a moral abomination and should never be permitted, while a woman hitting a man seems more a lapse of proper manners or perhaps a justifiable emotional outburst. We are outraged by men assaulting women, but hardly give it a second thought when it goes the other way around.

Supposed a man and a woman are quarreling at a nightclub.  If the man throws a glass of whiskey at the woman he has assaulted her, and men are prosecuted for such. In contrast, a woman who throws a drink at a man is merely expressing her outrage. What sort of wuss would call the police and try to prosecute a woman over a splash of whiskey?  Any man who did so would not be welcome back at the bar..

Men who catch a few blows file police complaints only a twelfth as often as do battered women, [i] and so seldom come to our attention. Here again, our accusations follow our genetic interests. What sort of fool would hand his wife over to the men in authority and probably lose her, just because she takes a swing or two? A woman, on the other hand, must count on a man for her safety, and she benefits from punishing the reckless egotist who goes too far over the line.

Chimpanzee knights in shining armor

Chivalrous alliances are seen among various social animals, including chimpanzees. In one incident, a offended female chimp calls upon a male companion for assistance. Using high-pitched barks, she points toward her assailant with her whole hand (rather than just a finger), at the same time kissing her companion and patting him. As her pleas become more insistent, he charges out to battle her antagonist while she stands by and watches approvingly. Thus is rescued another damsel in distress, and her champion becomes the hero of the hour. Call him Champ Chimpski.

Chivalry is a social imperative, and Champ here acts to uphold an unspoken standard of justice. Like a real man, although a shave short in stature and light on brain power, he enforces one of our highest and noblest moral callings. He stands by fair maiden, and uses his power to punish the beastly bastard who has so callously offended her.

Early Origins

A chimp such as Champ who supports the damsel may gain opportunities to mate with her later, while one who refuses his support will also be remembered and treated accordingly. And so too among our own. Men who uphold women against offending men gain their respect, and perhaps their favors, while men who ignore women lose out. So nature programs men to support women in distress and to stand strongly against the dastardly scumbags who cross them.

Implications

So far as we understand how men contribute, it becomes easier to appreciate that half of humanity and to continue to benefit.

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