Chivalry a thing of the past: Pregnant woman denied seat on busy bus

It’s no secret Baby Boomers have seen an incredible change in society over the years, but has all the progress killed modern manners?

Daily Telegraph writer Karlie Rutherford lamented the decline of niceties after catching a bus in Sydney and being forced to stand, despite being 23 weeks pregnant. 

The mother-to-be said she was clinging on “for dear life” while a bunch of young men sat comfortably nearby. She was eventually offered a seat by a woman. 

“Should I be flattered that men don’t stand up for me because they see me on the same level?” Rutherford asked. 

Readers were quick to comment, with many remaining unsympathetic to her plight.

“As a bloke in my mid 40’s I grew up being chivalrous but there became a time when I started to look old fashioned and girls thought any act of chivalry was making a pass. It’s easier to keep the headphones on and not say anything, look anywhere or do anything courteous,” one man wrote. 

While another added: “Ladies, you wanted equality, deal with it. It’s not equality except for certain things. Although I’d be happy to give my seat to a pregnant woman, the elderly or disabled, as they need my seat more than I do.”

As times continue to change, it’s fair to say that certain traditions from the past aren’t as important as they once were, especially for the younger generation.

Instances of men holding the door open for women as they enter or leave a room are scarce, as is the gentlemanly action of taking off your hat when indoors. Girls aren’t exempt either. You’d be hard-pressed to find a Millennial who wasn’t at least tempted to pick up their phone and start scrolling through Facebook mid-conversation. 

Read more: What happened to good manners?

So what happened to our manners? As our lives have gotten busier, we’ve declared ourselves in too much of a rush to take a few seconds or minutes out to do something kind. Perhaps it’s that technology has in fact become our primary mode of communication and the human interaction – which manners are a large part of – has become redundant and therefore so have our manners.

What do you think? Have we lost our manners? 

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