Priscilla Lane and Cary Grant in silverscreen classic, Arsenic and Old Lace, 1944

SHE SAYS

It’s a frosty morning at the Kingswood station bus stop and as the bus turns the corner, the Penrith students all slowly shuffle forward, student cards at the ready. His shuttle bus stops and this is when it happens, a mass of male students storm past me to get a seat.

Now, while I don’t live in a Casablanca-dream-world where I expect a Humphrey-Bogart-esque gentleman in a sharp suit to save me from the big bad world accompanied by some slightly sexist banter I do appreciate some common courtesy from men.

Maybe that’s my problem. Perhaps the distinction that I’m basing my expectations on is all wrong. Because not all male students that attend UWS are men. Some are most definitely boys. And boys don’t seem to understand that stampeding into the bus without any regard to the students around them is not acceptable. And also not conducive to them garnering some female attention and possibly going from boy to man. Wink wink.

I can’t speak for all UWS campuses but in my experience the only male students that have stopped so I can get on or off the bus in front of them, the only ones who’ve held doors open for me are those that look 23 or older. Or they were lecturers.

While women are capable of opening doors for themselves sometimes it’s just the thought that counts. Doing something gentlemanly doesn’t mean you are implying that she is incapable or weak. It’s just nice.

Also it raises your hot-ness level quite significantly. Trust me.

-Roxanne Groebel-

HE SAYS

Okay, let’s start a bit lighter and scrap the descriptive jargon that makes Roxanne’s story so credible; we all know that the task of waiting for a bus on a cold morning, especially in Kingswood is a horrible way to start your day.

There are most probably only a few things that are going through your mind regardless of whether you are a man or woman: One- When is this bus going to arrive? Two- Is there going to be enough room? And Three- Am I going to make it to my first class on time?, knowing that upon waking up this morning the first act of the day was to press the snooze button and roll back over into a warm blissful slumber.

The issue is not that we are boys or men, it is that at 8:30am on a morning where even an Eskimo would feel the cold, chivalry is not an option. To this day, I still notice that men do pay attention to chivalry (more often than not in the pursuit of certain sexual gains) but it is mostly women who have become fast paced, independent and worship songs like ‘All the single ladies’ that do not take the time to notice.

On the other hand, it never hurts to pay attention to chivalry guys because you never know who is watching. Someone just like Roxanne, who you may have neglected in your rush to survive the ice age, may be a future love interest.

Chivalry is a great way to show them that your facial hair is not just compensation but that you are in fact a real man!

-Phillip Valentine-