The Network of Enlightened Women at Arizona State University have chosen to counter liberal feminist activity on campus by sponsoring a the First Annual Gentleman’s Showcase. They have produced a video in which they ask the following questions:

• What is a gentleman?
• What are some of the characteristics of a gentleman?
• Are there gentleman at ASU?
• Are gentlemen an endangered species?

Follow the link and click “download” to watch the video.  It’s in Quicktime so you will need the player if you don’t already have it.

Here are some of my own opnions on this topic.

The external customs of courtesy, or “gentlemanly manners” (derived from “gentility” or “nobility”), are secondary-but important-expressions of commitment to the common good. They are an acknowledgment that standards exist to which a generous spirit must conform. The chivalrous heart is not narrow, peevish and self-centered, nor is it preoccupied with its own rights and concerns. Rather, it is directed outward, concerned about the good of others, and willing to sacrifice itself in defense of the rights of its neighbor. Good manners, including thoughtfulness in small things, in a truly chivalrous man are merely the outward sign of an interior disposition that gives no quarter to base selfishness, but is rather eager for that which is honorable, no matter what the cost.