The Bucknellian

By Connor Small

Contributing Writer

Lately, I’ve been hearing a lot of women complaining that we guys “don’t know how to be gentlemen anymore.” As someone who tries very hard to act like a gentleman every day, I am slightly offended by these remarks. While for the most part I believe that chivalry is, in fact, dead, I find it agitating when women talk about the lack of chivalry in the world, while here I am, holding the door open for them. Maybe the issue is not that chivalry is dead, but rather, women aren’t looking hard enough for it.

Let’s take a step back for a moment. What exactly is chivalry? To me, a chivalrous man is not one who acts for the glory of getting girls’ attention; he is the one who holds the door or gives up his seat because it is the right thing to do. And guys, I am not just talking about acting like such just for women you find attractive. I am talking about doing these favors for everybody. A man should always help an elderly fellow cross the street and say “bless you” when someone sneezes. He should give up his seat to a woman, an elderly fellow, or a disabled person. He should hold the door open for everyone, even other men. He does these things not because he is expected to, not because he feels obligated to, but because he recognizes and respects others.

A common complaint among men is the annoyance of having to do things like pay for the first date. They say things such as, “Well, men and women are equal now, right? So why do we still have to pay for dinner?” When I hear guys say this, I cannot help but shake my head. It is not expected that we pay for the first date, I have had plenty of girls want to help pay for the date, but in the back of their minds, women relate paying for a date to security and generosity; they want a man to sweep them off their feet. It is natural to get frustrated over feeling like you are an ATM, but if you feel that the girl you are dining with is not worth the price of one dinner, I would question why are you out with her in the first place.

I think the real root of the problem here is that society is simply different today than it was when our grandparents and even our parents were our age. I have found that people today are in such a rush to get to their next location that they aren’t even able to stop and think about others for a moment. It is evident that empathy is at an all time low. Everybody needs to just slow down and realize how their actions affect others. For the most part, people—especially women—notice actions such as holding the door open, and they appreciate it.  However, often people are too wrapped up in themselves to realize such chivalrous mannerisms.

From a man’s perspective, chivalry is something that isn’t expected, but is all too absent from our culture. Maybe this stems from men feeling unappreciated in a very self-serving culture.  Maybe we are just lazy. Either way, something has to change.

By Sarah Morris

Contributing Writer

“Chivalry is dead” is one of the most overused phrases today. Not only is it available; the idea saturates media today with its falsehoods. Chivalry is supposed to be a grand lifestyle to live by, in which men specifically must mind all manners: hold doors open, pay for dates, shower women with gifts and romantic evenings.

I think it is important that women everywhere realize there are reasons that chivalry has “suddenly” disappeared. Men did not just sit down one day and all decide to be assholes just to get on our nerves. I believe that the start of chivalry’s decline can be dated back to the women’s rights movement. We wanted to be equal to men, we wanted to vote and we wanted to be able to actually claim ownership to our own belongings, receive an education and hold office.

If women want to be treated equally alongside men, we have to be ready to accept that they’re not going to be overly gratuitous all of the time. If we are truly their equals, they have no real purpose in treating us like the “princesses” some of us imagine we are. But now, we need to look at the most obvious reason why chivalry has keeled over right in front of us.

Too many women are sluts these days. Come on ladies, I know you’ve all been to a register and seen girls bent over, hands on the floor, bums in the air, pretty much having sex with guys on the dance floor. I also know that most of you have been one of those girls before. I’m not sure that girls who behave like that really deserve to be treated as expected. In that moment at least, when ladylike behavior ceases to exist, so does the opportunity to be treated like one.

It has come down to the changes our society has gone through. I personally think such advances are great: women should be able to go around acting like men and behaving however they want to in regards to their sexual actions. But it is necessary that if women want to support free love (not in the groundbreaking manner in which hippies celebrated it), they need to be able to accept the facts that men do not want to open doors and spend money on girls who give it up on the first date, or first register … whatever it may be.

So ladies, go ahead, grind like you are in a Lil Wayne music video on the weekends. But when you meet a guy who you want to take home to Mommy and Daddy, make sure you act like a girl who deserves to be taken home as well.

By Jen Lassen

Assistant News Editor

“I want a brownie,” “Dang, that cookie looks good,” or the ever-popular “but I worked out today … I deserve it!” are popular phrases echoed in college cafeterias everywhere. These phrases are especially common on this campus, where first-years like me enjoy the luxury yet downfall of an unlimited meal plan. Even before college, my greatest fear above meeting new friends, living in a dorm, or handling the rigor of university-level courses was keeping off the infamous “freshman 15”. Even though I have been here for over three months, this fear still nags at each meal.

I am certainly taking care of myself here. I typically work out four days a week, go on occasional runs downtown, sleep a solid eight hours each night and eat the healthiest options I can. However, the temptations of decadent desserts in the Terrace Room, milkshakes at Seventh Street Cafe, and a cookie on the way out of Bostwick are often hard to resist.

I spend time with an amazing group of friends who are all very health-conscious. We help each other pick out meals at dinner, send group texts to one another to meet at the gym and give each other tips on what’s healthy and what’s actually worth the calories, and we still have our slip-ups. Sometimes, we’ll longingly walk past the dessert displays, nine times out of 10 giving in to the goo cake or caramel bar calling our names. Some of us have even gone as far as creating diet plans for one another. But this failed attempt just made everyone crazy, including those not on the plan, at the thought of restricting ourselves from indulging every now and then.

Since college began I’ve often put myself down for not working out hard enough, eating a slice of cake instead of a carrot stick, or eating too much when I wanted to eat less, but I have realized that all of this grief only results in more frustration than I’ve bargained for. Slowly, I’m realizing that the only way to be content with my health choices is to find a happy medium. Instead of putting myself down for having a cookie, I’ll enjoy eating it but will eat something healthier later in the day. Rather than making myself to go to the gym despite a ridiculously packed schedule, I’m starting to work out in smaller stints of time so I don’t overstress myself yet still benefit from the calorie burn. And instead of dieting, I’ll eat smaller portions of what I want and stay away from the foods that are obviously very unhealthy.

No one can be perfect in their eating or exercising habits, especially college students. If I had to guess, I would say that I share common thoughts with a majority of students on campus about being health-conscious 24/7. Even though I’m guilty of being slightly too obsessed with these thoughts, I have learned to compromise for being healthy yet very realistic about my approach to eating and exercising. This way, I don’t get my hopes up, yet I still challenge myself to be healthier every day. It’s once been said that no one can limit you but yourself. So if I say that I want a brownie, I’m eating it, no matter how many minutes I need to spend on the elliptical the next day.

By Gabriella Fleming-Shemer

Contributing Writer

Coming from one of the largest cities in the United States, I felt more at home than ever amidst the honking and commotion of downtown Lewisburg this past Saturday. This rupture from the normal, sleepy weekend atmosphere was the result of Occupy Lewisburg, a group of activists at the University and in the community, who are in support of the Occupy Wall Street movement. Not surprisingly, the crowd that gathered around Market Street’s post office was comprised mostly of middle-aged people, including many professors of the University and other local residents. What did surprise me was that not many students took to the streets. I first believed that this was because it was simply a busy weekend and that students couldn’t find the time to march when their GPAs were on the line. But then, after talking to some friends, I realized how difficult it is to convince University students (including myself) to rally around a cause because of our privileged lives, as students in a quiet town.

Our school is the quintessential ivory tower in which midterms and date parties dominate discussion on campus. While our school’s isolated atmosphere nurtures such unawareness of current events, I think it’s an attitude that should not be assumed of us, but rather, something to be challenged. Not many students can say that their biggest concern at the moment is the risks of taking out a mortgage. Yet, because we have the privilege of oblivion, the existing economic inequality will rear its head at us sooner than we think. One of the main messages that the Occupy movement has expressed is that no one is unaffected by the wealth gap. Whether you are a student, teacher, doctor or soldier, you are confirming the rights of the 1 percent to own the bulk of the nation’s wealth by not opposing the system. Considering how the average American student has a $34,000 debt when they graduate today, one would think that University students would feel especially concerned with the injustice of the widening wealth gap.

Our failing economy is on the brink of collapse–and yet, we cannot feel compelled to ask for change. Friends of mine have told me that they did not march with the activists on Saturday because they felt that their presence would not have accomplished anything. They also mentioned that they didn’t care to get involved because the movement lacked specific demands, and was therefore nothing substantial to stand behind. The problem with politicians and skeptics ironically demanding for demands is that they’re overlooking the greater philosophical and moral foundations of the movement. Occupy Wall Street began as a small protest in Canada, and in the past two months has spread globally with encampments and marches taking place in 92 countries. The sheer size of such a campaign makes it inherently a heterogeneous one, not to mention that it is a direct democracy sans leader. Consequently, how can one expect such a mixed group to produce a specific list of actions they want the government to take?

Forcing the diversity of interests into a uniform set of beliefs would only exclude people from the movement. What I believe is the real power of Occupy Wall Street is the philosophical significance. Beneath the chants for bank reforms is the denunciation of greed and materialism. Behind the faces of the 99 percent, sharing their grievances, is a call for equality and compassion.