Feminism or Bitchism?

Why is it that men here (and by here , I mean most Anglo countries... you know who you are!) have lost their aggressive drive when it comes to pursuing women? I'm sure it's there somewhere, but it seems to have become socially unacceptable for men to openly and actively pursue a woman by, for example, stopping her on the street, approaching her at a cafe, or supermarket, or basically anywhere. The only place it seems appropriate to approach a woman and hit on her is at a bar. And a bar is, of course, not the ideal place to meet anyway.

So what's going on here?! Has modern day feminism castrated the male ego?

I like feminism in theory. I don't think women's only place is in the kitchen. I think women contribute greatly to society, and the economy in so many other ways. And I don't believe women are any less capable than men.

But that doesn't mean I believe men and women are the same, because they're not! I think there's a big difference between treating women fairly in the workplace, and expecting women to be the same as men in all aspects of their lives.

Being treated like a lady is not being anti-feminist. There's nothing wrong with a man offering to help you load the groceries into your car, or offering to open the door for your, and allowing you to get on the train first. These are good things and a sign of good manners! But I have seen, and heard stories, of poor men who will try to be nice and chivalrous, and practically get slapped in the face by some bitchy woman under the guise of "feminism". If a man opens a door for a woman and she says 'who do you think you are, I can open my own door thank you very much', she is not being an empowered and strong feminist, she is just being a rude bitch! What ever happened to good manners? If someone opens the door for you, and you would prefer to open your own door, you can simply say 'that's very thoughtful of you, but no thank you'. These men are not trying to demean a woman by being a gentleman; they are just trying to be nice.

In woman's quest to take over the world (or so it seems), they have forgotten the art of being a lady. Being gracious and polite and smiling a lot have become signs of "weakness". And poor men must be so confused! Apparently it's seen as rude to approach women on the street, to open doors for them, or allow them to go ahead of you in a line. But then they will encounter certain female creatures (like me) who expect to be treated this way, and who get irritated being treated like some sort of "equal" being - this creature will sit in the car as the guy gets out, waiting for the door-opening that never happens... then she will approach the restaurant expecting the guy to open the door for her and allow her through first, but instead she has to open her own door because the guy has already gone into the restaurant ahead of her.... then she will expect the man to pull the chair out for her, but instead the guy just sits wherever he likes without even offering her a seat. And then the poor guy wonders why the evening isn't going very well, and the girl seems irritated with him.

Hasn't anyone realised that demanding to be treated the same as men is actually lowering our standards rather than raising the standard of how a woman is treated?! Frankly, I'm beginning to think that I'd gladly give up my corporate job in exchange for the return of traditional chivalry.

So let's start a new feminist movement! All bitchists must immediately cease and desist their campaign against traditional gender roles, and we must all accept that women and men are different. We should respect women's role in the workforce, but there is no need for women to be treated equally to men. Clearly, we deserve to be treated better than that!

(sidebar: just because we work, does not mean we appreciate being allowed to pay on a first date... expecting a woman to pay on a first date is the dating equivalent to russian roulette, so just pony up that extra $20 if you are hoping for that second date!)