Really!?!?! . . . Benevolent Sexism

A few months back I learned that MetLife has instituted a policy to encourage sex equality.

Their human resource (HR) "honchos" have set out a list of rules that must be obeyed under pain of some sort of discipline.
* Men must not hold doors for women.
* Men must not wait for women to pass in front of them.
* Men must not wait to let women on an elevator first; nor may they wait for women to exit the elevator first.[/i]

I imagine that a tip of the hat or removing a hat while talking with a woman on the street is no longer allowed. But then men are not taught these things anymore are they.

So I wasn't too surprised recently when I heard a report that the "English manglers" had invented a new word for "chivalry." Now we are supposed to call this behavior "Benevolent Sexism." To me that's astounding.

Are we so ignorant of our own language? Is it acceptable that not knowing of a perfectly fine word gives one license to make up a new one?

The word chivalry comes out of the middle ages when a whole code of ethics developed around the proper treatment of others especially women. It has held for hundreds of years with little change.

The report did say that the country wants to get back to accepting more chivalrous . . . excuse me . . . Benevolent Sexist behavior. So that's good. I'm all for the fair sex getting equal pay for the same work. But MetLife, your HR people are taking themselves way too seriously!

Cheers!
BL