We know that chivalry is of the past, but what about gallantry? Does it still find a place in modern society?
Women's liberation has opened our eyes to the sinister implications of what men always thought to be gallant acts and words. They sense condescension, even disdain, in a man's exaggerated courtesy, oversolicitous attentiveness, and ornate compliments. They resent being looked upon as "pleasure objects."
This resentment is reflected in a recent comment by Cherill M. Parmentier-Perera.1 "Should a female," she queries, referring to a previous article, "be reported as 'attractive' on physical examination?... the adjective is immaterial to diagnosis." And she goes on to say, tongue in cheek: "Perhaps, the letter on page 858 of the same issue should be appended to read 'a 52-year-old handsome male school bus driver.' "
"Handsome," however, is not the exact male counterpart to "attractive." The former appeals to aesthetic sensibilities, the latter
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