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April 29, 2009

Chivalry Is Not Dead

Posted by Kelly

In China I always see men going the extra step for women. In the bus, men will make extra room (if there is any) for women, let them on the bus first, or often give up their precious, rare seat privilege for a woman or child. But it doesn’t just stop at the bus, doors will be opened, things will be carried, and even the task of holding up an umbrella will be outsourced to the male population. A smile is always brought to my face when I see a guy carrying his girlfriend or wife’s purse; it is very cute! This is a very common scene and it doesn’t seem unnatural. At home, the only time I see a guy carrying a woman’s purse is when he is brutally forced against his will. When this happens in the States, no man looks happy; The men carrying the scared piece of fabric or leather looks like they are having their fingernails ripped off one by one. It is completely opposite in China. Men often look thrilled to carry their special lady’s belongings! I wonder if this cultural norm will cross borders into America.

Yesterday I saw the ultimate display of chivalry, but unfortunately not a positive one. I did not see the event first hand, but I was given a play-by-play thanks to Sophia and I witnessed the aftermath. As I have mentioned before, spinning class is VERY popular in my gym. You usually have to wait 20 to 30 minutes in line to get into the class. Thankfully Sophia had saved me a seat since I was running late. When I got into the spinning room I was expecting that the music would be shaking the walls and everyone would be feverishly biking away like there was no tomorrow. However, the class was well lit, no teacher, and no music! Sophia explained the story. A girl began to adjust her bike and get it ready for the class. A big, muscular guy came into the room and told her she had the wrong bike and that it was his bike. She assured him she had the right bike, but he really wanted this bike and got upset. A nearby biker intervened and explained to the guy that this was the girl’s assigned bike. Soon fists were thrown and a fight broke out between the two guys. The fight didn’t last long, but both men were in serious trouble. The police were called to handle the situation. By I got there both men were gone, but I did see blood on the floor and fabric of a shirt. The class instructor had to talk to the police so my friend Helen stepped in to fill the class. She did a very good job instructing us for the remainder of the time. I still can’t believe a fist fight broke out over a bike!

In other news, it’s Thursday which is like my Friday since we have tomorrow off for the May holiday, aka Labor Day. I don’t have too many plans as of yet, but I’m sure I’ll come up with something. I pondered the idea of traveling to another city, but after hearing the horror stories of packed buses, trains, and air planes, I decided to stay close and spend time sight seeing in the city. I think traveling during this time would be rather unpleasant!