Chivalry is NOT inherently sexist

I found myself reading Samantha Brett's blog today (I really try hard to restrain myself, but I was at home ill today, and had nothing else to read after scouring most of my online news sources, blogs and also exhausting my regular Facebook addiction)

Today's topic was "Is sexism still alive?"

The first comment was:

"Sure we want to eradicate sexism. But not as a consequence of killing off chivalry at the same time." - except that chivalry is inherently sexist.
Your problem is that equal rights and special treatment (e.g. chivalry) are mutually exclusive. Trying to gain both is a thing that children do.

I take EXTREME exception to the assertion that "chivalry is inherently sexist."

I view chivalry as the ability for a man to treat females well, in particular the special female in his life. It is an encoded way for men to cherish and respect women, and to demonstrate that they respect womankind as a whole... this is something of which we see less and less these days. In fact, we see rather more sentiments as the one above, which seem to portray women as nasty, shallow, superficial creatures trying to "have it both ways"... and I also see this echoed in the ways that men are portrayed by womens' comments on similar blogs.

In fact, I am very saddened to see both sexes trying to beat each other in their race to the lowest common denominator.

Chivalry, in its purest sense, should not be about treating a female as a lesser being, but showing her that she is cherished, as a representation of the Divine Goddess (don't laugh, people, I am being serious here).

That said, I would also love women to view themselves this way and to act accordingly. To respect themselves, to uphold their femininity, mystique and ability to be vulnerable and openness to their more tender sides. I know it's hard, as a women who exists in the corporate world where hardness seems more appreciated, with the ability to project independence seemingly paramount.

I would go so far as to flip this argument completely, and to say that it's like saying that female nurturing is inherently sexist. That a female's care and nurture of the special man in her life is about treating men as lesser beings, unable to take care of themselves. You see where I am going with this?

I am hoping for a return to a middle ground, where both sexes treat each other as both equals from a humankind perspective, but cherished for our differences... for our differences make up a stronger whole when added together.