General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: The Problem with Being Privileged [View all]KansDem
(28,498 posts)...holding the door open for gals was fine. But not for other guys.
But then I graduated and went on to a community college and I noticed the guys held doors open for both men and women. And a lot of these guys were Vietnam vets in their early 20s. I sensed that the student population was a mix of 18-year-old high school graduates, like myself, and returning early 20-something vets who were caught up in the draft and had to put their college education on hold for 3 to 5 years.
I must admit, I was a little flummoxed at first, but then I began to realize that these guys had seen a lot more in life than I ever would. I imagined they saw death and destruction the likes we American civilians would never see. I sensed they were witnesses to man's inhumanity to man. Perhaps this experience led them to value humanity a bit more than the rest of us who were currently wrapped up in who we do and don't hold doors for.
Whenever I arrive at the same time at a door with someone else, I hold open the door and let them go first. It doesn't matter who it is, I just do it. And I stand if someone needs to sit; and I stand when introduced to either a woman or a man. I just do it.
And I think about those vets of 40 years ago who held the door for me. It's a matter of courtesy and respect; it's a matter of humanity.