April 17, 2013
Being Treated Like a Lady
Dear Dr. Laura,

You've spoken on your show about courtship and how it seems to be nonexistent these days.  Recently, I happened to be watching an old episode of "Golden Girls" entitled "The Commitments," and Blanche, the resident sexpot, was bemoaning the fact she could not get the man she was dating to sleep with her, despite having had five dates. He said he believed in courtship, and told Blanche how confused he was about the new dating rules,and how to treat women who insisted on paying their own way. By the end of the episode, Blanche walked away unsure of how she felt about being treated like a lady rather than as a sex object.

Twenty-one years later, this episode of a simple TV show rings true. I am 39 years old and divorced (I didn't choose wisely), but am currently dating a man who opens my door, pays for dinner, does little things for me which shows he cares, and I couldn't be more thankful that gentlemen still exist.

It saddens me to see the boorish behavior of some young women today from the way they talk to the way they dress to the way they treat a decent man. I would not want to be a young man today. Not only do young women not have examples of ladylike behavior to follow, but our young men have no clear example of what real manly behavior looks like.

Our society has mostly lost all sense of morality and decency. The"everything goes" mentality is clearly not working. How many generations do we have to mess up before we realize you need to have some standards of behavior? I long for the day when there was a clear definition of what was right and what was wrong and people were held accountable for their behavior. 

Sometimes, you're tough to take, but the truth always hurts, doesn't it?  Thank you for doing what you do.

Leigh Ann


Posted by Staff at 1:20 PM