A recent, seemingly harmless, action at the University of Minnesota has sparked controversy and has been deemed a hate crime against females and the feminist movement. A young man on campus was walking to class and before entering the building he glanced behind himself. Noticing a female student walking behind him, he took it upon himself to hold the door for her- an action that he deemed polite and appropriate. The student whom he opened the door for took a completely different stance on the masculine display and is disgusted with the offensiveness of the act.

 At a recent convening of the Minnesota Student Alliance, the victim of this egregious offense expressed her discontent with the masculine culture on campus. She argued that holding doors for women originated due to the misconception that women are inferior to men. It is not polite and those who do it are subtly implying that women are not strong enough to open doors for themselves, literally or figuratively.  This implication is rooted in the patriarchal beginnings of our country but has no place in today’s progressive society. 

 The victim’s complaint expanded beyond just holding doors but also to helping any female student when she does not feel that she needs assistance. “To help us is to feel that we are inferior to you, and we will no longer tolerate this oppression,” remarked a prominent member of the Feminist Ambassador Brigade. Actions as small as helping to pick up a book that a female student dropped or helping a female student reach something on a high shelf reflect the outdated misconception that women are incapable of doing things on their own. 

With the next convening of the MSA we hope to see an onslaught of petitions requesting new rules to ban the oppressive “chivalry” of men on this progressive campus.