Pistols at Dawn

Ancient joke:

She offered her honor,
He honored her offer.
The rest of the night
It was honor and offer.

Unfortunately for me, living in 2012, the notion that a lady's honor is to be protected still rattles around my head. But just what is honor in this context? Is it:

+ courteous regard?

+ a sign of high respect?

+ a euphemism for her maidenhead?

+ a misogynistic possessive demeaning of female self-will?

+ a misguided object of male bravura?

+ the distillation of all those gloomy novels from the Brontë sisters?


Jane Eyre aside, it's quite possible that feminism, the pill and the success of  Us Weekly mean that female honor is defunct. This is the honor that I define thusly:

+ the granting of intimacy and sexual favors on a more-or-less exclusive basis in return for physical protection and support.

So a man defending a woman's honor is pretty much about his willingness to acknowledge that they're going steady. And to challenge other guys intending to change that. With pistols at dawn, if necessary.

Yeah, we can do without that, right?




Bottoms Up, You Lovebirds You.