英語經典美文誦讀100篇：015.lady first

[00:05.25]015. Ladys First [00:11.14] For a long period before the 1960s, women were considered to be the weaker sex, [00:17.06]just as Shakespeare said in Hamlet: [00:19.97]“Frailty, thy name is women.” [00:22.74]In contrast, men were regarded the stronger and the dominant sex. [00:27.53]In this light man should undertake the duty to adopt a protective attitude toward the so-called weaker sex. [00:34.89]This implied that men should help women on and off with their coats, light their cigarettes, [00:40.82]open the doors for them to get on and off the wagon, train, bus, etc. Or to enter the houses. [00:48.38]Have you ever seen the movie “Titanic”? Well, when the ship was sinking, [00:53.08]it was the women who had the right to get on the lifeboats first, [00:57.37]just because men had the responsibility for taking care of and protecting women! [01:03.59]This could lead to the conclusion that the custom “Lady First” was developed out of respect in appearance, [01:10.98]but in fact it was kind of looking down upon women in nature. [01:15.87]In the 1960s, women began to challenge this tradition. Just as one lady put it, [01:23.33]“Historically, men should walk on the outside of the pavement so as to prevent the lady’s dress [01:28.62]from being spoilt by mud splashed by a carriage. Today a man is supposed to walk on the outside side. [01:36.40]A man should walk where he wants to. So should a woman. [01:40.90]If out of love and respect, he actually wants to take the blows, [01:44.80]he should walk on the inside, because that’s where muggers are hiding these days.” [01:50.36]This shows that to treat a woman as inferior just because she is a female [01:55.64]is not only insulting but also out of step with contemporary American culture. [02:01.39]Women may go to the restaurants Dutch treat. [02:04.71]They may refuse such words as chairman, businessmen, policeman ... [02:09.94]Instead they prefer chairperson, businessperson, police or cop [02:15.59]... just to show that they are equal in every respect with males!

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