Czech gentlemen

So, in my post, immediately below, I made reference to czech gentlemen - and how that's supposed to be something of an anomaly. Cultural differences definitely play a role here, but listening to my co-worker, a woman in her late 50s, early 60s maybe, speak with despair on the loss of the idea of gentlemanly behavior has sort of brought it up in my head.

Her thoughts - that communism was so isolating, people were living such individualistic lives, distrust and despair were all consuming, that manners took such a side road during that era they've been lost - and now the generations raised without those concepts are raising their own children without those ideas even floating around in the atmosphere and the idea of a czech gentleman is now a part of the czech mythology.

I wouldn't take it quite that far.

I will comment on the fact that people here do not understand waiting in lines or taking turns. On a crowded bus, while seats will be offered to the elderly, it's not uncommon for people to stand in the middle of the aisle blocking oncoming passengers from additional standing room and empty seats - or to set their bags on the empty chairs and block the aisle and take up lots of the available space... room can be so scarce that the bus leaves people standing on the street!

However, there are a few cultural differences that I was initially confused by - the only one I can think of at this exact moment:

Men go first - through a door, in to a room, entering a bar or restaurant - it's the man! I had noticed this, and just chalked it up to rudeness or lack of awareness, but it's actually the opposite. The man enters in order to 'scope out' the room and make sure any unruly customers are aware that the woman following is with him, under his protection, and shouldn't be leared or commented at... old school gentleman stuff!

Wow, that's almost like knight in shining arm type chivalry!