Raoul76 posted recently about how the old order has been inverted and men are now desperate to attract women instead of the other way around, i.e. how women just toy with me.

What exactly does the term "chivalry" mean in a Catholic sense? To moderns does it just mean being all soft and sentimental about women?

The French saying: on ne doit battre les femmes même avec les fleursseems to be echoed a lot in trad. circles - but is this really too sentimental?

Well I think it has historically meant a lot of things.  One could say it depends on several pre-conditions to be authentic.  A man to show chivalry must actually be in a position of power and women must actually be in danger.  The heroic self-sacrifice of the man can then actually be something worthy of esteem.  What is not worthy of esteem is the so-called "white knighting" - social conservative enabling of the feminization of society - pandering to women by punishing men and refusing to hold women accountable as moral agents.  That is really contemptible (and often morally outrageous) behavior that has nothing to with the heroic ideal of chivalry.

Chivalry was outmoded with Don Quixote.  Cervantes is foremost a cynic.  When Don Quixote addresses whores as great ladies, that is pretty much what is going on these days when most poor young saps start trying to be chivalrous in front of most of today's women.

As for "beating women with flowers" - the corrupt cynicism of the French knows no bounds.  Which is why we need to be highly suspicious of the possiblity of conscious obscurantism in the ranks of the SSPX.

Innocent love is a wonderful thing.  But so rare today I'm afraid.  I don't begrudge anyone who can find it.  God bless them.