I'm not going to lie to you, dear reader. So far, I am not a fan of the men in this country. Forget harassing superiors and insane bar flies/stalkers, I'm talking general manners. This comes as quite a shock to me, as somewhere in the back of my mind, for no specific reason, I was anticipating gentlemanly manners beyond compare. Was I wrong.

I'm a feminist of the utmost degree, I know this. But I do always take note when a man opens a door for me, helps me pick up something obviously heavy, or leaves me stranded in a broken lift. The first two I don't mind if they happen or not; the latter, I mind immensely.

On Wednesday, a young man and I got on the elevator on the bottom floor of my lab building. After a few seconds we realized the elevator had stopped and the floor buttons we had pushed we not longer lit. We were trapped. Not wanting to be in there any longer than possible, I pushed the "door open" button, and the doors opened two inches to the first floor. I pushed again and got the same response. I looked at my companion, whose idea of escape was clearly to stare at the elevator doors until we were freed. I then put down my binder and peanut M&M's (my reason for being on the ground floor in the first place) and pushed the "door open" button while leaning over and jamming my hand between the doors. I then forced the doors open with brute strength. Again, the young man simply watched me do this, then finally helped me to hold open one the doors as he walked out of the elevator. I was then left straddling the door frame, using one foot each to suppress a door, facing the inside of the elevator. When I turned around I saw the guy sauntering off, without so much as a "thank you" or an offer to hold the doors open while I retrieved my binder. After pausing briefly to wonder what barn he was raised in, I got down in a three-point stance, my legs still holding the doors apart and my butt firmly placed in the air, walked my hands along and reaching the binder, pulled myself back up and hopped out of the way of the doors without injuring myself.

I don't care if he was claustrophobic or what, he could have at least offered to help after I freed him. I'm not asking for miracles here, people, just common decency.