OMG… is it true? Is chivalry really dead? It seems to be so, as reported in a recent interview and corroborated by several generations of the dating population. In this 21st century world of texting, IM’s and internet dating, where oh where has the knight in shining armor gone? It seems his white horse has run off without him and left us women to fend for ourselves!

If only it weren’t true, however, the reports run steady across the board from those in their 20’s to 50’s. Most importantly, many men agreed that their peers were oblivious to many of the honorable dating rituals of times gone by.

This interview was done in the “dating trenches” of metropolitan South Florida areas, including South Beach, Miami, and the Palm Beaches. Just to make it clear that the men and women interviewed were not living in rural small town America, where I can only imagine that some of the niceties of romance and courting may still exist.

According to the men interviewed, it has seemingly become a pattern of behavior to “text” rather than make a phone call to their girlfriend. This was apparently the norm whether they were in a current relationship or just starting to date.

It seems that the art of texting allows for a more casual connection. Without having to actually speak to the other person and experience the pressure of coming up with the right thing to say, this seems to provide for a safety net of sorts.

Has 21st-century relationship become so mechanical and separated from the flesh and blood of humanity, that we now only want the quick hook-up without the intimacy involved in the dance of love and romance?