Going Up

In her Baltimore Sun piece "Elevator Etiquette Dropping Fast," Susan Reimer reports that Emily Post and Miss Manners say that whomever is closest to the elevator door exits first, whether it's a man or a woman. But these manner mavens are out of touch, as in my experience most males remain gentlemen and step aside to let ladies out first (men still open doors, too). It's neither sexist nor backwards, but a gentle stab at beating back the increasingly crass and crude world beyond that little cab.