What happened to good, old-fashioned gentlemen? When womenkind took its first collective step towards equal rights, it must have planted that step squarely on the toes of chivalry. Somehow the advance of a woman’s position in the world necessitated the reduction of the male intellect. Women have gained respect in the world, men have lost it.

As the pendulum of gender rights swung toward equality, momentum carried it to the opposite side where men now face a crisis of image. Fifty years ago a woman’s place was in the kitchen. Today, a man’s place is on the couch, preferably with his shirt off and potato chip crumbs scattered across his beer belly.

The media aren’t helping either. America loved Everybody loves Raymond, at least enough that it stayed on the air for 10 years. It may have been one of prime time’s best shows, but it deviously perpetuated the dumb man myth. Raymond always did everything wrong and was only successful when he closely followed the instructions of his wife. It’s funny, but it still hurts the way the world perceives men.

The problem has moved off the screen and into real life. While violent behavior on TV can propagate violence in the real world, so can the mistreatment of men. Men today are less likely to go to college than girls, possibly because society tells them they are dumber. The ratio stands at 57 women in college for every 43 men, according to the U.S. Department of Education.

When good women complain that good men are hard to find, it may be because there are few good male role models. Try to find a male character on TV who holds dear the values students at BYU-Idaho are taught to embrace. It’s nearly impossible. Boys now grow up emulating the dumb men Hollywood wants them to see, along with all their bad habits.

Because women were underprivileged for years doesn’t mean that men have to be now. Most students at BYU-I never saw the world when the gender gap was a real issue and feminism brought good results. Today it’s gone too far and needs to stop. We don’t need feminism or masculinism, just mutual respect and appreciation.

Imagine such a world: women are praised for their unique abilities and qualities, men are praised for theirs, and everything in between becomes equal. Everyone benefits from mutual respect and everyone suffers from gender power struggles.

Where is a better place to mend the gender gap than at BYU-I? With the aid of prophetic counsel we can see how men and women should treat each other. All it will take is a small mental shift from women’s liberation to mutual respect and we can be the ones who show the world how to be happy.