The Gentleman

Gentleman: (1) a civilized, educated, sensitive, or well mannered man.
Up front, I need to state that there are two kinds of "gentlemen." The surface Gentleman, and the real Gentleman.

(1) --- The surface Gentleman. He puts on a good show on his surface. He pretends to be a Gentleman, and likely believes he is. He has mastered the outward signs of a typical real Gentleman. He dresses in style, well, and appropriately. He has learned etiquette quite well. He follows the protocols of social interchange between people of quality. He says the right things at the right times. He will even do good things for people.

But the surface Gentleman is a phony. He is self-centered. He is not honest in his dealings. He is not sensitive to the needs of others, or how his actions may harm them. He will have fun at your expense (ill-mannered). If it suits his need or purpose, he will stab you in the back! He will speak of you or others in a demeaning or hurtful way; sometimes to their face, but usually behind their backs. He may well cheat you or others.

(2) For the real Gentleman, it is much more important to meet the fundamentals of being a real Gentlemen. Surface appearance is only secondary.

Don't be fooled by the outward appearance of a person. Look underneath. Ask "Does this person always act in the fundamentally decent ways expected of a true Gentleman?" A person who at first appears to be a Gentleman, may turn out to be an evil villain, while the "hobo" you meet, might be a true Gentleman. The great comedian and social commentator Red Skelton showed us that a hobo could be the highest quality Gentleman!

I would much rather associate with a true Gentleman who is just a plain guy on the outside, than with a man who appears on the outside to be a Gentleman, but on the inside is a selfish and mean person. In fact, my best friend ever, was a rather rough and poorly educated man on the outside, but a true Gentleman on the inside.