Can men and women be friends?

There's a raging debate as to whether men and women can have platonic relationships.

Some people respond with an adamant no, claiming that members of the opposite sex use "friendship" to mask hidden feelings of attraction toward one another.

Others vehemently assert that, yes, men and women can in fact maintain a friendly bond without there being any romantic strings attached.

I'm in the latter camp, and here's why:

I am friends with a wide range of women whom I hold absolutely no romantic feelings for. Though looks certainly aren't everything, physical attraction plays a role in the early stages of courtship. Many of these female friends have radiant personalities that many men would indeed be drawn to; however, they're just not my type physically.

Or, it could be the other way around. I may find her physically attractive, but we're simply too far apart when it comes to hobbies, priorities, or overall lifestyles.

I think it's simply absurd to assume that if a man and women are friends, they must be physically or sexually attracted to each other. You can be attracted to certain attributes in someone else -- say, his intelligence or sense of humor -- without necessarily wanting to jump into bed with him.

If we all viewed our friends as potential suitors, this would be something of a chaotic world!

What do you think? Can men and women be friends?

Comments

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