In today’s staggering “Holy S–t, Who Would Have Dreamed It!” news, it appears that there are cases of men and women engaged in non-sexual friendships.
Furthermore, these platonic (from the Greek meaning “neutered”) relationships often trigger negative responses from spouses, sometimes ending in divorce.
Of course, the article points out this doesn’t happen in all cases. For instance, Erica Rabhan, “a 26-year-old public-relations professional from Atlanta,” is OK with her husband’s girlish friend, Tamar, so long as she is able to call her and check up on her.
“‘Some of my friends don’t understand, but it makes me happy that he has someone else that supports him and stands by him,’ Rabhan says. ‘Now [Tamar and I] will get on the phone and gab for hours.'”
Remember, folks, you read it here first.*
*We can’t verify that claim.
i call shenanigans!
with my first marriage, he and his ‘best friend’ who happened to be a girl, would go out partying and out to museums and out to do all sorts of stuff while I, who would have loved to go do the exact same things, had to ‘stay at home with the children’ because ‘we couldn’t afford a babysitter’. (yes it was back in the day when I was a stay at home mom).
with the second marriage, I found out quickly a female ‘best friend’ = finding a new sexual partner. After the second time, it was ‘shame on me’ and we split.
I’d love to have guy friends just as ppl to hang out with and play vid games with, but they always try to evolve it into something more, so it doesn’t work *sighs*
I read the CNN article – I don’t think they tell the full story at all. Sure, some people can have platonic opposite-sex friendships, but they make it sound like this is the norm, and that there is something wrong with a person (you’re “projecting”) if you don’t like what you see when your partner spends lots of time with another guy/girl.
We wonder why the US has such a high divorce rate? I love how the article ends – CNN asserts that there are many guys who would love to have some other dude take their wife shopping, or to the movies. Really? On a regular basis? I don’t think so. That statement is wrong on many levels, and fellas, I got one thing to say in order to keep it real here – if some guy is taking your wife or girlfriend out to shop, dinner, movies, etc regularly – guess what – he’s nailing her regularly too or working towards that goal. But remember, if you walk in on them while they’re getting it on – don’t get mad, maybe there’s a perfectly good explanation for it and you’re just projecting!!
A relationship, in my own words, related to this article, is a merger of two peoples spirits. Platonic relationships happen if the people involved are willing to allow it too. If personal boundaries are crossed, in any type of relationship, married, dating, platonic, it puts a strain on that relationship, and it could die. Human beings are social creatures and we are constantly pushing into each others boundaries. However, if a poster replies to my comment, does that mean we have formed a relationship?
I am a female who has had a male friend for years. There is no intimate relationship. He is married and so am I. We just have some things in common that are not in common amongst the partners, such as an organization(club) we used to belong in. We exchange e-mails now and then. and if the opportunity presented itself, I could meet him for lunch or a drink. But that is all there is. I have a special affection for him as a friend. I don’t see him in absolutely any other way and neither does he. He is a friend.