Do you agree with the following statements about platonic friendship?

[searock]

A platonic friendship between a man and a woman can work if the man is not attracted to the woman, and the woman is not attracted to the man. Otherwise, the man will eventually want to have sex with the woman or vice-versa.

I modified your statement to match my opinions, Vincenzo :-).

[aforester]

A platonic friendship between a man and a woman can work if the man is gay, or if the woman is fat and/or ugly. Otherwise, the man will eventually want to have sex with the woman.

But even if said woman is fat and/or ugly and she is truly enjoyable, I can find a way to make her attractive. Perhaps not truly, but she may earn her way into the spankbank, and it is all over from there. After that I think she would be blessed to get with me. Man, I can ruin a good friendship with a woman with ease.

[haxan]

The problem with this is the definition of friends. Men and women can be friendly acquaintances, regardless of looks. In fact similar type people, (i.e. attractive or unattractive) are going to find more life experiences in common with the same.

Where things start getting dicey is getting to be what I consider real friends, (i.e. close friends). Real friends friends go out together and do things. This is where there's a risk of an intimate bond starting to form, and one half or sometimes both will fall for the other.

I have several females that I know that people on this board would define as my friends. I define them as friendly acquaintances.

[Sixpacj]

I'd agree with your suppositions.

To further elaborate, I think men, especially younger men, by and large, want to screw women and if they have little game/experience they will go down the "friendship" route hoping to score, eventually.

Women, on the other hand, pretend to be "friendly" to acquire material or social favours: bragging rights to other bitches over how many guys "like" her, etc. I could be mistaken, but to a woman "friendship" with a man is the umbrella term for the type of relationship where she gets said benefits without the need to reciprocate. "Hey, like LIKES to buy me dinners cause we are friends and he LIKES me".

So, yeah, in my opinion, there is no such thing as a platonic friendship between a woman and a man, one party is usually hiding romantic/sexual interest and the other party may be using such a situation to their advantage.

[searock]

Women, on the other hand, pretend to be "friendly" to acquire material or social favours: bragging rights to other bitches over how many guys "like" her, etc. I could be mistaken, but to a woman "friendship" with a man is the umbrella term for the type of relationship where she gets said benefits without the need to reciprocate. "Hey, like LIKES to buy me dinners cause we are friends and he LIKES me".

I dunno if that's true for most women - I've never done it myself. I have a few guy friends, and I would never accept favors like having them pay dinner for me or anything else, unless I could reciprocate next time or something (it has never happened anyway). I also tend to steer clear of guys who are obviously into me, if I am not into them. I don't want to give the wrong impression, I know too well how bad it feels to be on the other side of unrequited love/attraction, especially when it comes to friends. I realize I'm probably in the minority, on this forum.

[edpjrr]

Nah, dude: I'm something of a friend with this hot girl (only hot girl I know) but I don't want anything past that (nor could I actually GET past friendship, anyway).

Why not? She's hot and you don't have any sexual feelings for her??????

[edpjrr]

A) She's hot and I'm not. Hot girls go out with commensurately attractive dudes. B) She's popular: One of her photos has over 100 Likes. I have less than 80 FB friends, some of which are family members. C) She's a club-hopping trendster. I've never even been in a club.

In this case,you think she's out of your league,right?
To be honest,if she came on to you,would you say "no"?

[edpjrr]

I modified your statement to match my opinions, Vincenzo :-).

I would like to modify your statement to match my opinions as well, Searock

Here we go,"A platonic friendship between a man and a woman can work if the man is not attracted to the woman, and the woman is not attracted to the man.It also works if the man is gay, and the woman is lesbian.Otherwise, the man will eventually want to have sex with the woman or vice-versa".

[edpjrr]

The problem with this is the definition of friends. Men and women can be friendly acquaintances, regardless of looks. In fact similar type people, (i.e. attractive or unattractive) are going to find more life experiences in common with the same.

Where things start getting dicey is getting to be what I consider real friends, (i.e. close friends). Real friends friends go out together and do things. This is where there's a risk of an intimate bond starting to form, and one half or sometimes both will fall for the other.

I have several females that I know that people on this board would define as my friends. I define them as friendly acquaintances.

You're right.It also depends on the kind and level of friendship as well as when this friendship developed.

I do believe men and women can be close friends {ie, talking to each other really often, hanging out etc.} without there being any sexual tension/intention when they share a brother/sister sort of bond, which usually develops when they have grown up together and known each other since they were kids.

I also do believe women and men can be friends even when they meet as adults, but in this case I believe the friendship tends to be less 'close', more diluted. You hang out sometimes, you chat when you get a chance, you text or call every once in a while, but it's not that 'we MUST see/hear each other every single day' thing.

I don't believe in platonic friendships between opposite genders which are THAT close and developed once both parties were adults(If they both are neither homosexual nor ugly). If you and your male friend do talk to each other daily {and go out of your way to do so, you don't just accidentally bump into each other}, if when you're on a week long vacation you call him every single day, if you constantly make plans to see him...chances are at least one of the two is interested in the other.

[searock]

I would like to modify your statement to match my opinions as well, Searock

Here we go,"A platonic friendship between a man and a woman can work if the man is not attracted to the woman, and the woman is not attracted to the man.It also works if the man is gay, and the woman is lesbian.Otherwise, the man will eventually want to have sex with the woman or vice-versa".

Well, "the man is not attracted to the woman and the woman is not attracted to the man" includes the case in which both people are homosexual (a gay man will not be attracted to a woman, a lesbian woman will not be attracted to a man). I'm glad we agree!

[Love'sReject]

Why not? She's hot and you don't have any sexual feelings for her??????

I do but I really don't show it since it's impossible,

In this case,you think she's out of your league,right?
To be honest,if she came on to you,would you say "no"?

Depends. She's kind of crazy (as hot girls tend to be so no surprise) and I'd highly distrust her motives so I would probably say no.

[edpjrr]

I'd agree with your suppositions.

To further elaborate, I think men, especially younger men, by and large, want to screw women and if they have little game/experience they will go down the "friendship" route hoping to score, eventually.

So, yeah, in my opinion, there is no such thing as a platonic friendship between a woman and a man, one party is usually hiding romantic/sexual interest and the other party may be using such a situation to their advantage.

I don't think younger men want to screw all women.They DO have standard and they don't want to screw the unattractive ones.I think it's inevitable a young male has occasional, fleeting sexual thoughts about ANY reasonably attractive woman he finds himself around ( if he finds her totally unattractive, then no of course ). Friends, coworkers, neighbours,the supermarket cashier. But - it's just thoughts , they come and go, it does not necessarily mean the guy starts scheming and conniving to turn them into reality.

Also,platonic friendship between a man and a woman EXISTS if they don't find each other attractive.

[smackie9]

Not all men but some will screw anything with the right amount of alcohol, or lowered expectations.

[HeartIsAching]

I'm in a good friends relationship with the lady that lives across the street - totally platonic. More like my little sister than anything else.

If I were single, I'd ask her out. I'm not, that's the end of it. Wife doesn't worry if she comes home and we're sitting on the back porch tippin' a beer or grilling a steak.

They can happen, but they're rare.

[smackie9]

All of my male friends are married. We will go out and do things once in awhile like have a beer or go see a band. Makes it a lot easier if they are not single.