Strictly Platonic
The age old question: can men and women be platonic friends? I came across this article on a very excellent blog, which tries to break it down, addressing both views as properly as possible. Speaking of which I have never seen “When Harry Met Sally…”
In the ever-classy Urban Dictionary, the platonic friend is, shall we say, something we break out of a glass jar in case of emergency. Perhaps this explains why the platonic friendship feels kind of unsatisfactory or lacking. Nothing like being a benchwarmer waiting to get in the game.
What are my views? I think that the explanation from “When Harry Met Sally” is the most honest view of this type of situation. Even when your so-called rational thinking mind declares that this is a strictly platonic friendship, there is dark-side of the brain that tells you to take it as far as you can go. All those m4w listings on craigslist’s strictly platonic section? You’re either fooling yourselves or you know the truth.
What about the female friends of mine that might be reading this? If I am keeping a more-than-a-metaphorical-arms-length away from you, it is because I actually do like you in a platonic way and it gets complicated if we get closer than that.
