The Age Old Question

Hello people,

Blows dust.

Right, so I know it's a New Year and I should probably say something about that, as well as perhaps write the obligatory post about my New Year resolutions and stuff. But see the thing is *coughs* I don't have any.

So, instead, you're going to have to make do with this video I stumbled across on the web awhile ago.

Now, after watching it, I immediately got on Skype with one of my good male friends (he's in a very committed long term relationship so no, I wasn't trying to find out if he fancied me or not) and asked him what he thought about it.

I was highly amused and intrigued by the fact that every single guy in the video answered in the negative. While yes, it is possible that the producers edited it to give a biased view; I do think that it probably is a lot closer to the truth than many guys would care to admit.

My friend, hummed and haa-ed about it and refused to give a definitive answer. Then, he launched into one of his long speeches peppered generously with complicated words that he is famous for and I left the conversation more confused than when I had first started it.

Further attempts to get an opinion form other guy friends were met with blank stares, shrugs, indecipherable mumbles and some outright avoidance strategies.

I just simply couldn't understand it. Why weren't they giving me a straight forward answer. I am not quite vain enough to think that every guy out there who happens to be my friend is secretly, madly in love with me. Indeed, that would be a very scary prospect. So I find it a bit hard to understand why I couldn't get the kind of feedback from them that I wanted.

Then, I had an epiphany. I remembered, that somewhere out there in blogsville, lay a somewhat abandoned blogsite that I had occasionally over the past year or so scribbled down everything from the occasional rant, to mulls to random bits of nonsense upon. I thought to myself, Eureka, I've found it! I know! I'll put it out there as an open question, and surely, there will be a brave man or two who will boldly, without reservations or fear of chastisement, seeing as they more than likely don't know me at all in real life give me honest and valid opinions.

So this is an invite to all men (and women) in blogsville to please kindly share their thoughts on this issue. I'd be more than pleased to hear what you think.

Oh and for the record, I rather suspect that men and women interpreted this question in two different ways.

I think women processed the word friend, as a number of people with whom they are on familiar terms with, ranging from to the guys in their class/office with whom they occasionally trade friendly banter with, to Johnny, the guy who has lived down the road from them since they were five and who has attained the status of being referred to as a 'cousin'.

While men, processed the word friends as a specific person or small number of females with whom they spend a considerable amount of time with in Informal and/or social settings.

I may be wrong, but somehow I don't think so.

Looking forward to hearing your thoughts.

P.S I'd like to find the store where empathy is sold in a bottle. If i did, I'd buy it in copious amounts and personally hand deliver it to a choice number of Nigerian politicians and 'rulers'. I'll say no more on the matter. #occupynigeria. That is all.

Cheers.