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Small-Scale Question Sunday for November 5, 2023

Do you have a dumb question that you're kind of embarrassed to ask in the main thread? Is there something you're just not sure about?

This is your opportunity to ask questions. No question too simple or too silly.

Culture war topics are accepted, and proposals for a better intro post are appreciated.

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People say men and women can't be friends.

I believe the actual claim is that men and women can’t be just friends. So, it is indeed possible for a man and a woman to develop a close friendship, but only if they’re attracted to each other, at which point that friendship will either escalate to a relationship, or fall apart when one party (usually the woman) romantically rejects the other party.

So, it is indeed possible for a man and a woman to develop a close friendship, but only if they’re attracted to each other...

We're clearly all operating off of different assumptions, because I would have said that maintaining male-female relationships is much easier when the guy isn't attracted to the woman.

I disagree with even that. I wouldn't be happy only talking to men-as-friends in my life. I still try to curate and maintain relationships with women, most of which have no attraction component either direction (or low enough level to be totally unremarkable)