Are Heterosexual Men’s Friendships Squandering Amid The Pandemic While Others Rise?
At this point in the pandemic we’ve all kind of established who are true friends are right? While we hopefully sit mostly at home and heading to essential businesses, there’s thankfully still Jackbox game nights, live texting while binging the latest big streaming-blockbuster like Hillbilly Elegy, or even catching up over video chat as you sip some wine after bustling all day from your home-office. The latter may be true for plenty of girls and gays alike, even though some of those gays have been caught out at massive parties, but for the most part: We’ve decided staying at home is currently safer than raging in a group of acquaintances. However, have we thought about the convenient friendships our straight counterparts have and how difficult those relationships may be able to continue without actual real life interactions?
According to The Washington Post, one straight guy realized he didn’t necessarily have any friends after he had grown a part from them during the pandemic and suffered a breakup with his girlfriend. He was so devastated working from home amid the pandemic, and now single, that he would sometimes go weeks without talking to anyone at all. The pandemic has prevented him from reuniting with his straight-guy friends as they were mostly bar or sports game fans, only hanging out on game days. To make up for lost connection, the lonely guy would watch his guy friends play video games, while not even participating. After finally catching up with a friend months later, he was able to actually hold a conversation and discuss his feelings of his breakup. Professor Geoffrey Greif of the University of Maryland School of Social Work tells that men have more shoulder-to-shoulder interactions, where they are physically present to connect, while women are more face-to-face, such as grabbing coffee or wine. One of these can easily be done virtually, and that may be why women are feeling less lonely during the pandemic.
The WaPo article is curious because can we as the gay community perhaps be on the fence of both social norms? Of course, plenty of us are accustomed to getting cocktails and dancing the night away at a nightclub. Some have even continued to party in underground areas and have been scathed by social media. However, like our heterosexual female-counterparts, we still can virtually have wine and catch up on the hottest gossip. We’re maybe more trained to have actively get to know one another and progress in friendships on merit rather than a singular hobby we have in common.
If you have a straight guy friend, maybe it’s time to check in on him! What do you think?
Writer’s Note: This is the opinion of one Instinct Magazine contributor and does not reflect the views of Instinct Magazine itself or fellow contributors.
Source: The Washington Post
