Reply to the following post below.

  

To what extent do you think women still have a better opportunity to  forge deeper friendships than men? What needs to change to level the  friendship playing field for men, if anything?

I think that both men and women can forge the same deep level of  friendship with a person. I will say that the friendships might be  different as well as the things that make these friendships closer.  Women might show their friendship differently than men do. I have some  amazing friends that I consider my brothers that I share a very deep  friendship with. I believe that the opportunity to forge these  friendships is available to everyone if they choose to engage in it. In  my opinion if a man doesn’t show the affection towards another man like  women show to one another it doesn’t mean its less valuable. Foucault  stated, “modern society seems to be especially anxious about the way  people behave in it” (Vernon, 2010). In today’s society people are  encourage to show their feelings and express themselves. Men are  portrayed to have a lesser friendship amongst them because they don’t  show the same affection, which I totally disagree. I don’t feel that I  have to be showing affection in order to prove the level of my  friendship. If I need affection I will ask for it. A good example was  when I was deployed to Iraq. We were going through some hard times and I  told my good friend I needed a hug. He gave me one without hesitation.  That hug made us feel better and nothing thought nothing of it. As I  stated, people don’t have to show their affection every day to show how  deep their friendship is. I don’t think anything needs to change to  level the playing field. If you choose to engage in a deep relationship  then do so without worrying what people might say. If you are letting  yourself be influence by people’s opinion you will never be happy.

How is the role of the metrosexual man helping to forge a new pathway for male friendships? 

Metrosexual men are forging a new pathway for male friendships in a  way that male affection is not being view as homosexual. The metrosexual  man has showed that it is ok to want to take care of your body and to  show your true self without being labeled as something else. Thanks to  the metrosexual trend, guys now can actually conduct activities without  the fear of being labeled as something they are not. “The metrosexual  male is less interested in blood lines, traditions, family, class,  gender, than in choosing who they want to be and who they want to be  with” (Vernon, 2010, p. 204). I agree with this because it allows male  individuals to be free to be able to show who they want to be friends  with regardless of what other think. I think because of metrosexuals  more men today can be more confident in doing things they like without  being judge in any way. Sullivan states that the main difference between  homosexual men and heterosexual men is not that of sexual preference  but their ability to sustain friendship (Vernon, 2010). I feel that this  comes down to the individual. I don’t think that a homosexual is more  capable of sustaining a friendship than a heterosexual or a metrosexual  just because of their sexual preference. They might be able to show  their feeling and affection more openly but that doesn’t mean they can  sustain them any differently.
Reference
Vernon, M. (2010). The Meaning of Friendship. New York, NY: Palgrave Macmillan.
Circle of Friends (Links to an external site.) (Links to an external site.) [Video  File, 2 min 48 sec] Retrieved from  http://vlib.excelsior.edu/login?url=http://digital.films.com.vlib.excelsior.edu/PortalPlaylists.aspx?aid=8496&xtid=6749&loid=36153