For this interview I chose my best male friend who I have known for about 10 years. We are very close and I know he is able to be open with me but I wanted to ask him questions about his best male friend to compare.
Why are you close to you friend?
We’ve known each other a long time, he’s the friend I’ve had for the longest.
What kinds of things do you like to do together?
We play video games, hang out, build legos, go on drives and talk about cars.
Have you ever told your friend how much he means to you?
Yeah, the last message I sent him was telling him that I miss him. When I tell him how much he means to me he usually tells me he loves me back.
Are you able to be more vulnerable with your male or female friends? Why?
Female, my male friends have toxic masculinity and it makes it harder for me to be open with them.
The answers he has given me for the activities they do together relate to Kilmartins article in that they are what he described as “stereotypically masculine activities such as talking about sports, playing video games and “bar games”. Him and his friend talk about cars (racing and the sport of it) as well as play video games.
Another thing that relates to the article is that my friend stated that he is more vulnerable with his female friends than his male friends. Kilmartin said “both men and women tend to trust women more than men.” My friend demonstrates that this is true.
One thing that did not relate to the article is that him and his friend are able to tell each other that they love each other which is not frequent in men unless they are drunk.
Lovers and Fighters | Section 22 