Centuries ago, Oscar Wilde said, “Between men and women there is no friendship possible. There is passion, enmity, worship, love, but no friendship.” Can his perception of friendships between males and females still ring true in regards to sprouting relationships in the 21st century? Perhaps love, passion, enmity or worship is lurking under the illusory layer of what we think of as friendship.

Multiple individuals would frivolously beg to differ.

“I have plenty of best friends who are guys, and we have no romantic inclinations between us,” said Kulsum Siddiqui, freshman in LAS. “I love him, but we are not in love — there is a difference.”

She once had been oblivious about a good friend who had feelings for her, but that was sorted out and they are back to being very close again. Men are OK with simply establishing their liking or being silent and moving on, whereas women come packaged with emotions too voluminous to suppress, Siddiqui added.

It has been observed that there is a desire in men to bravely make the first move, at times risking a perfectly complacent friendship. Is it just how society has shaped male behavior, or are men any less affected by denial?

Men are not as hurt, because they are just not as sensitive, Siddiqui speaks from experience.

There have been numerous surveys on the question, and varying perspectives on the subject are never scarce. Bias is prevalent, no less than what is apparent in the most controversial political affairs; many even question if it actually is a political affair.

The question “Can men and women be just friends?” has been a heated topic of discussion, evident through media, society, and mere general curiosity.

John Caughlin, assistant professor in communications, said that sometimes men and women can be just friends.

“If it turns out that one or both of them are attracted to the other, that can make things more complicated and can make it difficult for that particular relationship to be ‘just friends,’” he said. “But if the question is whether men and women can just be friends at all, yes, there are many cases in which that happens.”

Sometimes it is hard to find a balance between feelings, Caughlin explained. It is not child’s play to measure something so complex.

Friendship, from both perspectives, is not as casual as is expected.

“My New Year’s resolution for the year 2010 while I was in high school was to spend a ‘boy-free’ year with no entanglements,” said Trevalova Augustin, freshman in LAS. “(My now boyfriend’s) was to find a girlfriend and settle down. His came true, and mine did not.”

Sometimes it is actually a good thing when some resolutions do not last though, she added.

Unlike Siddiqui, Augustin believes it is extremely hard to maintain a friendship with a guy without leaning toward something romantic. She shared that she and her boyfriend started with playful enmity, and now maintain a passionate bond of love, which started out with friendship.

This poses the question of whether a relationship that blooms from close friendship is stronger than one that skips that initial friendly bond. While Siddiqui supports the former claim, Trevy supports the latter.

It could be true. Harry and Sally could never be just friends. Neither could Sam and Diane or Chandler and Monica.

How far are our friendships — something that we innately abide by — influenced by media or society, forcing us to label what we share?

The strength of relationships is widely weighed, relying on the duration and level of interaction, and the fairness of judgement still remains unanswered.

The uniqueness of each relationship and its context also keeps the issue of measuring relationships ambiguous.

It has not yet been concretely figured out if the overpowering desire to dive into a relationship, jeopardizing the friendship that root it, are black and white.

Although the truth has not been clearly laid out, a majority of people prefer to conclude that relationships are defined by couples and their individualistic contributions that they bring along when they step into friendship; or whatever they want to name it, they have the liberty.

It is thus far maintained by the colorful mosaic of relationships around the University campus that couples refuse to confine their friendships to a straightforward definition.