Bromance

After a long 8 days of technological vacation deprivation (was at my sis's wedding in a far away land) I returned to several "lil green patch" requests on Facebook as well as an ecounter of the 2.0 kind: witnessing my first "bromance." I know what you are thinking, but it wasn't some kind of sexual rite of passage (unfortunately). Instead a bromance has revealed itself to me as a male bond fueled by rapid text messaging or blackberrying about junior-highish topics from sports highlights, gaming rifts and bathroom humor to heated debates over the ever-green topic of who's more likely to t-bag whose mom. Or, more simply put, a tech fueled bromance is the digital equivalent of the Lance Armstrong/Matthew McConaughey-day in Miami just two years ago.


I was first exposed to this phenomenon when I went out with a close friend and her fiance for her birthday. After an hour at the Gaansevoort rooftop we met a Euro named Mick who quickly assimilated into our group. I -- happy to see my place as the third wheel disappear -- was delighted by our new addition and even more pumped by the fact that Mick seemed to come so well trained. From shuttling drinks for the group to chatting up my friend's fiance so we could have girl talk -- this dude had it down. Which at the end of the night made it even tackier when I left the bar sans a digit exchange. Or so we thought.

Fast forward one month later: While borrowing her fiance's phone my friend "innocently" "glanced" at his inbox which revealed more than a dozen smack talking texts about big ten basketball and Goldbaum from Gaansevoort Mick. Though initially disturbed by how many times "Mick Cell" was repeated in his inbox, her fiance eloquently explained that he was a cool guy and just because I wasn't going to date him didn't mean they couldn't be friends.

So what's the net? I think straight guys have an insecurity about communication and therefore have to amp up the male bravado to confirm their messages to each other are chest-bumpin' masculine. But hey, I won't judge. In fact I think the trend of "Bromancing the Phone" is healthy and can make guys more comfortable communicating (to us) in the long run. So, I will continue my support and turn the other cheek on masagonistic and overly crude texts. That is, untill a guy I'm dating sends me a message that my mom "was asking for it" in that strapless dress.