The age-old question of whether men and women can be friends was the topic of a short video by Utah State University students Jesse Budd and Patrick Romero. The video, posted on YouTube, became an overnight sensation viewed by more than 3.5 million people, and was featured on the CBS Early Morning Show and in many other media outlets.
When asked how the video project started, Romero said it was a last minute idea that stemmed from a paper he had written for an English class on the subject of whether men and women can be friends. The paper inspired Romero to grab his friend, Budd, and set out on a cold winter day near the Merrill-Cazier Library on the university campus to interview unsuspecting students on the topic. And why this particular topic? Romero said it was simple.
“There are many subjects that can be laid out on the table for debate,” Romero said. “From serious subjects like capital punishment and affirmative action, to simple discussions like whether shaving really does make ones chest hair grow in thicker than before. Yet one of the most interesting and important topics we could debate often eludes our conversations and it affects almost everyone. And that is the age-old subject of whether men or women can be friends.”
Romero said he made the video short because he strongly believes a male-female best-friend relationship is very rare and difficult, if not impossible, and he wanted to show women how men’s minds generally work.
And did Romero and Budd expect the video to go viral?
“Well of course,” Romero said. “Ok, not really.”
The duo was generally surprised on the instant hit the video became.
To view the video and see what all the fuss is about, visit the YouTube website (www.youtube.com) and type in “Why Men and Women Can’t Be Friends” or go directly to the website (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T_lh5fR4DMA).