OP the issue is SOME MEN do this and not ALL MEN so you set this thread up for another tired disaster the very minute you put in your post "Why do MEN do this?" as a blanket statement for ALL MEN. It just becomes the same tired, redundant bickering. And dragging the good men with decent intentions through the mud and I say this as a woman who has had long term friendships with men and believe they exist.
You cannot decifer ALL men based on YOUR OWN friendships and relationships with them, there is always more to these individual stories. It isn't restricted to just men, women do it too.
My guess is you didn't want real answers as suggested or you would have just typed your question in your browser before you came to this site or you would have done a thread or post search. But I get it - YOU wanted your OWN thread. You've been posting here long enough to know.
It's another thread that ends up in male-female gender bashing. It's not all humanity - it's the way you structured your question and the fact you posted it at all which is giving you the inflamitory responses or they are all over the map.
Don't just base your opinion and disregard these threads as not being the same as your question - you need to actually read the posts or scan them to see they always turn into the same gender-bashing threads and the responses are both for and against it and why.
//www.city-data.com/forum/relat...n-friends.html
//www.city-data.com/forum/relat...-spin-off.html
//www.city-data.com/forum/relat...ssume-you.html
//www.city-data.com/forum/relat...e-friends.html
//www.city-data.com/forum/relat...ive-about.html
//www.city-data.com/forum/relat...riend-her.html
//www.city-data.com/forum/relat...x-friends.html
//www.city-data.com/forum/relat...-hang-out.html
It's not just restricted to these threads either. They are just an example of the pages and pages and pages of threads done on the subject and there are just as many in 'non-romantic relationships,' but I'm not going to do your homework.
I'm just sick of seeing good people with these decent friendships get dragged through the mud based on the little experience a poster has with the matter and their own biased views of the opposite gender to begin with. Oh, some of the bitterness is just outstanding. It's the same posters too - just in case you want to argue that you wanted a fresh perspective.
EVERYONE has their own experience with the issue and one does not predicate the other.
Do we really need another gender bashing thread on the matter of how stupid people are for even thinking men and women could be friends?
Again, look at the way YOU stated your question - why do (all) men do this?