We all have friends we’re attracted to, and that’s no big deal, but recently I have come across a lot of people complaining about being caught in the "friend zone," and I have something to say to these people.

Firstly, underlying this complaint is a sense of entitlement that I find disgusting. Implied by this comment is the idea that this supposed "friend" has some kind of obligation to fulfill your physical and emotional needs. In a non-sexual relationship, that’s called being a needy friend; in a potential relationship, it is a chauvinistic recipe for disaster. Alongside this implication lies another one: the implication that the friend who is keeping you in the friend zone is somehow doing you an injustice by deciding not to be in a relationship or to be in a relationship with someone else. No one’s going to win anyone over by completely failing to appreciate their freedom of choice.

So here these complainers have been sitting around, waiting for their friends to come to the epiphany that they should drop everything and please them, rather than realizing their complaining is not doing them any good and moving on to someone else. Why are these complainers still hung up on this one person? Don’t they realize they have other options? If these people are so amazing that the complainers can’t see anyone else they would rather be with, then why do they treat their crushes like crap? Furthermore, who would want to be friends with someone that only wants to be friends with them in the hope that it becomes something more? Why would anyone want to be friends with someone who is unhappy about their friendship?

To those of you who complain about being in the friend zone, if your friend is really so kind, attractive, intelligent, or what-have-you that they would make a great partner, then you should be grateful to have them as a friend. Be thankful for what you have with that special person, and appreciate them for who they are, not what they can be to you. To be honest, if you are complaining about being in the friend zone, then you don’t even deserve that! When I see people online complaining about being in the friend zone, I am so disappointed, because those people aren’t even friends: they’re straight up users, and anyone who has such a "friend" would do better without them.