J.J. Jenkins is a journalism freshman and Mustang Daily freshman columnist.
“Bromance — Describes the complicated love and affection shared by two straight males.”
— Urban Dictionary
In my time as the Mustang Daily freshman columnist, I’ve written about romance and co-mance, but as my time winds down, I cannot forget to mention the most important “mance”: bromance.
Bromances are unique because they are not searched for, they are realized. This was certainly what happened in my case.
My bromance started during Week of Welcome (WOW) when our group first gathered together and awkwardly introduced ourselves by saying our name and an adjective that started with the first letter of our name to describe ourselves. Because “J” adjectives eluded me (there are not that many to start with), I went to my default, “Jolly J.J.” To my right, a guy stepped forward when his time came — “I’m Naughty Nick.”
Naughty Nick and I did not seem like natural friends.
I was a nerdy cross-country runner who could not complete a sentence in front of a cute girl. He was a natural athlete with an effortless flow of game around his many suitors. But there was something about our back-and-forth banter throughout the week, about everything from sports to eating habits, that clicked.
On the last day of the week, our WOW leaders gave us each a poster of the group that everyone signed. Nick’s tagline on my poster read, “Homie for life, son. Don’t be too much of a heartbreaker.” I suspected that would be the extent of our relationship, but we never got rid of each other. We started by going to lunch during the week and then hanging out on weekends.
Our bromance has reached Vince Vaungh/Owen Wilson status from “Wedding Crashers” (I will not tell you who is who).
Even as the year progressed (crushes changed and I managed to find co-mance and romance), our relationship did not falter. Our group of friends even joke that I cheat on Naughty Nick with my girlfriend because jealously often abounds. She just learned to accept that she is No. 2.
But the bromance is more than just a friendship between two guys who talk about girls and wear matching “bro tanks” (for the record, we do not do that). It is the type of relationship where a simple word, look or eye movement can convey a whole range of thought. Most importantly, bromances often flourish when opposites really do attract.
However, some women are baffled by bromances, as they do not understand the origins of this unique relationship. Considering this misunderstanding, I thought I’d take a moment to explai
Since we were young, girls have had a natural tendency to move in packs, a sort of natural defense mechanism against older guys. The relationships within the pack vary between animosity and friendship and disgust and admiration. The only certainty is that guys can seldom pierce the pack.
On the other hand, guys try to be alpha males in pursuit of the girl or girls. That breeds solidarity. Rarely do you find “The Hangover”-like wolf packs in the wild. Yet when that special guy comes around, like when you find the girl of your dreams, men just click no matter their differences.
Thankfully bromances do not have to be exclusive. This weekend I got the opportunity to exploit that fact in Cal Poly’s very own Amazing Race.
Naughty Nick signed himself up with another friend (a girl — the ultimate bromance betrayal) and challenged me to a duel, scavenger hunt style. Since bromances thrive off competitiveness, I could not back down and enlisted the support of my roommate, with whom I am also involved in a bromance (there are no limits to guy love).
Our team name? “Team Bromance.”
We made the most of our opposing qualities, demonstrating the power of the bromance to combine and make an unstoppable opponent. While he solved Sudoku, I used my powers as a journalist (aka Google on an iPhone) to find the remaining clues. Combine that with a little cardio, and my fellow bro and I finished the race in first, placing ahead of Naughty Nick. Though, I do credit him with part of our victory because he showed me how to unleash the power of a bromance — but do not tell him that bcause he will try to grab a part of my winnings. I guess that is just the nature of a man love.