mack the knife. do you think it's true that in matters of friendship backstabbing -- when a friend steals the girl that you like or maybe hooks up with your ex -- that guys are more forgiving than girls? this statement was postulated at a souplantation, so it possesses the ring of truth.

so, why are guys more forgiving of each other's transgressions? do girls have a longer memory? do they take things more personal? is there something fundamentally different about male and female friendships that allows one to more easily forgive backstabbing?

my hypothesis on this matter is that all guys realize they are capable of being backstabbers. girls tend to have smaller female circles and a higher sense of perceived morality; guys realize that they all have the potential to be benedict arnolds. so if a guy friend "slips," you can hate him, you can shun him, but in the end, it's the friendship that matters more. maybe you permanently lose some trust, maybe irreparable damage has been inflicted, but somewhere in the back of a victim guy's mind, there's a voice saying "hey, i might have done that under similar circumstances." or even "i have done that under similar circumstances, i'll let this one slide."

does this mean that guy friendships are "stronger" because we realize that in the end, we all have the potential to be biologically programmed bastards? maybe. i mean, it's tough for the pot to call the kettle black.