Everyone here hates the friendzone. Women hate finding out that a guy was only their friend, because he wanted to fuck them and that's completely fair. Men hate being used by women they're interested in for boyfriend perks, only to find out that they're completely uninterested romantically and that's completely fair. No one talks about how to avoid the problem. Change the pronouns if you like, because I'm not convinced this can't go both ways.
Several years ago, I had a friend in his early twenties, who would constantly complain about being friendzoned by women who just want to complain about their jerk boyfriends to him and ask him to do favors said boyfriends wouldn't. I pointed out that if I asked him to do these things, like help me with a flat tire, he wouldn't, because he wasn't interested romantically. I also wouldn't ask him to, without some kind of compensation or extenuating circumstances, because we weren't dating and just weren't that close. So, the reason he was being "such a good friend" was that he hoped this woman would eventually fuck him and that made him a terrible friend. The reason she was asking him to do these things, was because she knew he would and very likely knew why and that also made her a terrible friend.
After responding this way every time he complained of the friendzone for a couple of years, he messaged me one day to tell me he liked a woman in his college class. He wanted to know how to avoid being friendzoned, now that they'd had a couple of conversations and wondered if he should connect on social media. I told him to go for it. He excitedly told me that she accepted the next day and asked if he should message her. Sure! After three days, he was smitten and asked what to do next. I told him to ask her out for coffee. He did. She declined. At this point, I asked him if he wanted to be her friend, knowing she had no romantic interest. He said no. I told him that was fine and that he never had to do more than be friendly ever again. He was friendly to her after class, but didn't continue messaging her or trying to connect. She wasn't hurt, because there was no genuine friendship built.
This guy was not opposed to being truly just friends with women, considering our friendship. He just didn't understand the difference between this and being friendzoned. I didn't cry on his shoulder about my romantic struggles and wouldn't ask him to do huge favors with nothing in return. He didn't treat me any differently than his guy friends and that was fine. I personally witnessed women use him in exactly the way he claimed, knowing full well he was pining for them. It wasn't his imagination. I also saw women treat him as a friend, as he claimed they were friendzoning him, because they weren't interested romantically.
If you people want to end the friendzone discussion, express interest before the friendship builds and when it's not returned, don't purse further... and when someone asks you out and you're not interested, don't try to build a friendship with them, only to get upset later when you realize their primary investment is still romantic. This is not that complicated!
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