The phrase "stuck in the friend zone" is probably the most cringeworthy phrase of all time. And by cringeworthy, I mean rage-inducing because if I have to hear one more dude complain about being friend-zoned, there's no telling what I'll do. But much like my reaction when I'm tickled, I shouldn't be held responsible for how I respond. (Joking. Kind of.)

I hate the phrase because of the context in which it's most commonly used and the message it sends to people.

The whole concept of the friend zone is basically an excuse for certain guys to get angry that after being nice to and helping a woman, their sexual propositions and are still rejected. News flash: There is literally nothing you could ever do that would entitle you to sleeping with a woman. If she doesn't want to, she doesn't have to.

It doesn't matter if you pay for the meal, her place of living, her education or anything else you can think of. If you listen to her problems and hold her while she cries, that still doesn't give you the right to be with her in any sense of the word.

I realize this may only be used in the extreme cases of a guy flying off the handle and either ending the friendship with the woman who has rejected him, or attacking and even killing her. (This really does happen, guys. It's why we women have to be careful about how we say no to you.)

Not every guy who uses the term "friend zone" is that intense. Nor is it always men. Obviously, women are capable and do use this phrase as well. But more often, women are victims of the "girlfriend zone," not the friend zone.

We all know what the friend zone is. Basically, you're interested in someone and they make it very clear they only want to stay friends. The girlfriend zone is when a woman is friends with a guy, only to find out he's been getting close to her so he could get with her.

The problem boils down to the fact that men are only allowed to show their emotions in select circumstances. When a man is emotional, threats of taking away his "man card" are made. (Which is another stupid term, but that's a rant for a different day.) Because of this, men don't tend to relate to one another on an emotional level. Male-male friendships tend to be shallow, rarely going as deep or becoming as intimate as female-female friendships.

Women, on the other hand, are more than allowed to show their emotions; they're encouraged to. Somehow we've got it twisted that women are the emotional sex. But everybody has emotions and needs to express them, and when men are raised in a society in which they're told they can't, various problems abound. One of which would be misinterpreting friendships with women.

Men aren't used to the emotional intimacy and freedom women experience in their friendships, so when a woman befriends a man and creates an environment that welcomes emotions, he assumes that this must be a romantic attraction. Guys, I want you to listen closely because this is very important and I need you to hear it: that's just what actual friendships are supposed to look like.

Healthy friendships involve sharing your hurts, hopes, dreams, and fears. They involve comforting, encouraging, and supporting one another. Don't miss out on these kinds of relationships because you're misinterpreting the platonic connection to be a romantic one. This is how women have friendships, and this is how you should be having them, too.

And while a romantic relationship can come from being friends (in fact, the best ones I've ever seen were built on friendships), that's not the sole purpose of a friendship.

The term “friend-zone” itself implies that this is not where the occupant wants to be. A friend zoned guy would rather be in the romantic zone and are instead stuck in the friend zone as if being friends with someone isn’t something to be valued. Again with our culture erasing asexuals and prioritizing romantic relationships over platonic ones.

Using the phrase also implies that you don’t respect the other individual’s choice not to be in a romantic relationship with you, as if it’s their fault they’re not interested and now they’re punishing you for being interested. That's. Simply. Not. True.

And don't even get me started on the phrase "brother-in-Christ zoned." Too late, I'm gonna start in.

If you're a Christian guy and cognizant that all of life is supposed to be lived in the context of relationships—relationship with God, relationship with other believers—then why are you diminishing the power of male-female friendships? You know that a believer is supposed to be part of the Body, local and universal, and that one only grows when they're part of that local church.

(If you don't believe this, read Acts 2:42-47 and 4:32-37, Romans 12, Ephesians 2:11-22 and 4:1-16, Colossians 3:12-17, 1 Timothy 5:1-2, Hebrews 10:24-26, and 1 Peter 2:4-10, to name a few.)

Please stop erasing the wonder and importance of friendships by making it seem like it’s a bad thing to be friends with someone.

Let's choose to no longer live life as if the most important relationship you can have is a romantic one. Healthy friendships with people rock. And when you’re a straight guy befriending a woman, you get to learn about women in general and how to be a better friend, romantic partner, etc. Learn to value friendships with one another.

It's time to retire "the friend zone." Not only the term, but the whole idea. Instead, let's call it “being in a friendship and respecting the other person’s feelings and choices and not expecting them to conform to what I want.” The title’s a little long, but it’s a much better concept.