Dudes & Bros Part I: The "Hey" Stage.

Long before Bert met Ernie or Robin "side kicked-it" with Batman, dudes have been making friends with other dudes. The intricate formation of these relationships, though always unique and original, can be simplified into several fairly standard stages. This post will address the first of these stages.

The Hey Stage

The first of these levels of is commonly known as the "Hey" stage because of the frequency with which dudes use this greeting. The Hey stage is composed of two parts: 1) the meeting, and 2) the exchange of dudeisms.

The Meeting

Although dudes are exceptional human beings, they meet in similar ways to non-dudes. One of the most common ways for dudes to make one another's acquaintance is through a third party introduction. Another, less traditional way for dudes to meet is through doing dudelike activities. Two dudes may meet while pushing an old woman's car out of a snowbank, or on the ski lift, or while attending a little league baseball game. They see each other and the typical greeting is "Hey," "Hey man" or an upward head nod of acknowledgement. It is from here that the term "Hey Stage" has been derived. Obviously the dudes are mutually courteous and polite, but at this point, the conversation remains outside the realm of dudedom.

The Exchange of Dudeisms

It is certainly possible for the relationship to remain at a merely "hey dude" level with no progression into legitimate friendship. However, when relationships do progress, the aspect of dudeisms becomes critical. At some point after the initial meeting (possibly weeks or even months later) one of the males will test the other male's dudedom. This is performed through dudeisms, or comments and responses of a dudelike nature. This concept is analogous to the code languages used in . dude casually tossing out a dudism and waiting for an appropriate dudelike response. Take for example, two males standing in line at a deli:

Dude 1: "Look at that guy, he's just a master. He's like the Mr. Miyagi of sandwich making."

Dude 2: "Absolutely. But without the 'stache and goatee."

Dude 1: "Haha, yeah...but he could pull that off too, if he wanted"

In this scenario, Dude 1 used a dudeism (in this case, a reference to Karate Kid) to smoke out the other male and test his dudedom. Dude 2 reciprocated appropriately by acknowledging the reference and building upon the reference. Dude 1's response is merely the sprinkles on the sundae.

Note: The friendship may simply stay at the "Hey Stage." The fact remains however, that this stage takes place in the development of friendships between dudes.

Dude out,

-C.R.