Main stream media in today’s day and age is simply about ratings;  that is to say that they will do what they need to in order to get their  ratings up.  This includes creating a cast of characters who are  presented as having a deep and loving friendship toward one another.   Although this often makes for good television it is not a realistic  representation of how friendship really works in reality.  As I sit here  and rack my brain on what example to use, I don’t watch a lot of  television and when I do it is definitely not a sitcom, the one that  comes to mind the most is the show Friends.  (As I am sure many, if not  all of the class has watched or watches this show.)  In the sitcom  Friends, there are six friends that are close friends; indeed, four of  them live across from each other.  The problem with this show’s  representation of friendship is that is it un-realistic and false; their  friendships are too perfect.  The show doesn’t have an episode where  they have a falling out with another friends, even all there are some  serious betrayals of the friendship in other episodes.  The friendship  presented in the show are completely selfless, and according to Kant,  Augustine, Aristotle, and even Thomas admits that there is always an  element of self-loving in friendships.  Kant states, that a friendship  solely based on the other person’s interest would ultimately undermine  their own happiness. (Vernon, 2010)  Furthermore, the same can be said  if a person puts their self interest above their friends.  The way in  which Kant finds a balance for this is that a person can put aside their  self interest by knowing that their friends will take care of them  instead.  As Vernon states this does not really give a solution to how  friendship have an element of self-interest involved in them.  I would  have to agree, humans are not perfect beings, and I think the best way  to challenge the notion of a selfless friendship is to understand that  each person has their own desires and that people need to trust the  moral foundation that the friendship is built upon.  Trust and accept  one other for who they are, and not let the notion of a ‘perfect,  selfless’ friendship overshadow the reality of friendship. 

References

Vernon, M. (2010). The Meaning Friendship. New York : Palgrave Macmillian.