You have 0 friends

[kitamesume]

The friend scale goes like this:

Lv1 Mate = Person you hang out with from time to time
Lv2 Friend = Person you hang out with on a regular basis
Lv3 Good Friend = Person you hang out with and whom you take on camping trips and festivals
Lv4 Best Friend = Person you'd lend a 1000$ in cash without setting up an I.O.U.
Lv5 Very Best Friend = Person you'd take along to a bank robbery and invite to a threesome with...
Lv6 Girlfriend/Boyfriend = Figures.

then my friends are at Lv0, i only meet them once and no more(instant "friends" that lasts less than an hour) =D though i do got a couple of "mates" that i'd see like once a year? ahaha XD BUT, if i`d count every person i`ve met that i actually became friends with even if it was just a minute then... bah i cant remember, its around a thousand? my classmates changes every semester >,> section shuffles.

[SirSkyRider]

Personally I think the word "friend" is tossed around like trash nowadays. The word lost its meaning when you can have 500 "friends" on facebook and other crap like that.

Yes. Sad, but true. 

[JoonasTo]

Finnish is good language for this topic since it differs between real friends and "friends".

Most people usually have quite a lot of the latter. 

[kitamesume]

real friends are hard to come by now a days, its either because of location or compatibility. the latter is quite easy to achieve but the first... well right after graduation its bye-bye friends XD unless both of you decides on the same course on the same uni plus living on the same block... now thats just wicked coincidence but what about after that? you`d be a dick to go on the same job -,- yearly reunion isnt friendship >,> thats just acquaintance.

[tomoya-kun]

real friends are hard to come by now a days, its either because of location or compatibility. the latter is quite easy to achieve but the first... well right after graduation its bye-bye friends XD unless both of you decides on the same course on the same uni plus living on the same block... now thats just wicked coincidence but what about after that? you`d be a dick to go on the same job -,- yearly reunion isnt friendship >,> thats just acquaintance.

You can live near them and just always be friends.

Most of my Father's friends were from grade school.

[Ixarku]

Seems like I'm a bit in the minority here, likely because I'm older and not part of the i-generation or generation Y.  I have 0 online-only friends that I talk to on a regular basis.  Of the people I met via online gaming, only 1 of them I still talk to, via email about once a year.  Everyone else has fallen by the wayside.

As for RL friends who I've spent time with outside of work (and almost all of whom I've not met thru work), there are around a dozen or 15 or so that I see off and on at varying times.  Some friends I go months or even years without seeing, but every time we talk or meet up, it's basically just like old times and nothing has changed between us.  These are people I do stuff with, and generally trust enough to ask or do favors for & talk about personal things I wouldn't share with an acquaintance.  Maybe 8 or 10 I consider close friends.

I've been at my current job for 10+ years, so many of my coworkers I like & know well enough to consider them work-friends -- I care about what happens to them and might help them outside of work if asked, but generally don't spend time outside of work with them.  (The majority of my coworkers are around my dad's age, so the generational gap has a bit to do with it, plus I like to keep work & home life separated when possible.)

[fohfoh]

I'm more the type to really have fun with people in real life. But I have a few online only friends as well.

To have "good friends" you'll rarely exceed 5 or so. If you exceed 5, chances are it's a HUGE tight knit group with everyone buddies with everyone else. Those types of groups. Usually people who grow up together and they pick up a few new people here and there.

But having friends on "your terms", keep in mind that sometimes you might be overly "needy". A proper friend should be one that is mutual, not one side needing the other arbitrarily. Like I said, you have to work towards friendship. You do nothing for acquaintances.

I also agree, the word "friend" has been treated like dirt. People are now much ruder and anti-social than normal. That which was considered "gentlemanly" a decade ago is now treated as "hitting on someone". Fuck, people can't be polite anymore?

[TMRNetShark]

I'm more the type to really have fun with people in real life. But I have a few online only friends as well.

To have "good friends" you'll rarely exceed 5 or so. If you exceed 5, chances are it's a HUGE tight knit group with everyone buddies with everyone else. Those types of groups. Usually people who grow up together and they pick up a few new people here and there.

But having friends on "your terms", keep in mind that sometimes you might be overly "needy". A proper friend should be one that is mutual, not one side needing the other arbitrarily. Like I said, you have to work towards friendship. You do nothing for acquaintances.

I also agree, the word "friend" has been treated like dirt. People are now much ruder and anti-social than normal. That which was considered "gentlemanly" a decade ago is now treated as "hitting on someone". Fuck, people can't be polite anymore?

Polite isn't the right word for it. I totally know what you mean though. If you are nice to someone, they will think you have ulterior motives (unless they are a friend that knows you). This is why I've stopped treating girls like girls and treating them like men. The men are men, the women are men, the children are men.... hell... even the ducks are men in my book. At the same time, don't go out of your way just to be mean or overly "politically" correct. No one likes a [Insert noun]-Nazi... nor do people trust people's seemingly good intentions.

This is why I: A. Make jokes out of everything (where appropriate), B. Never smack talk unless I have a leg to stand on, and C. Don't give a FUCK.

BTW, fohfoh... are people hitting on you? If so... aren't they just being nice or do they really seem like they want in on your pants?

[Soryon]

A friend is the kind of person you can call names and make fun of and they wont bat an eye and the can return the treatment.
When you are comfortable enough with each other to know how each other feels no matter what they say. Or at least that's how my friends and I are. We can say things to each other that would get your ass kicked if you said it to anyone you did not know well but its just part of hanging out to us. Calling someone a bitch one minute then buying their ticket to the ball game the next.

It might just be the way we grew up tho. I can think of a few times strangers would think that we were about to start fighting and when they interjected we were just like "What? Na dude, everything is kosher!"
I guess what I am saying is that a friend to me is someone I can be 100% unreserved with. Someone you can get into a fist fight with and be laughing it up together a few minutes later. Bonds that cant be broken without putting in some serious effort to sever.

[fohfoh]

Man, you have no idea how many miss communications I have ever had.

But yes, a few. Holy hell, some of them were crazies.

I frequently have a few friends who tell me, "Stop being so nice to people. People misunderstand." to which I respond, "I'm seriously supposed to be assholes to people?"

Response: "I dunno what you're supposed to do, but you're too nice to people." 

Seriously?

But yes, I consider this person a friend. I often fight with this person.

[TMRNetShark]

Man, you have no idea how many miss communications I have ever had.

But yes, a few. Holy hell, some of them were crazies.

I frequently have a few friends who tell me, "Stop being so nice to people. People misunderstand." to which I respond, "I'm seriously supposed to be assholes to people?"

Response: "I dunno what you're supposed to do, but you're too nice to people." 

Seriously?

But yes, I consider this person a friend. I often fight with this person.

You see, I've never gotten that. I've been really nice to people before... but I've never had someone openly misunderstand my intentions for affection. Maybe I'm just not good looking enough or I'm a bit on the scary side?

[Soryon]

I wouldn't interpret it as affection, I would interpret it as someone who isn't very comfortable with their company.
In fact, I sometimes get uncomfortable myself when someone is being too nice in a social setting.

[Meomix]

Man, you have no idea how many miss communications I have ever had.

But yes, a few. Holy hell, some of them were crazies.

I frequently have a few friends who tell me, "Stop being so nice to people. People misunderstand." to which I respond, "I'm seriously supposed to be assholes to people?"

Response: "I dunno what you're supposed to do, but you're too nice to people." 

Seriously?

But yes, I consider this person a friend. I often fight with this person.

Ask him if he's jealous.

[fohfoh]

Man, you have no idea how many miss communications I have ever had.

But yes, a few. Holy hell, some of them were crazies.

I frequently have a few friends who tell me, "Stop being so nice to people. People misunderstand." to which I respond, "I'm seriously supposed to be assholes to people?"

Response: "I dunno what you're supposed to do, but you're too nice to people." 

Seriously?

But yes, I consider this person a friend. I often fight with this person.

Ask him if he's jealous.

She?

I've asked before. Calmly, she stated, "No, just normal concern for a friend." Even in a drunken craze she doesn't stray from that. In deep discussions (non-drunk ones), she says that though I'm "weird" because of the things I do, and "immature", I am reliable. It's sort of those sibling ones. Total care for each other, but totally platonic. Willing to fight to the death to protect each other, but willing to fight each other to death as well.


Now, for the other person that ACTUALLY misunderstood (as far as I know anyways), she tried to control me and change me. I refused, resisted and it turned into all out war. (Literally). Like hardcore all out arguments in front of friends etc. Totally tore that group of friends in half. I'm ok and chill with her now. Don't really chat or hang out, but we made up our differences and apologized to each other. But yeah, the attempts to control me... that was screwed up beyond reason.


Asia. Communication issues with a group of people at a conference. So I attempted to speak in Mandarin to some girl. Oh man, the others began making jokes like "Oh, you're pulling out all the secret weapons to hit on girls now?" They said it semi jokingly and semi serious. But arranged marriage jokes afterwards were a bit much though.


Friend. Let's call her (M). In 2 totally unrelated cases, we have been mistaken for a couple. Let me explain before you begin to go "pfft".

Situation 1: Tijuana, Mexico. We went to a outdoor market place called, de la Rosa or something. A guy calls me over and attempts to sell me a sombrero for $44 USD. I state I only have $20 (which is literally true). He haggles the price HIMSELF one dollar at a time. At $21 I ask whether $20 is ok. We literally argue for about 5 minutes with him refusing $20 the whole time. M is standing with me the whole time this is going on. The end? "Ask your wife for a dollar." (reply: She's not my wife) "Girlfriend?" (Reply: No) "Doesn't matter, you'll likely be married anyways".
*Friend gave me a dollar and I ended up buying the Sombrero, which was a nice hand made felt one with decor*

Situation 2: Calgary, Canada. We went to pick up a few things for a party. Just drinks and food and other things. Ok, maybe it wasn't a few. According to M. (I didn't hear this first hand, only from her) "How many bags do you need?" (Reply: I don't know), "How many do you think you need?" (Reply: "I'm not sure"), "Why don't you ask your husband? Maybe he will know."

*I was merely putting groceries on the belt the whole time*

If you go shopping with the opposite gender, you're likely a couple of sorts.