The word Friend is Overused, don't you agree? (person, member, present)
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I don't understand why so many people call each other friends. I know people that call someone their friend that they have met only 2 or 3 times. The word is getting out of hand. It's almost like it's just a way to be nice to someone instead of just calling them an acquaintance. I just don't like the word very much, I find it a little bit insulting. I believe that either someone is your really close friend or just someone you know. We need to come up with new terms. Heck friend can even mean Facebook friend. Totally bogus.
YES, I concur 1000%. Unfortunately I have tendency to say friend loosely if I am speaking about someone to someone else without making it complicated. However, I now say "I know someone/acquaintance" or some other term along those lines rather than friend(s). People have to earn the title of friend to me. I have co-workers, I have training partners, associates, acquaintances, business partners, I know plenty of individuals, but I don't have a lot of friends or family. The title friends and family are reserved for a very small group of people.
By the way OP, what prompted you to make this topic? And secondly, Einhander, did you get that name from the PS1 video game?
I remember having to attend meetings at work where a presenter would refer to the people in the meeting as “our friends”, in the same fashion that politicians say, “our friends across the aisle”. It always made me wonder, do they understand the meaning of the word? Most co-workers I engage with are not my friends, they are my co-workers. And most democrat politicians are not the friends of republicans across the aisle. So why bastardize the word? I have many acquaintances. I have few friends.
I suspect it matters whether the speaker happens to be a "lumper" or a "splitter".
A lumper is content using broader less specific terms; they may not care as much about finer distinctions depending on the circumstances.
A splitter tends to get down into the weeds, a lot fussier about details, has to compartmentalize things, and tends to defend the definitions of each.
At some point most terms end up becoming a matter of semantics. As long as someone understands and appreciates the relationship they have with the person labeled as "friend" isn't that what truly matters?
Agreed. FaceBook may be a little responsible for Friend Inflation (not to be confused with what you do for your new vinyl blow-up acquaintance!) But people tend to go with short, vague words; props for the the lumper/splitter explanation posted above.
What really bugs me is "family". Thank you for joining the RiteAid/Amazon/AAA/whatever Family!
No, man, you just sell me products and services. Could we keep things professional, please?
Last edited by Pughnose; 10-18-2018 at 02:33 PM..
Reason: removed repetitive redundancy
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