The End of The Best Friend

[HT_Black]

Let me put this as simply as I can:

They were doing things like this even back when I was a kid, and do you know what? We both ended up in classes full of bullies, racists, militiant agnostics, militiant catholics, and out-and-out mean kids. I think that if some kid somewhere decides they like person X better than near-sighted knuckle-dragging headcase Y, it's more than within their power to puruse a friendship with X. This is...this is an abomination of an idea, which can have only been created by Satan himself or the Puritan Conspiracy. I'm a leftard through and through, but even I have to knee-jerk-cry "Orwellian facism!" at this.

 

[Devi Darkside]

There is absolutely nothing wrong with having a best friend. As a matter of fact, if you can have even just one best friend, and manage to maintain that friendship throughout the course of your life...well, consider me jealous.

I've had 3 "best friends" over the course of my life so far. One got into drugs, the other one dropped me because I started dating my current girlfriend, and the other one...well, we've just been steadily growing apart.

Do I regret these friendships though? Certainly not. We shared a lot of fun times together, and I'll never forget them for as long as I live. I would hate it to have never met them and to have never felt a bond of what would be considered almost brotherly.

Everyone needs a best friend, someone to talk to, someone that can be there for them when they fall. Its a real comfort and certainly not detrimental in any way, shape, or form.

Edit: I'll be someone's good friend on here! Not necessarily best...since I can't actually hang out with you...but I'm good to talk to. At least, I think I am.

yeah...Everyone needs a best friend.
*cries*

I can be your friend. pm me.

I think I'll be okay without being hit on by some random internet stranger.

Well, I'm fairly new to the Escapist in ways but I don't mind making friends.

And no, I don't care to hit on people online.

And also I agree with you both completely. I don't know where I'd be without my two best friends honestly.

 

[Brad Shepard]

I have had the same best friend sense the 5th grade, he is like a Brother to me.

Im also best firends with his brothers too (One is being a dick right now because he is dating ((stalking)) this girl and forgeting the rest of his friends)

But like it was said above, everyone needs a best friend.

 

[JemJar]

I've had a fair few best friends, who for various reasons have come and gone. Largely it's been related to change of school or relocation of one or the other of us.

I don't see enough of my current (previous?) best friend now that I'm in France, but we try to keep in touch when we can.

 

[ethaninja]

I don't think I exist to my best friend anymore. Kind of breaks my heart to know how little he cares.

Is he your best friend (i.e: most favoured out of all of them)? Or is he an ex best friend? Either way though, yeah I know how you feel. Sucks aye =(

 

[sgtshock]

So, their reason for discouraging best friends is that having one close friend can be "unhealthy" and "limit their ability to explore other options"?

Did they never stop to think about the positive implications of a best friend (self-esteem, life lessons, and plain old good times), or are they just trying to come up with the stupidest idea that they could possibly try to rationalize?

 

[AMMO Kid]

My best friend is always there for me YAY!

 

[TheSkaAssassin]

Since everybody's sharing their bff stories, I do the same.

I've had 5 best friends, including the 2 I have now.

The first was in elementry school and we just grew apart.

The second was in middle school, and then he started doing/selling drugs to pay for his DJ equipment

The third is one I have now. We met in high school. His first words to me were "Please tell me you're not a liberal."

The fourth I just recently lost (back in March). We were friends for two years, "bff's" for 1 of those 2. I confessed my love for her, she requited on the condition that I would stop drinking. I did. I drove down to see her only to find out she had been fucking another guy, 8 years older than her no less. I started drinking again that night.

The fifth is the reason I joined the fraternity I'm in now. We both have the same major (EM is pretty rare even at UNT the best school in the nation for it), and we both enjoy the finer things in life.

 

[superbatranger]

Why can't they just let those kids be with their best friends? It makes no sense. You can't teach someone how to make friends. They have to learn how on their own. I've been friends with my best friend since we were 5 years old. Even then, I was still able to make many friends over the years. Just because a kid has a best friend does not mean they won't try to become friends with other people.

 

[Fallen-Angel Risen-Demon]

Generaly I've always had 2 'best freinds' at once 1 of my current ones became my BF when he was ditched and baiscly bullyed by his old BF I felt sorry for him as I had somthing similer happen to me so I hanged around with him while still keeping freinds with other people we started becoming freinds when before we just knew each other...
So this is stupid I have 2 BFs and other freinds too the school shouldn't controll who you are any more it's stupid.
Oh yeah I'm 14

 

[goldenheart323]

Why do so many people, (mainly do-gooder, "we know better than you do," politically correct people,) think exclusivity, (or discrimination,) is solely a bad thing? I exclude bad people from being my friend. I exclude annoying people from being my friend. I exclude people who don't have any hobbies or interests in common with me. Some discrimination is bad. Some is good.
Boo-freakin'-hoo. Not everyone's going to get along.


From the article:

Still, school officials admit they watch close friendships carefully for adverse effects. "When two children discover a special bond between them, we honor that bond, provided that neither child overtly or covertly excludes or rejects others," said Jan Mooney, a psychologist at the Town School, a nursery through eighth grade private school on the Upper East Side of Manhattan. "However, the bottom line is that if we find a best friend pairing to be destructive to either child, or to others in the classroom, we will not hesitate to separate children and to work with the children and their parents to ensure healthier relationships in the future."

Translation: "We won't break up close friends so long as everyone is treated the same as the best friend."
I feel so bad for the kids in these places. Those adults are so sad, pathetic, and even a bit twisted.

yeah...Everyone needs a best friend.
*cries*

I can be your friend. pm me.

I think I'll be okay without being hit on by some random internet stranger.

I have a girlfriend, i'm not trying to hit on anybody I was simply trying to make you feel better.

I think we may have figured out why Berethond has trouble making friends. XD

 

[Canadamus Prime]

Ah, another brilliant idea from Heads Stuck Up Asses INC.
Although they do make a point with the whole things going awry being devastating bit. Still think this is several truck loads of grade 'A' bullshit though.

 

[SonicKoala]

It is not up to a bunch of fucking friendship coaches to help these kids make friends and get along with everybody else. You know who this should be up to? THE KID. How are these children suppose to develop proper social skills if they're being cradled along by a bunch of counsellors and being forced into these social groups artificially? This is not real life - people are going to be excluded at some point in their life; that's just how things work. It's quite appalling when I see these attempts being made to create these "bubbles" around children in an effort to protect them from the harsh realities of life. What are these kids suppose to do when they're adults? Just abruptly adapt?

Overall, this is complete bullshit, and this is only going to do the children more harm than good in the long run.

 

[Ham_authority95]

While I've never actually had a "best friend" like that, its just stupid to choose what friends a child has like this.

No good can come out of that way of thinking

 

[Mr Thin]

'friendship coaches'?

ADOFIWEJVASJDVLKWAJEIOWQJPFWAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH

The day I expose my child (when I have one) to a friendship coach is the day I drop any pretense of intelligence or human decency.

 

[Ham_authority95]

Why do so many people, (mainly do-gooder, "we know better than you do," politically correct people,) think exclusivity, (or discrimination,) is solely a bad thing? I exclude bad people from being my friend. I exclude annoying people from being my friend. I exclude people who don't have any hobbies or interests in common with me. Some discrimination is bad. Some is good.
Boo-freakin'-hoo. Not everyone's going to get along.

This is another good point.

Any relationship that isn't based on common interests or personalities is just unhealthy and completely unlike ones in real life.

 

[Bull3t]

i have had 3 best friends in my life the first was popular and douchy a road i was headed down until i met my second best friend who i grew apart with due to distance, and i am still good friends with the third. but i always relied on having one friend and when those 2 friendships ended i had a lot of time to sort of assess the kind of person i wanted to hang out with and thus every friendship seems to result in a better friendship

 

[neilsaccount]

yeah...Everyone needs a best friend.
*cries*

I can be your friend. pm me.

I think I'll be okay without being hit on by some random internet stranger.

I have a girlfriend, i'm not trying to hit on anybody I was simply trying to make you feel better.

I think we may have figured out why Berethond has trouble making friends. XD

Thats not nice to say man. I can see how she could have misunderstood.

 

[Lizmichi]

My first best friend was a ***** to me at summer camp right befor my 8th grade year. Before then, we saw each other maybe 2 times a year. At summer camp she completely abandoned me for her friends she saw everyday, even felt like she was ashamed of me. Now, my current best friend I've had for about 4 years and I only wish I new her sooner.

Anyway OT: What the hell? Every kid, hell every person needs that friend they know they can trust with anything or go to when they feel upset or alone. That kind of bond can only come from a best friend. It's very possible to have a best friend and also have a big group of friends. Hell I have both. Who are the parents to tell their kid they can't have a best friend?