Hatrack River Forum: Classifying Friends

This is topic Classifying Friends in forum Books, Films, Food and Culture at Hatrack River Forum.

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Posted by Elizabeth (Member # 5218) on :

Why do I do this?

This is my high school friend, So and So.

This is my college friend...

This is my Hatrack friend...

Can't we all just be "friends?"

Does anyone else do this?

Posted by TheDisgruntledPostman (Member # 7200) on :

Everyone does, wether they like to or not.

Posted by TMedina (Member # 6649) on :

I don't think it's a bad thing - it helps put the relationship in a context for the person being introduced.

It also helps provide a bit of information that can be a conversation starter like, "You knew Lizzie in high school?"

-Trevor

Posted by Bob_Scopatz (Member # 1227) on :

friends classified

Posted by TMedina (Member # 6649) on :

quote:
Originally posted by Bob_Scopatz:
friends classified

Requires a login.

-Trevor

Posted by Tante Shvester (Member # 8202) on :

I usually don't make classifications beyond, "a friend", "a dear friend", "an old friend", "a friend of the family". If it is someone that I work with or am in school with, it can be "my friend and colleague".

Keep 'em guessing.

Posted by TMedina (Member # 6649) on :

I've found if you give them ammunition, you know what they'll be shooting.

People left to their own devices are unpredictable headaches waiting to happen.

-Trevor

Posted by lcarus (Member # 4395) on :

What Tante said. I don't tend to preface the introduction of friends like that. (If it was a deeper question than that, then I'm afraid I didn't quite understand it.)

Posted by Papa Moose (Member # 1992) on :

quote:
Originally posted by TMedina:

quote:
Originally posted by Bob_Scopatz:
friends classified
Requires a login.

-Trevor

Well, it's classified.

Posted by Tante Shvester (Member # 8202) on :

Well, it's classified.

Ha! [ROFL]

Posted by Kwea (Member # 2199) on :

Maybe I can go the the Canadian site...Sid says the security is much more lax there, and I could infiltrate the US site without a login from there.

[Wink]

Posted by Elizabeth (Member # 5218) on :

So, you would talk to your Canadian friends?

Posted by Lyrhawn (Member # 7039) on :

I have two or three categories. Friends, close friends, and people I know with whom I make polite conversation.

Other than that, I don't distinguish based on age, location, where I met them, etc.

Posted by Tstorm (Member # 1871) on :

I do classify friends, but I rarely introduce them that way. I rarely find myself in the situation of introducing friends to each other, in fact.

I suppose my classifications are different from yours, too. Tough to explain.

Posted by katharina (Member # 827) on :

Hmm...I classify friends, but I organize my sock drawer, too.

Posted by Olivetta (Member # 6456) on :

I once introduced a young male friend I'd met at a writing class (but kept in touch with online) to my in-laws as 'my friend______'.

It sounded incredibly awkward. O_O

"A friend of mine from writing class, who was in town without family on family on Thanksgiving so I invited him here" would have been worse, though.

Some people hear 'friend' and automatically think 'um, *friend*' when the friends are of the opposite sex. "Acquaintance" seems cold. I don't know what the best solution would be.

I don't feel that awkwardness when the friend is a femme, though.

Posted by sarahdipity (Member # 3254) on :

My friends want the classification. They say I have too many and they like some reference to who other people I'm talking about are.

Posted by kojabu (Member # 8042) on :

Yea it helps to know how they know the other person, instead of asking oh how do you know each other, the information is provided.