I’m curious how people see this.

I don’t have a big friend circle, just a few people. I’ve had issues in the past with toxic friendships and bullying, and I’m naturally introverted. I actually like who I am now and I’m comfortable having only a couple of close friends. I’ve even started making a few new connections after joining CrossFit.

But something happened recently that bothered me.

I met up with a long-term friend, and he asked what I did over the weekend. I told him I met another friend (also someone I’ve known for years, but he doesn’t know him). He started giggling and said, “What friends?” Then he got judgmental, saying he never sees me with anyone and basically implying that I don’t have a social life.

He’s quite insecure and tends to put me down in front of others, I think it’s an ego thing, but it still made me feel like shit afterwards.

It made me wonder:
Do people actually make fun of someone for having few friends, or feel sorry for them, without knowing their story?
Would you make fun of someone or your own friend for having less friends?


24 comments

  2. Most normal well adjusted adults don’t count other peoples friends. That’s insane.

    This guy was projecting. You can safely ignore his comments as utterly meaningless

  4. I wouldn’t keep that dude in your friend circle, as that’s not how you treat friends. A couple of trusted friends is far better than several surface-level friends.

  5. They don’t seem like much of a friend if they think you’re a loner and putting you down in front of others. I’d be reconsidering the friendship.

  6. There is a difference between friends and acquaintances. Someone once said to me that at any point in your life, you’ll be able to count the amount of your true friends you have on one hand.

    That doesn’t mean that you can’t and won’t enjoy the company of others, it just means that really there will only be a small pool of people that you truly trust and that know you.

  8. I’ve never had a large group of friends and wouldn’t judge anyone on how many friends they have.

  9. don’t make fun. It doesn’t matter how many friends you have but the quality of those friendships. Also doesn’t matter if you only see them once a week, once a month, or every three months

  10. Maybe he fancies you and hasn’t grown out of the “be mean to someone I like” phase from primary school.

  12. It’s a pretty damming indictment of a persons character to make fun of someone who doesn’t have any friends. I’m assuming that lad was talking shit just for the sake of it and didn’t think it through.

    The term ‘opening mouth before engaging brain’ comes to mind.

  13. I wouldn’t be friends with him, sounds like a prick.

    My wife is like you, small circle, super introverted. They’re happy and that’s what matters. If you’re happy then keep at it 🙂

  14. No, because I am not a child. Make sure you both have one fewer friend and distance yourself from this toxicity.

  16. He sounds like Mark Wright from TOWIE and how he treat James Argent.

    That guy was a plum, I think that long term mate of yours might be a plum too. Some people just get funny and have to constantly voice their observations no matter how rude.

    I would not think anything to a lack of friends, it’s hard to find quality people and especially when you work full time. Or even if I did I would not rip someone for it.

  17. This one is squarely their problem and they sound like a bit of a cock.

    Unless he’s 13 years old, it’s purely a reflection on them.

  18. I would feel sorry for them if they expressed that they were sad about it. Otherwise, no. My best mate is a severe social butterfly and I am not at all. Both of us are happy with our lives and wouldn’t want to trade lives with eachother. If you know this friend well and he is a good person, Ignore his comment, it probably wasn’t meant to hurt.

  19. I don’t think about those people, I have so many things going on in my life to think about.

  21. No, I’ve been and kinda still am that person, I wouldn’t talk down on someone like that.

    Tell that person to fuck off if they’re gonna act like that.

  22. I’m also a introvert & have a very small group of friends I trust. Whereas my partner, he has a large group of friends. Someone who puts you down isn’t a friend.

  23. No, not at all. Better to have a small number of actual friends than be surrounded by pricks like that guy.

  24. Well, now you have few friend -1. I’m an introvert too. I’ve learned the hard way, to reduce my social life to “quality over quantity” . Definitely know the difference between friends, companions and colleagues.

Leave a Reply