Survey: Average American Hasn’t Made a New Friend in 5 Years

Re:Survey: Average American Hasn’t Made a New Friend in 5 Years by ncldmmt on Wednesday October 09, 2019 @07:17PM (#21209252)

You use drugs everyday when you smoke, drink alcohol or coffee. It's not really about the substance itself (which you may choose to take small to moderate amounts if you don't want to sustain a habit) but the personalities of people you meet there and the bonding over shared sensations. In other words, it's easier to befriend the kind of people who trip and rave than the kind of people 'values' and 'responsibilities' forbid them from doing so.

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Re:Survey: Average American Hasn’t Made a New Friend in 5 Years by arandr0x on Thursday October 10, 2019 @12:05PM (#21216116)

Not really a "values" argument but isn't it unsafe to use drugs (even alcohol) alone with strangers? I guess for men a bit safer but still?

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Re:Survey: Average American Hasn’t Made a New Friend in 5 Years by TheAdamAndChe on Wednesday October 09, 2019 @07:23PM (#21209290)

People with values and responsibilities tend to make friends in places like churches, which disproves your point.

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Re:Survey: Average American Hasn’t Made a New Friend in 5 Years by ncldmmt on Wednesday October 09, 2019 @07:30PM (#21209327)

>People with values and responsibilities tend to make friends in places like churches

What? Are you implying that people with values and responsibilities can't be atheist or irreligious? How about people who don't go to church due to not living in a country as religious as the land of the free, do they lack values or responsibilities? Also how does that relate to my previous post? I just don't understand your post at all.

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Re:Survey: Average American Hasn’t Made a New Friend in 5 Years by idrios on Wednesday October 09, 2019 @08:07PM (#21209559)

"People who go to church have values", doesn't mean "People who don't go to church don't have values". He was just using it as an example of how people make (or used to make) friends.

To your original point about drugs helping you make friends, I'd argue that you're making friends because 1. It's a shared experience, and 2. It's taboo, which forces extra trust between you and everyone who joins. Not so much as an effect of the drugs themselves.

Others in this thread dislike that you're suggesting drugs as a way to make friends because, well drugs are taboo. It's not like you can just post "Going to a rave and doing shrooms" as a meetup event online, nor can you invite your wife and kids to go camping and do LSD, so your suggestion is not very helpful for the kinds of people here who would be having a hard time making friends in their adulthood.

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Re:Survey: Average American Hasn’t Made a New Friend in 5 Years by ncldmmt on Wednesday October 09, 2019 @08:18PM (#21209618)

>People who go to church have values", doesn't mean "People who don't go to church don't have values"

They said "people who have values go to church", which isn't the same statement. It's equivalent to "people who don't go to church don't have values". A -> B is equivalent to non-B -> non-A and so on.

>To your original point about drugs helping you make friends, I'd argue that you're making friends because 1. It's a shared experience, and 2. It's taboo, which forces extra trust between you and everyone who joins. Not so much as an effect of the drugs themselves.

We are in agreement there. The community aspect is paramount.

>It's not like you can just post "Going to a rave and doing shrooms" as a meetup event online

You absolutely can. Hell, I've been to plenty of those. (Of course they won't explicitly mention the drugs but given the clandestine or ephemeral setting and the kind of music you know what to expect.)

>nor can you invite your wife and kids to go camping and do LSD

Okay I admit I chuckled. Note that many festivals or similar events have whole families attending, complete with spouse and kids. Presumably the parents take care of the kids and don't give them acid but that doesn't prevent the friendmaking with fellow festival goers.

>so your suggestion is not very helpful for the kinds of people here who would be having a hard time making friends in their adulthood.

Most ravers are in their adulthood. Raves have been a thing for 30+ years, some of the early adopters are old enough to have grandkids.

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Re:Survey: Average American Hasn’t Made a New Friend in 5 Years by TheAdamAndChe on Wednesday October 09, 2019 @08:52PM (#21209852)

Don't misquote me. I did not say "people who have values go to church," I said "People with values and responsibilities tend to make friends in places like churches." It is a statement that extends to any community-creating institution like a civic center, soup kitchen, etc.

Edit: I see now that you were merely replying to someone else that misquoted me. Know at least that my original post was not to say that only church-goers have values.

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Re:Survey: Average American Hasn’t Made a New Friend in 5 Years by blacksmith_tb on Wednesday October 09, 2019 @07:38PM (#21209379)

Presumably quite a lot of churchgoers drink coffee? And alcohol?

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