Sinjin+S’s+2017+OpEd+Article

The Power of Friendship? For the past 10 years, I’ve had maybe two friends at most. In elementary school, I had two “best friends”. We were the Three Musketeers, the trio of friends who would stick together through thick and thin. Naturally, one of them turned out to be the catalyst that would burn the bridge between myself and another important friend. And just because of our stupid quarrels, the friendship between parents, not to mention their children, were all screwed up. Somehow, the contempt an eleven-year-old had for me was strong enough to push away the best of friends, even those decades older than I am. You see, some stories are saturated with the trope most known as the Power of Friendship. This particular trope is especially prevalent in video games and anime, to the point where it’s become a cliché. These stories focus on the bonds between the characters, and how those bonds give them strength. Yet just how true is this trope? Do friends really make you stronger? Does being alone really make me weak? In middle school, I had two friends. One of them was the bystander from last year, who for some inexplicable reason decided to stick with me. The other was someone I met the first day, and we just so happened to have similar interests. Yet thanks to him, it was suddenly cool to bully Sinjin at any opportunity. Yes, my name was Hippo. When I hear that group laughing in the distance, I still wonder if they’re laughing at me. And how many times would I be ditched at lunch, just for me to walk back to the library to mask my loneliness with a “love for reading”? Friends make fun of each other all the time, but even now I wonder whether that was friendly teasing or outright humiliation? Was it just a bunch of guys calling me a girl because it was funny, or because I wasn’t “man” enough? Do friends really stand up for you? Do they actually care how you feel? Are friendships not just mutual beneficial relationships which people gain something from? Yet…if friends really didn’t care, then how come stories are so saturated with the aforementioned trope? How come children’s television always depicts friendship as beneficial, to the point where “Friendship is Magic”? Is friendship really that easy? Or do I simply struggle to maintain my own, instead deciding to distance myself from everyone acting aloof? It was also in middle school, I realized just how terrible I was at making and keeping friendships. Was it better to attempt to reach out to people with similar interests, or refrain to prevent the same mistake of elementary school? No matter where I went with my two friends, I was the tagalong kid – the guy nobody wanted there. And even when I did make a friend, I’d drive them away. I started to burn my own bridges. I understand that when it comes to social anxiety, I’m pretty calm. There are so many people out there who struggle with it much more than I do, yet at the same time, I manage to always come off as awkward and creepy. I can hold small conversations with my seat partner, chatting about how we always write the same blog in English. But how do I know when I talk too much? If friendship makes me stronger, then how come I consistently choose to suddenly stop talking to my “friends”? How many friends do I have now? Just what is a friend? What about my one best friend? Will he eventually leave me, get tired of me, or just grow to hate me? Perhaps I’m just overly attached to my friendships? Even to this day, I’m reluctant to branch out. It’s undeniable that I’m a coward who burns the bridges that I want to make, only because I just so happened to be hurt once before. But just because the Power of Friendship can be amazing and wonderful, stories should include the negatives of friendship. Friendship isn’t always blue skies and sunshine, but sometimes they can be the noose around your neck, the venomous snake which entices you to come further, only to bite you when you least expect it. Perhaps that is why I enjoy Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men - a novel with an imperfect friendship that ultimately results in accidental tragedy. George and Lennie will always stand out in my mind for their story. The novel’s conclusion serves as a bittersweet reminder of the two’s tragic flaws, resulting in Lennie’s death.

Well that was pretty sad. And I hate writing about my personal experience. Seriously, not like anyone else other than teachers will read my muckraker! (And if you’re reading this, the “official” conclusion to my muckraker was that last paragraph, so you don’t have to read the rest of this.) So to make myself feel just a bit better, I’ll talk about one type of friend who will always remain loyal: PETS!

This is Ashley. We adopted her when I was about three. We’ve been lifelong rivals, having fought many battles for the reign of my mother’s lap. We call her Ashcat, because it’s cute. She’s usually kinda grumpy, and nowadays she’s like an old lady. But she’s SO LOVING, I NEED TO STOP WRITING THIS AND GO PAY ATTENTION TO HER!!! She loves rubbing against your legs, and purrs so much when you pet her! If only I weren’t allergic to her, I’d keep her in my room all the time. Yet alas, I’m forced to visit her in her fortress of solitude: the garage. Damn you allergies!

This is Coltraine. (Weird spelling, am I right?) She was such a great friend and I miss her soooo much. This one time when I was around 8 I was riding my bike when I flipped and scraped my knee, and then started crying. Coltraine came running up to me and started licking away my tears! Like what did we do to deserve dogs? Seriously I miss her so much. But that photo was of her when she was a pup – she’s grown a lot bigger. We gave her to my great aunt, who gave her to someone else, so we haven’t seen her since. I miss her.

This is Penny. Her full name is Penny Lane Serrano. (Because of the Beatles Song. My parents and I love their music.) She’s kinda a brat, but SHE’S SO ADORABLE. But she also smells. We really need to give her a bath. Sometimes we just sit on the living room floor together staring out into the backyard. But she’s too cute and loving. Sometimes she’ll come over and just lay down, and ask for a belly rub. And she licks a lot. She even licks the bottom of my feet, which I cannot imagine must taste good. But doggy kisses apparently release healthy endorphins for them or something? I should go take her for a walk or something.