I hate seeing TikToks like “if you have no friends, you’re the problem.” How fucked up do you have to be to throw a statement like that onto the internet — one that’s both broad and deeply personal — without even bothering to clarify what you mean? Friends are people who you share a lot in common with. Even most amoral people can still have plenty of friends. We all have met horrible people who never suffered social consequences of their actions. For example husbands who cheat on their wives never lost friends for that reason cause it’s morally acceptable in their circles. There are countless reasons someone might struggle to make or keep friends: cultural differences, being part of a marginalized group, growing up in a difficult family, struggling with mental health issues, or simply not sharing common interests with the people around them. Loneliness can be harmful, even deadly. Yet people casually throw around these blanket statements online, never considering who might see them. And often, the people sharing these opinions are too shallow to realize they might be doing real damage.