Making friends can be hard sometimes, but when you have a friendship there are some things that are so common to us that we don’t even think about. For example, most people wouldn’t insult a stranger and being insulted by one would most likely catch you off guard. However, most young adults insult their good friends.

Insult might not be the word to always use but casually teasing or even making harsh comments toward your good friend or family is usually funny.

If you were to ask an older generation of people, they might not necessarily understand why people insult each other but in the young generation it is common.

Social media also display rude or hateful statements but is nearly almost always a joke.

Most young adults say their friends know they are kidding, so it doesn’t really matter what he or she might say to one another.

“I jokingly insult my friends because they are like my sisters and they know I don’t mean it,” junior Sydney Klaus said.

Students said they insult their friends because it is funny.

“It’s almost like you can do it back to them and it is just as funny,” senior Emily Peckam said.

Seniors Brooke Russel and Emily Miller said they always insult each other, even over Twitter.

“Most of the time, our insults become a competition,” Miller said. “We see who can reply with a better comeback.”

There is also a portion of people who believe it can go too far or be hurtful, even if you are friends.

“I think it is okay to be funny as long as they are your close friend,” sophomore Rachelle Lumpkins said. “But if a stranger were to say something rude to me or someone I don’t know well, I would feel extremely offended.”

Again, it might be funny to or from your friend, but if a stranger were to make fun of you, it could easily make you feel uncomfortable.

“I guess I would just laugh if someone I didn’t know made fun of me,” senior Lexie Schaben said. “But I would have to admire them for being honest.”

Although teens are teasing their friends to be funny, some say it could really be coming out of jealousy.

“People probably insult their friends just for the fun of it, but it could also be that you are just plain jealous of them, such as maybe making fun of someone for getting a new or because you might want a new car,” freshman Mason Weber said.

The benefit of making fun of a friend is really slim to none. However, it’s something that an unbreakable bond only does. There is a right and a wrong time to say things.

“If you take insults seriously,” junior Riley Zimmerman said. “then it’s just not considered a true friendship.”

16hbaxter@usd489.com