Staff Editorial: The designated friend

When your friend gets kicked out of a bar for being too drunk, do you walk back home with him or her or do you stay and continue to have a great time?

Or what if you get into LIV with your ID and your friend gets rejected? Do you go home with them or do you stay?

We all know what the right answer is to both questions. But, do we actually carry through with the “good friend” role in some situations? Not always.

With increased freedom comes increased responsibility- especially in college. We no longer have our parents to make decisions for us and to keep an eye on us 24/7. Without our parents and siblings around to look out for us, we begin to rely on our friends for support and help.

Yes, being a true friend means offering a listening ear, a shoulder and a bottle of wine after a rough week. But, what is all that worth if you can’t help out a friend who is too drunk to walk? Or if you just stay at the club and have a great time while your friend takes a cab back home after being rejected?

The responsibilities of being a good friend should not be forgotten when you’re intoxicated or out partying. For example, last year a University of Miami student was trapped under a Coral Gables street sweeper at 1 a.m. Where were her friends to help her out in this dangerous situation? If friends were always looking out for each other, people would be less likely to accidently get themselves involved in scary and life-threatening situations.

We’re not saying to keep an eye out for your friends to the extreme. How many of us have had someone there to hold our hair while we’re puking? What would have happened if that person hadn’t been there? Being a friend is about mastering the art of timing. There are times when your friends have to hurt themselves and mess up so they can learn from their mistakes. But, there are also times when you need to look out for them when it seems they cannot avoid an unsafe situation alone.

With that said, this doesn’t mean you should go out and get completely hammered and expect your friends to always take care of you. Everyone wants to have a good time, so be smart, choose your friends carefully and don’t put yourself in risky situations.

Whether you’re going out to a bar or football game, it is important to make sure you have a friend there who you can count on. After all, in college, your close friends somewhat replace your family, and if they are not watching out for you, who is?

Editorials represent the majority view of The Miami Hurricane editorial board.