This person is having major problems with their friends.

Hi,

I hope you’re doing fine at the moment and please remember to always wash your hands and wear your mask when you’re in public if Covid-19 cases are still high in your place!

We’ve all seen or met rude people and in my opinion, you can find more rude people through the internet, and this might be because of the anonymity that our computers or our smartphones provide. I don’t know why people think it is okay to be rude to others online or if they’re completely unconscious that they are actually being rude or if they’re just having a bad day and they accidentally are rude to others. We never know because they’re just strangers to us. And usually in that situation, the best thing to do is just ignore them and move on because their opinion on us does not matter.

In the case of your encounter with your friend, he is no longer a stranger. You now know who he is and you have the chance of asking why he’s behaving that way. If you want to, you can ask why he did so and maybe that might provide a feeling of closure or some sort. Understanding where he’s coming from might make you move on from this incident better.

For the question on whether you should stay friends or not, I wouldn’t know the correct answer for you because you’re the one experiencing this. I wouldn’t want to push my opinions on you when you’re the one going through this. However, if it was me in your situation, I would not stop being friends with him because he apologized and that means he regrets his actions and everyone deserves a second chance. And referring back to my earlier advice, I would ask him why he was being so rude to a stranger just for closure.

But if you still feel uncomfortable despite his apology, it’s okay to distance yourself from him and maybe one day, if you want to, you can be friends with him again.

Love,

The Advice Column Team