Compartmentalizer: It's Who I Am

I have a friend who says that I like to compartmentalize things. You what? You know what? You know what?

She's right. I do that.

And I have every intention of keeping on doing that.

I have another friend who says that she was designed a certain way. I always make the joke with her that if you don't like and get tired of men, you can always switch sides. She says,  like most women,  that she wasn't made that way.

I was designed to be the type that compartmentalizes things. 

For better or worse. I think, better.

I am an out of the box thinker. That is me. But, I like to organize everything into a box. A file. A folder. Similarly, I like to group my friends. Yes, I know, I am a dichotomy. Something that was not lost on my mother, my teachers and everyone else who knows me.
Anyway, on Facebook,  that comes in handy. And when I don't do that on Facebook,  I am reminded again why I should.
I will give you some examples of the types of friends I have on FB and why I need, and should group them as such.
 
1. You have your fun friends.  They say fun things,  post funny pics.  But generally they aren't debaters, or political, or like to ruffle feathers. I have that fun side to me, but I also like to mix it up and as my friend says "agitate". That is a very nice way to say I stir up shit so others will participate. Not intentionally, but I certain do it.

Guilty.

2. Highly intellectual friends who want to think,  debate,  challenge and argue. They can be fun, but they rarely show that. They rarely mix well with your fun friends and you have very few who are both fun and intelligent. They may be that, but they don't show it so much on facebook.


3. Weird friends. You know the ones. The ones your other friends ask you about. "Who is that weird guy and what is his problem?" Why do you stay friends with him? Well, he provokes me, makes me think, brings an element that others don't. Would I go out for drinks with him? Not likely, but when I am looking for material or to be stimulated, he is right there to give me that. Some would say, that at many times,  I am that friend to them.


Guilty.

4. Talented friends. Writers, musicians, artists, etc. This group is also usually a mixture of all other types of friends, as all of these can be. But this group moreso. No matter what though, they are important because you share some sort of artistic connection with them.

5. Batshit crazy friends. We all have at least one. I have and have had several, and continue to. These are usually transient friends who wear their welcome out at some point and are blocked. They are tempting because they appear entertaining, until they are annoying, obnoxious, revolting and troublesome.

 Not Guilty.

I may be a bit crazy,  but never batshit crazy. 



6. Family, school and childhood friends. Nuff said. It is part of the deal if you are on facebook. Most of us make apologies for them and tell our friends in private "don't mind him,  that is just my crazy, alcoholic, lazy brother". I have heard that one more than once.  I get it. I have several in real life.

7.  Hot friends. I know a lot of us don't like to admit this, but we friend some people because we encounter them and they look really good. All of us wanted to be friends with the hottest kid in school of the opposite sex. On facebook, we get to achieve that. Usually they have a huge list and they barely interact with you,  but they are still around and we know it. It is our guilty pleasure. Like chocolate on a night out when you have stuck to your diet for weeks. 

 Guilty.

8. Gamer friends. I play lots of games on Facebook, mostly word games, and from time to time I meet interesting people that end up being friends. Most times that contact fades off, but they stay on your list. Then, you just suddenly notice somewhere in the future that they are gone. Probably one of the above class of friends pushed them away. Or maybe it was you. They just didn't end up liking you. 

 Yeah, most likely it was you.

Because I may actually be a different kind of friend to a lot of my friends, because I am a mix of a lot of the above categories, I choose to interact with all of them.

The problem comes when you try to interact with all of them at once, and they mingle. My solution to this, on some level,  has been to join and create groups to interact with those who are suitable to that activity. In school, we called those cliques. And that is exactly what they are. 
Because of the recent U.S. election, this has become increasingly more obvious. I have had many run ins with friends who didn't share mine or other friends point of view. In some cases, they argued with each other, quite emphatically.
Being a compartmentalizer, my solution has been to create more groups and take the discussions there, while leaving the fun cat pics and cute lifestyle status and pics on my main page.
It's who I am. And  when I don't do this, I am reminded that I should.

See,  it is better. Told ya.   

 P.S.

Don't ask me to classify you, I wont. If you don't know who you are,  I am not going to be the one to tell you. That is another compartment I use. Being smart.