| 1 | In most contexts, this is enough of a DiscreditedTrope that genuinely straight uses are rare, at least in works of fiction, unless the author is really clueless. When this trope is invoked ''without'' ironic intent, whether by people in RealLife or InUniverse by authors of fiction, it is typically used with a side of defensiveness by people who realize this is not generally considered to refute charges of discrimination or prejudice, and consider this unfair. This persistence of usage tends to take the trope from {{discredited|Trope}} to {{pet peeve|Trope}} for those that find the trope in itself dubious, let alone its use by the more or less subtly racist, sexist, classist, etc. Do not expect these to be mollified by the introduction of a TokenBlackFriend or PetHomosexual into the picture, most especially not if their characterization also invites StopBeingStereotypical reactions. |
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| 3 | Straight versions of the trope face three main kinds of problems: |
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| 5 | # As indicated above, it is strongly associated with attempts to justify no longer accepted biases and prejudices ("Some of my best friends are..." women/gay/members of ethnic minorities/etc.). |
| 6 | # The belief that the minority friends are [[BigotryException the "exception" to the person's prejudices]], making it open season on everyone else in the group for not holding up to their ideals (i.e., not being just like them). Another way to say it is "Xism is how you react to people ''not'' in your circle of friends." |
| 7 | # More fundamentally, friendship does not guarantee an absence of prejudice, and the very act of thinking of someone not as your friend Bob or Alice, but as your [insert group name here] friend Bob or Alice, suggests bias and stereotyping.[[note]]While group membership may be part of the person's identity, even a core part, referring to them ''primarily'' in terms of their group membership is problematic. At the very least, it indicates that perceptions of the group affect perceptions of the person; at worst, it implies tokenism.[[/note]] This may not apply if you find yourself faced with somebody from a PlanetOfHats, but PlanetOfHats is itself a trope that relies on stereotyping, as in a lack of individual and other variety within a group. By extension, there is the worry that this trope is a way of claiming NWordPrivileges by proxy, and the user may even use a form of proxy {{Boomerang Bigot}}ry to this end ("SomeOfMyBestFriendsAreX, and ''they'' think that their group have these faults, too, so why can't ''I'' say it?"). |
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FollowingContext Analysis / SomeOfMyBestFriendsAreX
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