I'd like to see the folks at LJ rename the whole "friends" list and call it a "subscriber" list, or even "readers". There are emotions involved in naming things "friend", emotions that often don't make sense in the context of LJ, especially when someone can "friend" you without establishing a mutual relationship of some sort. I see a lot of angst from people who have been friended by a questionable stranger as well as people who have been unfriended by someone likable they've shared real life experiences with, drama that wouldn't feel half as pinchy if it was just a matter of subscribers shuffling around.

Anyhow, I try to think of my friends list more as a subscriber list, and it doesn't bother me so much when someone who might love to chat with me in real life gets bored with my daily drivel and quits reading my journal. It also makes it less personal when someone I don't particularly care for hangs on and keeps me friended, even when I don't friend them in return. I remind myself that they're just readers of my public journal, and not really moving in and out of my closest circle of association via LJ functions.