So it was trust farming after all :/
Not necessarily, I think OP doesn't understand that since his friends aren't on default trust, he doesn't get green trust.
It may have more to do with the fact that the OP doesn't understand that his friends aren't on his own trust list. As far as I understand, the first thing you're supposed to do after learning how the trust system works is to remove default trust and start building your own list. See here:
https://bitcointalksearch.org/topic/starting-fresh-with-trust-how-to-remove-default-trust-1103508
Why don't you suggest what needs to be overhauled? Many complain but offer no solutions or suggestions. I've yet to see any feedback system that works perfect or doesn't have flaws or faults.