comment: >
  
  Is it like a fear? Maybe some people have a natural feeling that animals will do something to harm them? Also to animals I think they don’t see personal space as the same as us, I assume you’re talking about dogs who like to get up close to people and all that lol. What is it about societies issue with this that bothers you?
context: Totally get you. I don't like pets and animals in general, but I love looking at their funny antics on videos or documentaries.  What I especially dislike about them is how unpredictable they can be and their smell. >
  
  I think the issue is when someone says they don't like pets or animals most people hear "I hate animals.  If I see one I'm going to drop kick it."
  Just like when I say I don't like children.  They act like if I see a kid across the street, I'm going to run over and punch them in the face for existing.  Which isn't realistic at all. >
  
  thing is, some people do kick animals. Many hunt them as a sport. >
  
  Are you telling me the hunters you know drop kick their deer? >
  
  No, Einstein. I'm pointing out that unlike kids, there's a good reason people assume you not liking animals means you wanna hurt them. Killing animals is a legal sport, and eating their flesh is entirely normalized. It's not like society values animal lives. >
  
  There are plenty of people that like animals even more than humans with bland justifications like 'human bad, animal innocent and good'
  I'd say they're a worse type of person than those that don't like animals >
  
  Woah. You dont have to justify one action by demonizing another. 
  Quite frankly i dont care about one or the other. I know lots of people scared of animals because they have had past traumatic experiences. 
  But ive also known alot of people who can only function around animals because of trauma and abuse they’ve received at the hands of another person. Im not going to go into a whole thing but theres been tons of studies on the benefits of animal therapy you can easily go educated yourself on.
  Only thing i take from this is you’re extremely judgemental, biased, and lack empathy. >
  
  Interesting, pick a situation that I wasn’t talking about and add my views onto it; I never mentioned trauma victims.
  I suppose from our brief online encounter I can say you’re quick to judge and maybe could do with a little more thought before commenting. Just a little feedback to show my empathetic side. >
  
  Thank you.  My mother and my husband did not like animals, so it bothers me to hear negative, offensive things about people who don't.
  Come to think of it, I might put myself in that category as well, because while I don't dislike animals, I don't actively like them either.  I'm indifferent to them. >
  
  
  My mother and my husband did not like animals
  
  If they 'did not like animals' as in they saw them as lesser and treated them poorly, then yes, they're horrible people.
  If they simly did not want animal companionship themselves, that's totally different and not a problem. >
  
  Neither one ever did or ever would have abused an animal.  I know that because when I was growing up, we  had two dogs at different times and one cat.  When I was married, we had various cats.  Mom was outvoted and our daughter loves cats.
  But both, I'm sure, saw animals as lesser, if by that you mean that their lives were not as worthy as human lives.  I see them as lesser myself. >
  
  
  But both, I'm sure, saw animals as lesser, if by that you mean that their lives were not as worthy as human lives. I see them as lesser myself.
  
  Well, objectivelly animal lives aren't lesser nor more - we are animals. We may be biased towards our own species but that's all it is, really. A species doesn't really 'deserve' to die or live any more or less than other  'deserves' it. Ecologically, we could actually use way less humans, lol.
  But if you just don't enjoy animals close that's totally fine. It's people who like, enjoy hunting as a fun activity because 'it's just animals' - that's where I get psycho vibes. If your idea of fun is shoot an innocent animal you're loco in my books. >
  
  
  Objectively
  
  Guess I have to take another shot because someone used "objectively" for something subjective >
  
  I’m also not an animal lover. I have never gotten much flack for it other than the fact that people always insist I should get a pet and that it will make me happy if I have one of my own. >
  
  I've had this advice given to me and I honestly think it's the worst advice. It's so unfair to the animal to be in a home where the owner is reluctant/hesitant.
  You shouldn't adopt a kid unless you 1000% want to. I think the same applies to a pet. >
  
  Oh definitely. I’m not ever owning pets. No amount of people saying anything will change my mind. >
  
  It's weird to me to not like animals (cause I love animals) but I also understand I'm not you and you aren't me. We can be different and we can still both be good people. 
  It's also weird to me to see such hate towards someone who is basically just neutral towards animals? They don't hate them, they don't want them to be harmed and even mentioned in comments about getting mad when people harm animals. I bet they'd even make sure a hurt animal gets help. They just don't want the touching and the jumping. And you know what? I don't blame them. I don't want other people's pets doing that to me either. Train your pets, everyone. >
  
  Thank you! Also, awesome avatar! >
  
  You can measure a man more by how he treats his lessers than his equals. >
  
  Very true.
  What people can't seem to wrap their head around is that me not wanting to interact with an animal is not the same as me wanting it dead, hurt, sick or even unhappy.
  I'll watch a nature documentary and go to the zoo. I'll smile at you frolicking with your dog. I don't want to pet your dog, nor do I want to be licked by your dog. Somehow, that boundary is unacceptable in society nowadays lol. >
  
  The licking and jumping is the absolute worst I hate it with every ounce of my soul. Once I get used to a friends dog after a year or two I don’t even mind if it sits next to me (not on me though), but I leave the minute it tries licking/jumping/barking/any of that >
  
  I don’t like animals. I am fine if you have one but the cost benefit of having one myself does not add up. People react to that as if I just told them I am a serial killer. >
  
  You'd probably get a warmer reception from some people if you actually did tell them you were a serial killer instead. >
  
  I’m uncomfortable around animals mainly dogs, but I enjoy them in cartoons especially when watching the Wild Kratts and learning about them on YouTube and people talking about helping endangered species especially the two Northern Whites rhinos Najin and Fatu >
  
  I think as long as you treat them with respect it doesn’t matter if you like them or not. >
  
  It’s okay not to like animals. It’s another thing to hate animals and torture them because they are weaker and helpless and such people exist. >
  
  Here's the thing, in today's society, there is no room to have indifferent opinions about something like that. No matter what, you will be pressured to love or hate something depending on what you say about it. If you say, 'I don't really like animals, but I can't say anything bad about them', you will have two armies at your poles. One will try to pull you in to make you truly hate them, the other side will think you're already there, and battle you too.
  I noticed this with kids and families, as well as animals. It's something I speak about a lot. I hear how many people don't 'like' but don't 'hate' them, but soon will someone fly past and polarize that thought. I had a discussion with two people once, where I expressed my affiliation with prominence of family. One of them said this; they never found themselves ready to have a family, but could not fault anyone else for feeling otherwise. The other, however, could not stand the fact. Somewhere in the middle where I spoke to both of them, they started fighting. The angry one tried to push the other out in front with the same angered motive.
  Simply put, there's a lot of hatred and fanaticism in this world today and it plagues the middle-ground people. It's the same as politics. Exactly. If you are neither a crazy liberal or a block-headed conservative, one of them is going to try and capture you like an HVT. In today's society, everyone is fighting a social war and blank assets are paramount.
  The best thing you can do, honestly, is to not act halfway one way or the other, if you show any sign of that, one of those sides is gonna get you. I won't condone just fleeing to either side, but the few things I feel null about I don't even speak about. It's not worth my effort because I don't give a shit about those topics, and it's a tactical move to avoid being sucked into a war. >
  
  I had a dog growing up, but now as an adult I feel it would be cruel to have a pet, you have to look after a pet more than yourself and I can barely look after myself...plus they ARE unhygienic, I wouldn't be caught dead picking up dog shit >
  
  This is my attitude when it comes to house plants lol. I can barely look after myself, I don't want the death of a plant on my hands >
  
  Did you know that one blade of grass literally screams when it's cut by a rotary blade?...its just that high a pitch that the human ear can't hear it >
  
  Really living up to your username I see >
  
  I try too, lol >
  
  As someone who literally works with animals--not liking a particular type of animal doesn't mean you're a bad person. Not wanting to live with or keep animals as pets does not make you a bad person. But blanket, not liking animals? Yeah, you're probably a bad person. Same also goes for people who "hate people but love animals". >
  
  Lacking empathy for animals makes someone a bad person. >
  
  Idk treatment and attitudes toward children and animals are frequently indicators of personality dysfunction in people. Not universally or without nuance but….yeah, I think it’s fair to proceed cautiously with people with your attitude until you get to know them. Sorry, satan. >
  
  Lol, so if I don't enjoy having an animal throw itself at me, I'm Satan?
  And I find it deeply concerning that two people have now bucketed treatment of human children and animals together. >
  
  Mostly because it's scientific. A cat's meow has adapted to mimic a human baby's cry as to illicit a protection response from humans. And there is evidence that when looking at animals (especially domesticated animals), the same parts of the brain light up as when looking at children. 
  Like you may not like it, but science does indicate that a person's response to animals is not all that far off from their feeling towards children or other humans. >
  
  Well, first if you read what my stance is, it's that I don't want to interact (as in physically touch) the animal. I don't want to kill a cat or dog the moment I see it lol. I'm indifferent.
  Kids? Love them. Get along great with them (kids of friends, cousins etc). Adult humans? Sure. Animals? Two feet away? Great. At my feet or licking me? No.
  I don't think my feelings contradict what the science is saying and no scientific experiment will yield a 100% success rate anyway so there can and will be exceptions. >
  
  Sorry, I didn't mean to imply that you hated animals, only that the reason people have the feelings of unease around people who don't "like" animals is founded in science, and that lumping children and animals (particular animals traditionally considered pets) is not actually that weird scientifically speaking in this case. How you classify "liking" animals is definitely subjective. >
  
  Fair enough. I appreciate your clarification. I take issue with that unease even if it has a basis in logic simply because it's not a 100% empirical truth.
  Again, expressing the dislike should be a stronger basis than the existence of dislike itself. I'd be in the same camp as most animal lovers if I were to meet someone who kicked a cat or pushed them away roughly. I empathize with someone who just freezes when an animal is in close proximity.
  Both are dislike/unease/discomfort. The latter is judged more harshly than it should is my stance (merely reiterating this, not saying you were for or against it) >
  
  Most people realize there pets are pain to other people. >
  
  “Unhygienic, gross and potentially dangerous” is literally how i would describe humans lol >
  
  Except if a human were to throw themselves on you, you could press charges and they'd be arrested (hopefully) lol.
  (I am not saying animals should be arrested or punished for doing this) >
  
  Depending on severity and frequency, the animal would probably be put down. Many animals are when they haven’t done anything at all. Tbf. >
  
  The death of an innocent is always a tragedy. >
  
  I feel like it doesn’t matter either, I love animals because they are life separate to humans and to me it’s fascinating to have interactions with them despite how different they are to me. I see no reason to actively dislike something causing you no harm, though. >
  
  I don't want to be around one. I dislike it when an animal invades my space. And this is what the vast majority of society and these comments seem to take issue with.
  I will watch animals behind a glass cage or a TV screen with as much fascination and interest as the next guy. I don't want to touch one IRL.