comment: >
  
  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.
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.