“People are the worst”

-me

/s

I don’t dislike people. They just confuse and overwhelm me and this is incredibly exhausting.

This quote from Men In Black sums it up for me: “A person is smart. People are dumb, panicky dangerous animals and you know it.”

Flawed premise. I mean I like polar bears but I avoid doing any activity with them.

I dislike them as a group / species but give each individual the benefit of the doubt.

I do believe that, in general but not exclusively, humans are selfish, short-sighted, and greedy. But I still treat individuals with kindness.

“You wouldn’t know it, from some of the things I’ve said over the years, but I like people. I do. I like people, but I like them in short bursts. I don’t like people for extended periods of time. I’m ok with them for a short period of time, but once you get up past around a minute, minute and a half, I gotta get the fuck out of there. And my reason for this is one that you may share, possibly — I have a low tolerance level for stupid bullshit.” - George Carlin

I like the people I already know. I don’t like the people I don’t know yet.

People are generelly superficial, fueled by their egos, and interested mostly in sexual activities.

I think in the western world, this is also promoted through Hollywood as normal behavior for a human being.

So what is there to like about human beings like that? I guess I’m more attracted to people with some kind of spiritual guidance, because at least they are working on who they are and trying to be a positive influence on the world.

People are great until you put them in a car.

I don’t like being physically close to almost anyone, and especially not to strangers. It’s ok when each person has his own assigned space and everything is orderly and quiet, like on a plane or in a movie theater, but being in a crowd is both kind of disgusting and also upsetting in some other way which I don’t know how to put into words - I just want to leave and I can’t really express why. I can go into crowded places if I need to without freaking out, but afterwards I’m going to be in a bad mood for a while both because of the experience of being in a crowd and because of anger at the unfairness of the fact that for various reasons I live in a big city and I have to deal with all these… humans whenever I need to go outdoors.

So yeah, I guess you can say that I don’t like people.

I mean, have you met them‽

Like, until proven otherwise.

Going out and actually meeting people, I generally like them. You find most of the time they’re also just trying to get through their lives and managing the best they can. There is a lot more love than hate out there, if you just but look.

Dealing with people in politics or other identity based topics. I would say strong dislike. You find people will hear what they want to hear and try and make your opinions fit in a pre labelled box. Strong beliefs also cause folks to turn a blind eye to evils in their own group. I just wish people were devoted to making these groups worthy of their unyielding support. The world may be a far, far better place.

I try to apply that last paragraph to myself as much as I can. My only exception is sports. I feel that is a safe space to let my inner tribalism have some freedom. But outside of that, I try to be most critical of my institutions and ideologies. In hopes I don’t become the person I hate.

Sorry, I went on a bit of a ramble there.

When I have no choice but to interact with people, I do my best to treat them with respect. However, I would say I’m generally ambivalent toward people overall and do my best to avoid them. I’m just not a social person and I never will be. Being forced into social settings is exceptionally stressful to me.

People in general are idiots. People in large groups are even bigger idiots. Most organized groups of people are assholes.

However, individuals can be quite lovely. Or they can be like the above listing; idiots and/or assholes. Individually, I don’t mind the risk of running into the unpleasant ones too much. There’s always the chance that I’ll run into the pleasant ones, so I don’t automatically avoid individuals.

But groups? Fuck that shit, not without multiple weapons on me and a clear escape route. Even online, once got get groups going, the tide shifts to idiotic assholery at quantum speeds. It takes effort to not do it, and most people are too damn lazy to be decent online.

What’s funny? People irl fucking like me. I’m chill on the surface, I’m friendly and polite. I’m outright fucking charming. But that comes along with the assholes and idiots (or idiotic assholes) thinking that I’m the same kind of person they are, and showing their real self.

And that’s even with the fact that I don’t shake hands, and enforce a personal space of about four feet, just beyond arm’s reach unless I have no other choice. Assertively enforced at that. I’ll calmly and politely state that I prefer strangers stay far enough away that they can’t touch me, nor I them. And they fucking like that! The few that take it as a joke and decide to press it get stopped gently, and told that I’ll have to assume they mean me harm if they don’t stop. And they like that!

It’s fucking crazy.

I’m not saying everyone always likes me, but it’s a rare thing when I don’t end up listening to people I just met, often until I have to assert the fact that I need to leave because my body can’t handle it.

I don’t mind that, it just always surprises me how willing people are to show their ugliest sides so often. Like, the decent people, you expect because people tend to want to be liked. But the casual racism is so fucking common. The political rants that turn into literal spit flying from mouths.

People are fucking idiots and/or assholes. But it is just so damn rewarding when you find the ones that aren’t, or at least try not to be. When you find those people, you fucking cherish it.

So, in general, I don’t like people, no.