Posts by George Johnson7

electrictiger25 said:If we’re talking psychology, someone please just relocate my entire existence to that subforum. Honestly, I might as well move over to the "depression" thread so I can transition from being a perfectly sane woman
into a complete lunatic, much like Nicholson in *One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest* 😁

Capsule — look, I wasn't trying to imply that I'm somehow "superior" to anyone else who thinks
or wants different things out of life... I just needed to vent a little... and perhaps confirm that I'm not drifting through this alone..

Trust me, you are definitely not alone! Seriously. I actually walked away from my degree halfway through—even though I was doing great in my classes. But the thing was, I just wasn't happy. I finally realized I only signed up for it because my parents expected me to, you know? Total trap! And then there was my ex. I ended up breaking things off with him, too. It was such a weird situation because my whole family absolutely loved him! They were convinced he was "the one." Isn't that just absurd? Like, honestly, who cares what they think? Not me, that's for sure! 😁

It sounds like you’re feeling pretty bitter toward your family right now. I totally get it! Honestly, I felt the exact same way for a long time. But then it finally clicked for me: what am I actually gaining from all this? Nothing! I realized I needed to stop looking backward and start focusing on my own goals while I still have the drive to make things happen. Why waste precious energy on anger, old grudges, and endless fighting? That's energy you could be using for the things that actually matter to you! That's really all I'm trying to say. 🙂

Why don't you just be blunt with them? Tell them straight up that marriage isn't on the table and kids aren't happening for at least the next decade—if ever! Honestly, there is absolutely nothing weird about that. And your friends who *do* want those things? They aren't weird either. Everyone has different priorities, right? No one is a robot programmed to satisfy everyone else's expectations.

All those people talking nonsense about a "biological clock"? Please, they're just talking out of turn. Why on earth would you bring a child into this world if you aren't ready to take care of them right now? That would actually be the worst thing you could do to yourself and the kid.

Look, by the time you're 23, it should be crystal clear that nobody has any right to dictate how you live your life. Just sit down, have a heart-to-heart with yourself, figure out what you actually want, and decide how to make it happen. But there’s really no point in blaming others or acting like they're somehow "wrong" just because their life plans look different from yours.

And as for your parents... Ugh, sometimes parents just don't get that their kids aren't clones or extensions of themselves meant to finish their unfinished business. Don't sweat it too much, though. Once you start living life on your own terms, trust me, you won't even have the headspace to worry about what anyone else thinks.

electricdriver33 said:You weren't letting them into "nature," you were letting them onto the pavement. 😛
That’s why cat populations stay so high... no matter how many get hit by cars or torn apart, there are always enough left for people to just toss kittens into the water. They're like roaches. For every one that dies, five more show up... ☕
But I gotta admit, they aren't nearly as irritating as dogs. They're more independent (they clean themselves so they don't stink), smaller, and they don't bark or bite at you all the time. 🙂

I used to live almost out in the sticks. I had this massive forest right behind my house, but yeah, there were roads nearby too. My cats just went wherever the wind took them, and even though they had all that nature to explore, accidents happened. I guess that's how you end up becoming a "cat lady," right? You slowly lose your mind from picking up little paws off the road. Before you know it, you're just totally fine with vacuuming constantly, cleaning up messes, and living with scratched-up furniture just so they can stay safe... Oh well!

Lisa Myers said:Exactly... like I said—it’s pure hypocrisy. You look at these forums and there are endless threads and chats where women "show off" their pets. It's all "oh, he's so cute," or "how could anyone hurt an animal?" It's constant licking and petting and all that fluff. Then, those very same people go out and eat chicken nuggets or grab a burger at McDonald's—I know because they post about it constantly. But sure, let's just call them "selective animal lovers." They adore dogs and cats, but everything else is just food on a plate. Honestly, their comments attacking anyone who "doesn't love animals" are pathetic. And I also can't stand the people who take such a hardline "nothing animal-related" stance just so they can constantly nag everyone else. Look, I don't smoke, and smokers smell worse to me than dog poop. Am I supposed to say that to every single smoker I run into?

But seriously, what are people actually feeding these pets? Soy supplements? They're eating the same processed scraps you'd find at Burger King! When you see a stray kitten or a puppy abandoned on a street corner like literal trash—just shivering and howling because they're starving—it’s pretty hard to sit there and debate high-minded principles, right?

I have two rescue cats! I actually found them both out on the streets, so I guess you could say I’m a huge animal lover? They basically run the house. They're allowed in every single room, and they absolutely love sleeping right on my bed! Isn't that just the cutest thing?

William Collins11 said:Perhaps the title misses the mark—maybe even the subject itself—so please, moderators, feel free to delete or move this if it’s misplaced. (Or if I'm repeating something already posted.)

To be clear, I am one of the people mentioned in the title. The reality is that I simply don't like animals; yet, whenever I admit this in social settings, people look at me as if I were—without any exaggeration—a cold-blooded killer. I truly don't understand why.

Growing up, I never wanted pets, nor did I ever own them... I just never felt that need for that kind of companionship.

Let me clarify one thing immediately—I am strictly against any form of animal cruelty, abuse, or killing. What I see online—people starving animals or beating them to death—it makes me physically ill; it's horrific. I don't hate animals in the sense that I want them all wiped out, but I simply do not love them.

For instance, the other day I was grabbing coffee with a friend and her group of acquaintances—people I barely know. She had this little poodle that wouldn't leave me alone for a single second. It was jumping on everyone, barking, whimpering... and everyone else thought it was "absolutely precious," while I found it so irritating that I could barely stay in my seat. Eventually, I ended up snapping at the dog and pushing it away—mostly because it was trying to lick my face. The reactions from the group were indescribable... they looked at me like I was some sort of monster, or someone mentally unstable. They couldn't fathom how I could yell at a dog or push it away... they pushed me to the point where I went home in tears.

The truth is, I just don't like it when animals jump on me, or lick me, or the smell, or the fur... I can't imagine having a pet in my house—not even a canary, let alone a cat or a dog.

Why does society label those who don't love animals as outcasts, or as cold and terrible people? (Perhaps I am exaggerating slightly, but that encounter truly shook me.)

Has anyone else here dealt with similar experiences?

Exactly! You’ve got one of those friends who just can't help themselves, right? They constantly try to shove their totally unrefined pet in everyone's face. Honestly, I could never dream of forcing my cats on someone who clearly isn't feeling it. If I have guests over who aren't exactly thrilled about cats weaving through their legs, I’ll just pop the cats in another room. Problem solved! You were 100% right to be annoyed. Seriously, if she can't keep her dog under control, why would you want to grab coffee with her? Most people just don't care that much about someone else's animal. If I had to spend an hour and a half petting a stranger's dog or cat just to be polite, I'd absolutely lose it!

electricdriver33 said:Real animal lovers let animals live in nature, where they actually belong, instead of forcing them into a house. For example, anything bigger than a cat shouldn't be living in a city (especially things that bark and bite). ☕
I've run into plenty of fake dog lovers whose pets bark incessantly at closed patio doors for five hours a day (or the ones whose dogs bark constantly in apartment buildings), or the people who let their dogs off-leash in civilized areas, or the ones whose dogs go to the bathroom in elevators or at the top of high-rises or wherever kids play. 😠
People like that should be banned from owning pets, and if they want a farm, they should just move out of the city. Imagine what an apartment building or a neighborhood would look like if every unit/house had only one dog (not even mentioning the weirdos with twenty cats in one apartment). 🙂

My old cats? Yeah, they got taken out by cars. One of them actually got killed by someone else's dog. It was awful. Honestly, I don't even let my pets out into the yard anymore because I'm just totally over the whole process of having to scoop them off the road with a shovel. It’s too much. Anyway, you're just talking nonsense.