Are you a people person or an animal person?

[Freesia]

I was thinking about a conversation i had with my brother yesterday. He is an omni, and he is I guess what you would call a people person. He is great with people, but he finds animals baffling, he doesnt seem to really understand them much.

As for me, I sometimes find people a bit confusing but I find animals pretty fascinating, and while I dont get along or connect with all of them, I seem to find some common ground with many I meet.

So I wonder if perhaps a lot of people who decide to stay omni are more "people people" than animal people, and perhaps people who are more oriented towards understanding animals are more likely to become vegetarians or vegans....

 

[Envy]

A little of both.

 

[Freesia]

I am too in a way. But I do find animals easier to understand than people.

 

[yakherder]

Once I learned to accept that even the best, most respectable people are hypocritical by nature and not to be bothered by it, and to judge them based on facts rather than some irrational cultural ideal of how people are supposed to be, people became much less confusing to me.

I still find animals more honest. As I type this my kitten is sitting on my lap purring. If she were human, I'd have to ask myself whether or not it was genuine or if there were ulterior motives to her supposed friendship. But she's a cat, and cats don't sit on your lap purring unless they mean it. Same with dogs. They don't pretend to wag their tail in happiness. You can tell exactly what an animal feels despite it not having words to tell you.

 

[Envy]

I still find animals more honest. As I type this my kitten is sitting on my lap purring. If she were human, I'd have to ask myself whether or not it was genuine or if there were ulterior motives to her supposed friendship. But she's a cat, and cats don't sit on your lap purring unless they mean it. Same with dogs. They don't pretend to wag their tail in happiness. You can tell exactly what an animal feels despite it not having words to tell you.

Or a mild case of paranoia.

 

[Amy SF]

I'm not sure being a people person or an animal person has any bearing on one's diet preference. There are plenty of omnis who still find humans confusing and gravitate more towards animals. And I'm sure there are veg*ans who consider themselves more as people persons and don't really "get" animals. They just prefer not to eat them.

As for me, maybe I fit Freesia's stereotype, for lack of a better word, because I am definitely more of an animal person than a people person. I think I understand nonhuman animals better than I understand people, and I most definitely prefer being in the company of nonhumans rather than humans. Perhaps it's because I feel that nonhumans are less judgmental than humans.

 

[Freesia]

Interesting. To me it is not that animals dont have agendas, but when they do it is easier to sort of understand and pick out, it is often something like "I am going to wait until your back is turned and run for the food box" or "I am going to destroy this because you are playing with the dog and I want you to play with me" or similar. And other times they are totally honest with no desire to be anything other than what and who they are.

Whereas people can be very complex as I find, I dont know, perhaps I just have a simple brain. Yet I know that some people have no problems at all reading people but they may not be able to translate that to understanding animals. I guess it is probably 2 different things altogether.

 

[Blobbenstein]

people are animals...and it just seems a landscape to me with different animals having different properties...obviously humans are more complex, or have more detail....humans are like a large mansion with lots of rooms, whereas a cow has fewer rooms....animals are often more peaceful...I would miss people, if I were stuck on a desert island.

 

[KLS52]

I pick both and I agree with Blobbenstein's thought regarding people being more complex. I'll write more later when it's not 3 am.

 

[AeryFairy]

I'd say I'm slightly more of an 'animal person' - although I have a very social side and get on well with a wide variety of people, I'm generally happier around animals. People in general do far too many things that cause me distress.

 

[yakherder]

Or a mild case of paranoia.

A mild case of paranoia is ideal in this world
Enough to keep you alert, but not so much that you can't sleep at night.

 

[Moll Flanders]

I love my non-human animals and I find a lot of humans annoying so I am very selective with people I spend time with.

 

[KLS52]

I think I have an exceptionally high tolerance for annoying people in general. Not sure that's something to brag about. It tends to make me excuse behavior that maybe shouldn't be excused? I'm always thinking, so and so acts that way because (insert any random excuse of the day)...poor so and so.

 

[PTree15]

I guess I fall into the "a little of both" character. I'm usually pretty good at reading people and not so bad with animals. I get along with most people most of the time, but there are times when people annoy me, and when I get in my "I can't stand people" mode, I just have one of my cocoon weekends during which I just hang out at home with the cat and retreat from human contact. I need those every so often.

 

[Muggle]

Non-human animals. I hate humans.

 

[Renee1]

Neither is probably the most fair answer for me. I'm a loner, really.

 

[Wolfie]

I like certain people and do like to spend time with friends but generally speaking animals rule, humans drool. Animals, dogs in particular, are much easier to read than people because they don't try to hide their true feelings.

 

[Digger]

I guess I'm indifferent to both. I'm vegetarian but not for AR reasons and I have no animal companions, but at the same time I have no human companions either. I'm at a strange point in my life where I do not want to depend, or be depended upon, by human or non-human animals alike. What does that make me?

 

[Freesia]

Independent?

 

[Freesia]

I guess I fall into the "a little of both" character. I'm usually pretty good at reading people and not so bad with animals. I get along with most people most of the time, but there are times when people annoy me, and when I get in my "I can't stand people" mode, I just have one of my cocoon weekends during which I just hang out at home with the cat and retreat from human contact. I need those every so often.

Yes, that is how I feel sometimes too (except the being able to read people bit).