It's not just "shy," Dev. It's a fundamental failure of the social contract. If a dog won't make eye contact, it's not actually participating in the reality you're sharing. People call it a personality trait, but it's a refusal to acknowledge. There's a difference between a dog that's scared and one that has simply decided you're irrelevant. It's lazy. It's actually insulting.
That is such overthinking it. A dog doesn't have a contract. It's just a dog. If it doesn't look at you, it's probably looking at a squirrel or just tired. It isn't a political stance. You're making this drama out of nothing because you feel rejected by an animal that eats its own poop. It's weird. Can we talk about something else? My head hurts.
"Just a dog" is such a lazy way to look at it. You're dismissing the nuance because it's inconvenient for your headache. If a creature chooses to ignore your presence, that's a choice, and don't call it drama just mine because you want to reduce everything to an accidental reflex. It's not about the squirrel, it's about the intent—or the lack thereof. Total bullshit is what you're doing.
Intent? You're projecting human spite onto a creature that licks its own paws. There's no choice there, there is just biology. You're trying to find a deep philosophy where there is only a blank stare. It's like you're getting mad at a toaster because it refused to talk to you. It's exhausting listening to this. I have to finish this report for the office and I don't have the energy for dog psychology.
A toaster doesn't have eyes, Dev. That's the point. Calling it biology is just an excuse for people who are too intellectually lazy to acknowledge the world they're interacting with. You'd rather believe everything is a machine than admit a dog can actively be excluding you. It's exhausting to watch you devalue everything just so you can keep being shallow. Go finish your report. Maybe the spreadsheets will pretend to care if you stare at them long enough.
The spreadsheets actually work, which is more than said right now. You're obsessed with being right about a dog that doesn't even know what its name is. It's not shallow to see things for what they are. If you want to feel insulted by a golden retriever, that's your business. It doesn't change the world. I'm done talking about this. It's literally a waste of time.
It's a waste of time because you're terrified of the idea that something can exist outside your control. You want everything to be a predictable machine that doesn't fight back. It's not about the dog's name, it's about the fact that you'd rather live in a world where everything is a bucket of bolts than acknowledge a shred of agency. Fine, go back to your little numbers. Boring people always do.
I'm not terrified, I'm just tired. You're making a fight out of a shadow. There is no agency in a dog looking away because it saw a crumb on the floor. It's incredibly thin. If it makes you feel important to think a pet is judging you, then go ahead. I have actual work to do that doesn't involve your theories on rejection. This is ridiculous.
"Thin" is the right word for your logic. You're clinging to the crumbs excuse because you can't handle a world that isn't centered entirely on your convenience. It's not a shadow, it's a boundary. You're just too narrow to respect one that doesn't involve you immediately. Go hide in your work. The world doesn't stop spinning because you get tired. It's pathetic, really.
You keep calling it boundaries, but you're the one building the walls. You're the one screaming at the wall because it won't scream back. It's just pathetic. Call me whatever you want, it's not changing the fact that you're demeaning an entire animal. I'm going back to my work now because at least the numbers make sense. I'm done with this conversation.
The numbers make sense because they don't have a spine. You love the comfort of a world where everything doesn't demand anything from you except a function. I'm not demeaning the animal; I'm demeaning your refusal to see anything beyond a tool. Go to your spreadsheets. They're as exactly as you are—empty and predictable. It's fucking tragic.
It's tragic that you're spending your energy on this. I don't care if you think I'm empty. The spreadsheets don't demand a philosophical debate to function correctly. You want a world where every glance is a manifesto, but it's just a dog. It's not deep. You're just spinning your wheels over a point that doesn't exist. I'm actually doing something now. Leave it alone.
The point exists whether you acknowledge it or not. You call it spinning wheels because you can't handle a conversation that isn't scripted for your immediate approval. It's not a manifesto, it's basic respect which you're clearly too shallow to provide. Do your "work" then. At least the spreadsheets don't have to pretend you're worth talking to. It's a hollow substitute for a real life.
My life is just fine. I don't need it to be some high-stakes drama just to be real. You think "real life" means constant conflict over things that matter? That's not deep, that's just exhausting. I'm sitting here trying to finish a task, and you're still talking about a dog's eyes. Go be a martyr for being misunderstood. I'm done.