[komali2]

I found it sad too, because, and I say this as a dog lover who's had a great many of them (and a shitload other pets too), the line was "waking up every day putting my pup first is the best thing I’ve ever lived for."

I don't think it's bad to put a puppy first, where the indictment of society seems to stand for me is that this is "the best thing" they've ever lived for.

I'm really really happy for the OP because it's really good to have a wonderful thing to live for, of course. And, dogs are awesome (albeit as sibling said, genetically engineered to be awesome, not that that really matters). More like... this feels to me another example of the extreme isolation of our modern society, especially in countries like the USA which lacks a degree of freedom enjoyed by many of us (freedom from fiscal anxiety caused by medical or education debt, freedom from fear of homelessness, freedom of travel, of leisure). I don't know the OP's location but the story smacks true of so many of my American friends who have found joy in their isolated lifestyle after getting a dog. Functionally alone in the suburbs, after driving home alone from work, too far from social meeting places and too tired to go to them after getting home around 7, their greatest joy is the dog that greets them earnestly when they get home. Their outside time is forced (happily) by the dog that needs a walk, otherwise, why bother? Walk around in the suburbs? If there's even a sidewalk, you're lucky.

But there's plenty of people for whom human interaction is basically torture, and in cases like that I'm really happy that such people can still find a form of social joy through a dog. We could be completely missing the mark with the OP, basically projecting our frustration with modern society on a very short paragraph from a stranger.

[eyelidlessness]

> But there's plenty of people for whom human interaction is basically torture

On HN, sometimes doubly so. I’ve several times deleted similar comments anticipating they’d be misunderstood. But “indictment on society” and reinforcing that as an illness of society is beyond the cruelty I’d imagined people here would come up with.

> We could be completely missing the mark with the OP, basically projecting our frustration with modern society on a very short paragraph from a stranger.

Maybe? You think? Random people telling me there’s something wrong with the whole society around me because I love my dog?

[komali2]

/shrug there are many things wrong with society, I stand by that statement strongly.

[eyelidlessness]

You catalogued a bunch of big, wrong, assumptions about my life and circumstances, and about my disposition towards them. You went on to acknowledge that it’s possible you’re projecting. Which would be reasonable, even kind and a welcome amount of self-awareness relative to some others’ reactions, except…

I confirmed that yes, you’d been projecting, and yes your assumptions were wrong. And your reaction to that is to double down, strongly. So we’re back at my individual relationship, as one human, with my one pup, has anything at all to do with society, and that my affection is somehow an indictment thereof.

Look, I regret sharing that affection here and its reaction has lived rent free in my head for more time than I’d prefer to admit. But I’m also not going to pretend that total strangers translating I love my pup to anything about society is anything less than totally absurd, particularly anything negative.

And look, I’m prone to missing social cues, so when I saw the first reply I sincerely wondered if there was something implicit in my comment or these reactions that wasn’t connecting for me. But having read your and other explanations, I don’t think it’s me.

Anyway, hell is other people so I’m going to try my best to put this discussion out of mind, confident that my relationship with my pup and with my friends and family who don’t shrug when told they’re being cruel is much healthier than … whatever the hell this has been.

[komali2]

I'm sorry, I didn't intend cruelty towards you.

[eyelidlessness]

Thank you.