Do you care if people don't like you?

[idun]

I saw a discussion about this on The Wright Stuff this morning.

Anthropologists, apparently, say that we all care, even if we say we don't, but as far as I am concerned that is not correct, I believe it is far more complicated than that.

When it boils down to it, as far as I am concerned, it would depend 'who'.

There are plenty of people I like and I think that I would feel hurt and sad if I thought that this feeling was not reciprocated. 

Then there are other people I sort of know, but actually don't really think about, so how they feel about me, is of little interest to me

And some people I simply do not like, will never like and the mere thought that they would have any good feelings towards me is quite repulsive to me.

I think it would be rather depressing to worry about being liked by everyone, as I don't see how anyone could attain that, or is that just me?

[NickP]

I think you are absolutely correct in your thinking idun. Life is too short to worry about someone not liking you, although I must add that when you are sixteen or seventeen being liked is ever so important, but eventually you get over that hopefully, if not you become a very sad person. I have noticed that people who are insecure about their popularity tend to try and solicit sympathy about their life in general and win friends that way.

[mint]

Id, you are not alone.

I don't care a monkey's about whether I am liked or not by those that I myself do not like.  But I WOULD care a great deal if people who I regard as friends do not like me.

[EuroTrash]

I agree with every word that idun wrote.

I would like everybody to RESPECT me (or at least act as if they do).

I certainly don't want everybody to like me, otherwise I would feel obliged to like everyone back - which would be quite impossible, there are too many people that I find unlikeable, and I'm not even going to make the effort. However, even when I don't like people I do make an effort to treat them with respect.

[idun]

Well that is something I never thought of EuroTrash, as respect is not a word I would have thought of using at all.

IRL when I don't like people I usually try and polite and courteous, because my own good manners hold more value to me than anything anyone else thinks.

But even then there are exceptions to this and there are a few people I know who I consider despicable, where the  restraint I show when I find myself in their company has to be sufficient. What they think, I have no idea, what I am thinking is quite another thing and as I said, restraining my self is the most polite I can be.

LOL good job I know some wonderful people who I love dearly!

[EuroTrash]

Yes I suppose I mean, be polite to, rather than respect. I don't really care whether people respect me in their heart of hearts, just so long as everything is cool and smooth and smiley on the surface. I don't like aggro or nastiness.or bad atmospheres.