Do People Have a Right to Your Attention?

[flower]

No, because no one really owes anything to anyone, although of course not forgetting common courtesy. The only exception are those people whom I deeply care about as they mean a lot to me. No one should expect anything in return. Social interaction between people in general is a bit like charity and it's unconditional. Engaging with others is nice, but it's every person's own right to choose that do they want interact with someone or not. If someone wants to engage back, that's great but it's not required. We make our own decisions.

 

[Krypton]

There's no obligation for me to respond to people, but to a point I'll try to do it even if I don't like them. Obviously if it happens too often or if they've done something that genuinely offends me that changes.

 

[Faye]

I'll happily give people my attention so long as they do not feel they have a right to my body or what I do to my body.

To answer the question though: no, I don't think so. Its rude to flat-out ignore people in most circumstances, but that doesn't mean they have a right of any sort.

 

[G4RiiM]

nobody does but the gods that made me, though i am a defiant creature

 

[Cornerstone]

Yes. I mean, no, but, in practice, yes.

 

[G4RiiM]

Yes. I mean, no, but, in practice, yes.

good job

 

[Quiet]

I really don't know. I have trouble setting boundaries in this area and it can go both ways. Maybe people don't have a right to our attention but being polite is very important to me. Within reason. I've worked in customer service long enough and been around enough parasitic people to learn the art of ending an interaction.
But sometimes i do find it hard and end up listening to people way past the expiry point, or end the interaction abruptly and dismissively. Because I don't know how to manage this properly I just stay under my rock when I feel like i can't deal with anyone, or if I have to be somewhere I walk really fast. Its hard to ignore someone completely but sometimes this happens inadvertently because i'm in my head and don't even notice whats happening around me.
This is one of the reasons I don't have social media like facebook or instagram. And I dislike read receipts. Also why I sometimes dislike watching videos...it feels invasive. Or even walking around in a place with advertising everywhere...whether an actual physical place or even online...it freaks me out and I feel they have no right to my attention