Ask Lemmy
A Fediverse community for open-ended, thought provoking questions
Rules: (interactive)
1) Be nice and; have fun
Doxxing, trolling, sealioning, racism, and toxicity are not welcomed in AskLemmy. Remember what your mother said: if you can't say something nice, don't say anything at all. In addition, the site-wide Lemmy.world terms of service also apply here. Please familiarize yourself with them
2) All posts must end with a '?'
This is sort of like Jeopardy. Please phrase all post titles in the form of a proper question ending with ?
3) No spam
Please do not flood the community with nonsense. Actual suspected spammers will be banned on site. No astroturfing.
4) NSFW is okay, within reason
Just remember to tag posts with either a content warning or a [NSFW] tag. Overtly sexual posts are not allowed, please direct them to either !asklemmyafterdark@lemmy.world or !asklemmynsfw@lemmynsfw.com.
NSFW comments should be restricted to posts tagged [NSFW].
5) This is not a support community.
It is not a place for 'how do I?', type questions.
If you have any questions regarding the site itself or would like to report a community, please direct them to Lemmy.world Support or email info@lemmy.world. For other questions check our partnered communities list, or use the search function.
6) No US Politics.
Please don't post about current US Politics. If you need to do this, try !politicaldiscussion@lemmy.world or !askusa@discuss.online
Reminder: The terms of service apply here too.
Partnered Communities:
Logo design credit goes to: tubbadu
view the rest of the comments
They have to be alive, that's it bro...
Using that term is a red flag, because it means the speaker is fine dehumanizing people, for something as fucking stupid as not "showing individuality" that is superficial enough a random stranger notices and is fucking entertained.
Only a complete and utter piece of shit is so blase about dehumanizing people in 2025.
If the only time you send me a message is when you need something from me, you're just an NPC to me and I don't feel bad about calling them that
Dude you're talking to is onto something. These people don't even do anything anymore. I don't see them at local shows anymore, or hiking at the mountain. They're not online on steam or discord anymore. They're probably laying around scrolling TikTok like some NPC
I think my "dead inside" descriptor in the OP is probably better than NPC though, regardless they are husks of their former selves
pretty sure you're not meant to take the term that literally.
It's 2025, and people still using "just a joke bro"?
Like, we all just like ved thru that and then the very obvious and foreseeable revelation that it wasn't a fucking joke.
So maybe, just maybe, basic decency is a thing, and we shouldn't dehumanize people?
Especially not for being interesting enough to for a self-absorbed stranger who's brain is rotted from being raised by YouTube and needs real life dialed up to 11.
Calm down, the dude isn't going to start a holocaust because he called some people NPCs
No one is upset, were disappointed.
That's all it is, pity.
don't agree man. by that definition my dog is more human. she shows more life than most people i meet.
i'm not talking about strangers. i'm talking about people i'm interacting with face to face, having a conversation with. if i go out to a bar wtih you and you just endless repeat cliche phrases at me instead of engaging in a meaningful way, yeah i'm not going to regard you as a human being. because you're not acting like one. You're acting like a robot/npc.
many people are content to never think, that's fine, but i don't need to regard those people as human or desire ot socialize with them. i like socializing with people who use their brains actively, just like i also prefer to socialize with people who are physically active vs those who sit on the couch all day.
Fucking obviously...
Wonder how much longer till you realize a 5 minute conservation with someone who's only interacting with you as part of their job, isn't enough to truly know the depths of their personality?
What is so special about you that requires everyone's effort to cultivate superficial differences?
Even from this short exchange, I can assure you if it was face to face I would be monotone and put zero effort into the conversation. Not because I'm a fucking NPC, but because I want to stop interacting with you immediately, but for one reason or another can't tell you to just fuck off.
Does it make sense now?
Do you understand what the common factor is when you and people like you constantly complain about "NPCs"?
Do you get that it's just people obligated to interact with you and desperate for it to be over?
yeah well if you put zero effort in, why should i give you any effort?
taking the LCD approach means you are NPC. you dont' want to put effort into your interactions so be it. I do.
my baristas and such thank me for being so kind and treating them like people instead of NPCs. it's nice. try it sometime.
Not everyone is an NPC. but the difference is the effort they make. people who make an effort ot treat me like a person and show they are a person aren't NPCs. if you are unwilling to do that on principal, because you think others are not deserving of yourself, well yeah, of course you are NPC.
and yes, many people i meet FREAK OUT because I put effort into conversations. they regard me as 'too intense' because i actually ask them questions and ask them to think. I've had so many girlfriends break up with me because 'it is too much work to be around you, i don't want to think about things I just want to not think or make any effort."
some people actively embrace being NPCs, which is fine. their life goal is to be lifeless, boring, and safe as possible. to minimize thought and individuality and oftentimes attack anyone who demonstrates it. but I am not interested in socializing with them.
Misantropists be like: "Why does every human hate me for my views?"