As a culprit of being the villain in this short, in my experience it’s not that simple. This joke wouldn’t exist if it were that simple. I hate disappointing people, and do not like dismissing people with simply a lack of interest. For some it communicates that I see that person as meaningless. While maybe that may in fact be closer to the truth, I would much rather give a person a temporary sense of interest instead of drawing a hard line in the sand. Is it messed up? It’s disingenuous, but I’m a damn yes man. That’s just the truth. What’s the motive behind caring about what other people think? I guess you could argue a dismissive approach negatively affects the potential gain I could obtain from keeping a relationship friendly, but I hope to believe I’m more complex and caring. I try the declining method and I get the “come on man!” I get social anxiety with shit like that.
TL;DR: I agree to plans with no true intention of appearing. I acknowledge it’s fake, but I don’t like dismissing people.