What would actually make people see Tinys as insects in real life?

I've seen many stories and collages that talk about this type of scenario, where a person shrinks (usually due to a virus), and is seen and treated like an insect. If someone sees you on the street, they don't rescue you or treat you like a human, but they see you as an insect, or as I like to say... a Mant

Now, let's imagine that shrinking becomes a reality, whether by machine, virus, medicine... etc. What could really make the world or people have a distorted view of Tinys? Crushing them, using them and even eating them.