Why are read receipts so triggering?

The day after I turned my read receipts on, a guy I had gone on a couple of dates with texted me. "I don’t know if it was intentional, but your read receipts are on all of a sudden." His text wasn’t accusatory, but the change had certainly struck a chord. He seemed to imply that if I had turned them on, it must be a mistake. Surely no one would willingly admit to leaving people unanswered for hours on end. 

Poll a group of friends and you’ll realize: Most people hate read receipts. And yet...