No one ever reads or watches what I recommend (that’s a lie, one person does). I usually don’t expect others to engage with my interests, I wouldn’t hold a grudge if they don’t. But it upsets me when this occurs in the event of exchanging recommendations with someone who ends up not reciprocating. This has happened on four separate occasions with different people. While I’d actually read the book, give my opinion and genuinely engage with them, they would postpone doing so and constantly make excuses until they think I’ve forgotten. One time I made a promise with a friend to watch a series of their choice and vice versa, guess who did and who didn’t (“My internet connection is so bad” you’re literally watching other shows as we speak…)
This begs the question: are my recommendations this bad? I’d like to put that to the test. Here are the recommendations in question:
- Avatar: The Last Airbender
- The Tatami Galaxy
- Parasite
- Azazeel by Youssef Ziedan
Sooo many people do that. I only give people recommendations when I think it aligns with their other interests and they still don’t budge. I have given up. People want the same slop they’ve been into since the get go. The stupid fucking white lies are so annoying too.
It’s the same type of person who doesn’t want to seem caught out when you ask them if they have seen a TV show or movie and they respond “bits and pieces”. I’m not saying it’s not possible for someone to have only seen “bits and pieces” but if you don’t think you’re going to know why I’m bringing it up, just say “no. I haven’t seen enough of whatever you’re talking about to get the reference or whatever”. I only ask so we can further the conversation. I didn’t ask if you happened to walk through a room while Priscilla queen of the Desert was on and saw three seconds of it.
I already limit my engagement about pop culture to the bare minimum with other people, but damn I wish once a year I would find someone who knows where I’m coming from. Not just for the above reasons, but I’ve kind of stopped being friends with people like that. If we can’t talk about music or movies, what’s left? I don’t want to always be talking about heavy stuff with friends and I don’t want to just spend an evening in silence sitting around a campfire drinking beer. I could do that alone and not have to be “on”.
People don’t have a lot going on anymore aside from their entertainment, and if that doesn’t line up, then I don’t know what to do with them. At least my good friends like to play tabletop board games. We can bond over that.