I’ve been trying to put in an effort lately to expose myself to some media (you know–movies, TV, books, video games) that I ordinarily would not pay attention to—or would actively avoid—for a couple of purposes.

Because of the fact that my brain primarily fixates on toys and collectibles, it’s typically difficult for me to dredge up enough interest to sit still and watch something that doesn’t have any merchandising I’m interested in. There are exceptions to this when a story manages to gel with another one of my interests (my mind is not entirely one-track), but for the most part I avoid things that look scary, boring or “normie”.

For that last descriptor, please note that I’m not saying or meaning it in a derogatory fashion—it’s just that I have a difficult time relating to a lot of mainstream tastes and perspectives, and I’ve traditionally been too unmotivated (or lazy) to try to learn anything about those types of media. If there’s not a hook somewhere that manages to catch my attention, it’s a real battle to force myself to stay still and watch a thing, whether it be 22 or 220 minutes.

However. Having driven my friends and acquaintances practically insane an uncountable number of times over my life with my sheer obliviousness and inability to recognize references to popular shows and movies, I am beginning to understand the value in experiencing these things that “everybody else” (hyperbole) knows about already.

I’m not saying that everyone everywhere should try to watch, read or listen to stuff that they have zero affinity for, but I’ve discovered that having a lack of what’s considered common popular culture knowledge is an issue for at least me specifically. Why? Because it further isolates me and distances me from others, when I don’t actually want to be isolated. I think.

Don’t get me wrong: I don’t love all social interaction (I dread a majority of it, honestly). But I also don’t want to be so ignorant of common knowledge and poorly-versed and inexperienced at being social that I alienate people I do want to interact with.

In addition, if you care about a person, it makes sense to me that you can learn more about them by learning about the things they love. So if a show or song or movie or video game is important to someone else, you can get to know that person better by consuming that same media to try to discover why it is important to that person and have a better understanding of them overall.

And so, I have begun my study of certain pieces of media that have been recommended to me that I otherwise would have outright rejected. Things like Alien (which apparently has a cutely named sequel named Aliens). Things like Beastars (which, incidentally, I’ve included a related Dabid Unboxes! video alongside this entry). And things like The Office. Which, strangely enough, is going to tie together these two latest entries…

Complementary Video: Dabid Unboxes!: Beastars Original Soundtrack OST – Satoru Kosaki 3x LP Vinyl Record Set