What’s a good/pleasant/funny warning to give people that you’re about to do something socially unpopular?
I recently had someone ask to hear what I was listening to and it was Nightcore Every Time We Touch. I know this isn’t like mainstream “cool” but it’s catchy and I listened to it all day.
I said “it’s pretty cringe, you sure? Haha” then I got a super well intentioned self esteem lecture like ‘oh music isn’t cringe, it’s just what you like’. I was expecting them to laugh as a reward for self awareness but they didn’t. The idea of self awareness is popular, so I’m guessing the problem is the word choice? I feel like this is similar to when I was younger, realizing I wasn’t fitting in and trying to excuse it by saying “I’m weird” and how that was off-putting instead of endearing.
Isn’t it good manners to acknowledge you’re doing something out of the norm?
3 comments
No there is no need to preface your interests with a disclaimer. You like it and you should be into the stuff you like, you should not be so caught up in how other people perceive you that you degrade your interests and you personality by extension. People don’t like insecurity. If the other person doesn’t like what you like that’s ok too. Everyone has their own subjectives tastes
What if the person loved the artist you’re listening to and now you said it’s cringe and have offended them.
Just be proud of who you are and what you like and people won’t treat you like a weird person, in fact they may be envious.
You accept your weirdness by not seeing it as weird.
You acknowledge that you do something out of the norm when someone points it out and not before.
If you preface something you do with it being weird it can sound like you are seeking attention. Or make them see a thing as weird even though they don’t see the thing as weird (which could lead some into a sort of existential crysis).
>What’s a good/pleasant/funny warning to give people that you’re about to do something socially unpopular?
“Hey, i’m gonna do [insert whatever you gonna do]”. Why are you so focused on popularity? Some things are niche and it’s ok, who knows, maybe you will expand their horizons.
Thanks for the responses!
If I’m talking about a character in a show I like and say “omg she’s terrible. I love her” that always gets a laugh. I’m trying to figure out what the difference is between that and calling music I like cringe.
If part of the reason I like something is that I’m enjoying it being a little counterculture, I tend to want to get that across, but you’re right, it’s important to not sound so negative about it.
Is there better phrasing for that or do you just hope they know or ask if that’s part of why you like it?