Episode 90: I Want Y'all To Like Me

"I'm a good pretender/I'm not really cool/I'm a good pretender/'cause I'm just like you/I do not belong here/you all clearly do/but I'm a good pretender/so I'm just like you."

          -Steve Aoki ft. AJR & Lil Yachty, "Pretender"

   Today at work, I saw a guy who comes in sometimes who looks like Walter White from Breaking Bad. I pointed him out to my coworker and made a bunch of references to the show, to which he laughed and played along. However, soon after, as I was talking to another coworker about it, the aforementioned one told us that he'd never actually seen Breaking Bad. 

   I responded with something to the effect of "then why were you laughing at my jokes?" And he said some stuff to the effect of "I just wanna fit in" and "I just want you guys to like me". 

   Now, he said these things to be funny, and it warranted some laughs from both me and the other guy he was talking to. I don't think he meant anything deep or truly honest with what he said, but as I sat here thinking of what I should write about for this episode, that interaction came back into my head.

   

   When I was in high school, especially in my junior year, I was desperate for people to like me. I asked my stylish best friend for advice on how to dress and look better for girls. I looked up to the cool kids and wanted to mold myself to them, and the avenue I took was getting myself to like the things they liked. I would find out shows and bands they liked and watch/listen to them. In fact, this venture is the reason I'm into Rick and Morty, Bob's Burgers, and The Office. 

   A lot of these were before high school, but that aforementioned stylish friend is a big part of the reason I'm into a lot of bands I'm still into today - Panic! At The Disco, Fall Out Boy, and The Killers, and maybe even more. Those three bands are still deeply loved by me and I've now even seen all three of them live. 

   But the point is, I got into those things because I wanted acceptance and friendship from people I admired. And though the foundation of why I got into them is questionable, I'm glad I did because I still enjoy a lot of those things and enjoy taking part in them. 

   I'm not writing this blog to try and say that you shouldn't let other people mold who you are. Maybe it's a cliche thing to say that you shouldn't, but I think that, a lot of the time, letting people influence you is a good thing, or at least a harmless thing. Sometimes it is bad, but let's not pretend it's never okay to let someone change who you are or what your interests are. Just don't let the cool kids get you into vices or turn you into a bad person. If the cool kid wants you to watch × tv show or listen to × band, that's (usually) all well and good. But if the cool kid wants you to smoke weed or drink whiskey behind the dumpster, maybe don't hang out with them, or at least suggest a different activity. 

Anyway, see you next week!