Henshin is Magic: The Meaning of Individuality

What makes good entertainment? Is it wrong to like or dislike something that causes people to disagree with you? For a country so bound to the idea of freedom and self-made worth, I see a lot of Facebook posts about Jersey Shore and how great it is. That's not bad, but...


Last commonplace blog at #7.

AW YEAH.

I have probably addressed this before, and if I didn't, then now's a good time to start. The above image consists of the three major television shows I am currently keeping up with: My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic (MLP: FiM from here on), Kamen Rider OOO, and Kaizoku Sentai Gokaiger. I know what most of you are thinking at this point: "Power Rangers? My Little Pony? What?"
But indeed, these are the main source of what I find entertaining other than being with friends and all that good college kid stuff. All three are good shows that I would probably recommend to anyone. By the same hand, there are shows that preceded these that I would tell others to avoid because I didn't like them. MLP: FiM is just a well-made cartoon, and rarely do we have those anymore. Sure, everyone likes Family Guy and whatever, but those get stale after a long while. Thankfully, FiM is a great show with tight writing and I don't have a bad thing to say about it. This probably won't get you to jumping up and watching the show, but if you don't, you're missing out.
OOO and Gokaiger are an even bigger deal, personally. Everyone likes the anniversaries of their favorite shows or movies, right? Well, 2011 is the 35th Anniversary of the Super Sentai franchise and the 40th Anniversary of the Kamen Rider franchise. That's a long time! And accordingly, both series are getting giant, big-budget movies with plenty for older fans as well as newer fans. For someone who's kept up with the franchises as long as I have, this is a big deal.
So from there, the main point of this blog is that people take pride in what they like, and that does not have to mean that they should be judged by that alone. Mrs. Laredo likes Jersey Shore, but I still like her class, and...I really don't like Jersey Shore. I do not see the appeal at all. Still, I think she's been a pretty cool teacher thus far and I'm glad I'm here. The same can go for people you meet as friends, too. I'm sure a good chunk of my friends think that the shows I like are "weird" or "not normal", but so what? That doesn't make us less of friends, it just means we have different interests that we can talk about and look at. I am well aware that the shows I have interest in have their share of problems, but given my level of enjoyment with them, they're a lot more tolerable than a show that brings up things and social constructs that I can't stand.
It's important to understand that sometimes, people don't like the things you do. It's what makes us individuals. When it gets down to it, I also reflect on how putting my time into these shows shapes my being. I know that these are the things people will characterize me by, but that's all fine and well. It just means that the people who like these shows themselves have a better chance of asking me about them, and maybe we'll have some nice discussion. I'd rather be different and memorable than normal and underwhelming. Willing to go past your comfort zone and try out new things, whether it's a television show, food, or movies means that you can expand your interests and find things you'll like that you might have never thought of trying before.
People should not be judged by what they like, but more by who they are. The friends that like the same things I do are my best friends, and everyone else I know is still pretty cool, even if I'm not jumping at the chance to hang out with them. Be happy with life, be adventurous, and you'll find something new, special and worthwhile.