Sometimes I do feel like most of the things on TV are utter brain rot too, newer shows I am seeing as well as repetitive content like the 4737828th season of milquetoast reality shows/Love Island bullshittery. Nothing willing to be risky or break the mould.
That's just an aside though, as I feel your annoyance at not being able to watch shows with others and enjoy them. Cupcake wars and bake off are good background noise when you want to zone out and do absolutely nothing, imo.
I do feel like there's a culture of conformity and playing by the book, otherwise standards of normalcy and behavior wouldn't be so strictly enforced.
For example, everyone knows that business suits are uncomfortable and do not typically contribute to a worker's productivity, so why isn't comfortable, casual clothing allowed in a white collar workplace? Having a strict dress code for aesthetic reasons upholds cultural and societal norms of power and control, preserving that style of clothing as a symbol class and status as well.
So there are many different sociological and behavioral factors at play here when we try to define and examine what it means to be normal. We have heard since childhood that uniqueness should be celebrated, and that diversity is a crown jewel for humanity, but there is always a very thin line when it comes to how much deviance is acceptable.
I used to love cosplay and alternative fashion, if you've ever heard of lolita/gothic kei and things like that, but I don't have that passion anymore. People stare at you and mock you simply for wearing an article of clothing that's different to their default attire. Everytime I wanted to share interesting facts I learned in my Japanese history and economics class, or talk about new food I had tried with my ex-boyfriend (A Japanese man, mind you) people laughed and called me a weaboo.
I wasn't being over the top, cringey, or gushing about some niche mecha anime or something. My hobbies have just always been unconventional, and so they are stigmatised and seen as weird to society. From day one, I have had all my interests pretty much squashed out of me to try to appear less autistic and more by the book.
When it comes to the dilemmas that the people on this site face, I think that our existence goes against the life is a gift, stay positive mantra that is pretty much the oil keeping the cogs of the world turning, so we are often outcasted for this reason. As Fragile eloquently said, your average Joe/non SS member's truth is more positive, and therefore, more functional than ours.
One of my friends told me the other day, in confidence, that he didn't think my physical health conditions would ever improve, but that I must stay positive even if the chances for recovery are pretty much zilch. What a trite thing to say to someone, to simply deny reality so that one's conviction that the world is fair and just can be upheld.
Some people are absurdists and recognise that the world can be cruel, while still enjoying other aspects of their life. So not everyone basks in boundless optimism, although it is certainly the norm, because it enables you to keep going and functioning in life if you believe that life is inherently good or can be improved.
Would I be optimistic like they are, if I had not suffered trauma, disabilities, and physical illnesses? Perhaps. I won't ever know, so it's pointless to speculate. After the things I've seen in life, I don't think I can ever share their perspective again.
There are insights that I would not have thought of, if I had not suffered so much in my life, but I would give anything to be able to simply blend in with the world. I was much more "special" to others when I had profitable talents.
