As April 29, the date of Indianapolis’s Comic Con, inches ever closer and the fangirl in me burgeons, I’m reminded of that awkward feeling you get when someone shames you for what you like. Your hands get clammy, your face gets hot as you feel your heart drop to your stomach, and suddenly it’s so shameful to make that person listen to your interests. Now don’t get me wrong; there are plenty of cases where it’s actually a good thing to stop someone from liking something problematic or harmful, but what happens when it’s just not?

Despite the diversity in interests,  majorities and mass culture still exist and are very apparent. Memes, trending TV shows and certain fashions are only the tip of the iceberg of what the common high school student needs to know to be in touch with the rest of the community and be considered “normal.” But there is growing popularity with what is considered “not normal”. According to a The Pokemon Company survey, the age demographic of which people buy Pokemon games has been increasing within the high school and college groups. In music, the K-Pop genre, in stark contrast to the pop we listen to on the radio now, is taking a hold on our age and country’s interests, evident by the increasing number of international tours of groups such as EXO and Big Bang.

And yet, the shame for liking something considered foreign or childish, despite the contrasting evidence, still exists. I have to hold myself back from talking about my own interests even to the point of lying about my favorite shows and games so I can avoid public embarrassment. I can’t even keep count of how many times I’ve heard the phrase, “Do you have anything normal that you like?” Though it may be said with a smile and a laugh, people tend to not realize exactly what effect it has. By something as simple as that, you indirectly tell the person what they like is invalid and that they should stop talking about it. That thought reappears whenever they want to talk about what they like, and before too long the person stops talking about what they like entirely, even lying about what they like to save face. Even online where you can find countless other fans to sympathize with, shame for liking certain things still exists. People are cyberbullied even to the point of suicide for enjoying something as petty as sharing opinions that do not agree with what most of the fandom says. Mass culture and the majority mind set forces those who do not fit within those parameters to lose their sense of self and follow what is considered the “right” choice.

I’m not saying I am only a victim in this, nor am I accusing everyone of being guilty for doing this. I myself have shamed someone before for liking something I did not like or had derogatory conceived notions about, and at least everyone has experienced being shamed at least once. Shaming is quite common, and it’s about time we start taking caution of it. Keep your minds open, and allow yourself to learn more about things you’re not familiar with, no matter how out of your own interests it may seem. And if you can’t find it within yourself to enjoy what your friend likes, that’s fine. Next time when you talk with someone about disagreeing on what they like or decide to tell someone you think what they like is wrong, watch your words. Or even better, if you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say it at all.

The views in this column do not necessarily reflect the views of the HiLite staff. Reach Rachael Tan at [email protected].