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There’s a fine line between recommending something you love and demanding that someone give up their free time for pop culture
I always try to err on the side of recommending something unimpeachably good that isn’t a huge time commitment, thus saving my plaudits for where it counts
But if I recommend a show, I don’t expect my friend or co-worker or whoever to jump to it and start watching, and if they tell me they probably won’t get around to it any time soon (maybe never), I’m not offended
I like sharing the things I love, but I don’t want to impose on your precious free time, and I don’t want people to impose on mine
By the same token, if I tell you that I probably won’t prioritize watching a show because, for example, I’d rather watch shows that my girlfriend and I both want to watch, or I want to play video games sometimes or read books or just hang out...
If I tell you that I know your recommendation is good but it isn’t my priority but you still INSIST that I must set aside time to watch it, that you binged the whole thing in one sitting, that I can make time for quality TV, can’t I? Then you’re just being rude.
On the flip side, it does suck when I make a gentle recommendation and people react like I’m insisting they binge the whole season within the next 24 hours
If I recommend a book, I have no expectation that most anyone would read it any time soon. Even big readers like me can take years to get around to that fantastic new novel. I’m just now finishing the His Dark Materials trilogy a few decades later, for example.
I feel like we need Miss Manners to explain how to politely recommend that new intense prestige drama without crossing the line into imposition
