Peer Pressure Tag

Well, this is amazing timing for two reasons: 1) I was really running out of blog posts, and 2) I had actually written a whole rant revolving around this very topic! In any case, RiseFromAshes tagged me with this very relatable… er… well, it’s not really an award. It’s more like… the opposite. Anyway, let’s go over the rules!

Rules

• Link back to the creator, which is Random Thoughts of My Fandoms.
• Provide a link to the person who tagged you.
• Answer all questions honestly
• Come up with 5 questions of your own. (4 have to be about peer pressure; 1 can be random and about whatever)
• Tag at least 10 people and provide links to their blogs. Please no “you!”
• Recommend at least 5 books or songs you see everywhere/are very popular that you’ve read or listened to.
• Use the hashtag #peer pressure tag for easier visibility

This first part was confusing, because it looks like you actually have to answer five preset questions in addition to the custom questions asked by the person who tagged you. The rules don’t say “answer the default questions first”, so I’m going with my gut here. Speaking of going with my gut, that’s how I’m going to go about answering the questions!

Questions 

1. Have you ever done anything because you were scared you’d be missing out? (FOMO)

I’ve got no idea what that acronym means because, in case you’re new to my blog, I’m an uncultured swine! That’s exactly why I’m such an interesting recipient of this tag, not to toot my own horn. In any case, I never did anything because I feared I would miss out. I didn’t care about prom or nothing, folks.

2. Do you often do things just because your friends or someone close to you is doing it? 

This I haven’t caved yet, but damn, have I been tempted. I watch a lot of people on YouTube, and since I choose to have no friends, those YouTubers are the closest I’ve got to being close to someone outside my family. They have vastly different tastes from me, a lot of which lean toward the mainstream. It’s really hard to watch their videos at times.

3. Have you ever felt uneasy about giving your opinion simply because it would be unpopular?

Well, yeah. However, I have my blog that’s chock full of unpopular opinions. The good thing about WordPress is that it seems pretty low in toxicity. If I dared Tweet something like “#Gloryhammer slaps, dawg”, I would likely get a negative response (but that’s also the Internet in general). I’ve also heard horror stories of K-Pop fans somehow being able to end careers, but luckily for me, I haven’t witnessed it for myself.

4. Do you ever find yourself running away from popular things because you don’t want to be labelled as “basic?”

Honestly, I’m not afraid of being labeled as “basic.” I’m afraid of not being labeled as a human. I tend to proudly proclaim the fact that I’m an uncultured swine, but it’s really a front so that I can pretend like it’s okay to be one. 

5. (Random question) What’s your dream job?

I’m doing it.

Rise’s Questions:

1. What’s the best result you’ve had from doing something because of peer pressure? (I.E. made new friends, discovered a new TV show, etc)

The following answer doesn’t even count as peer pressure, but there’s no other example that comes to memory. Like, eight years ago, someone I had tried to be friends with made an offhand comment about how much they loved Disturbed. That ended up being why I tried the band last year, and I love them too. That’s not peer pressure, I know, and I probably would’ve tried Disturbed if they had shown up in my recommendations on Apple Music. But I’m gonna be honest, I don’t have peers to pressure me.

2. What’s the worst result you’ve had from doing something because of peer pressure? (If it’s really bad, skip this.)

My mom made me attend the graduation ceremony from vocational school. It made me miserable and anxious. 

3. During your time online, blogging or not, what’s the best case of peer pressure going well that you’ve seen/experienced?

I’m sorry, but I have no recollection of such a thing.

4. If you have a funny story involving peer pressure, can you share it here? (If not, give advice on dealing with peer pressure)

I don’t have a funny story. So, as per the rules, here’s advice: Don’t let anyone tell you how to live your life. I recommend getting into metal, because that genre embodies not caring if you’re accepted by society. But honestly, any music is good, as long as it helps.

5. (Random question) What is a video that lives in your head rent free? Link it in this post.

The community of YouTubers that I follow has been doing a yearly charity stream since 2018. And of all the segments of all the streams up to this point, a particular segment from last year’s stream is pretty special. It’s three hours long, so make sure you have popcorn.

Tags (Why do these posts demand so many?!):

• Irina (Drunken Anime Blog)
• Takuto’s Anime Cafe
• Al’s Manga Blog
• The Moyatorium
• Crow’s World of Anime
• Reel Time Flicks
• Nefarious Reviews
• fiddletwix (The Anime Madhouse)
• confessionsofayareader
• Luke Atkins

Questions for the Tagees:

1. Do you frequently consume media for acceptance in a community?
2. What do you do if a close friend is really adamant about making you read/watch/listen to something they like, even though they know you don’t, but they’re making you do it anyway because fwiendship?
3. Have you ever been peer pressured into voting against your will? If you voluntarily enjoy voting, then give advice on how to deal with peer pressure.
4. Have you consumed media because a celebrity made a positive offhand remark about it?
5. (Random Question) This sort of counts as peer pressure but not really… Anyway, do you feel like you are obligated to consume media by diverse people because you’re afraid of being called a racist by toxic P.C. people? I don’t know how bad it is outside of the U.S., though…

Recommendations: I was stumped with this part. My first answer was the five books of Percy Jackson and the Olympians, since they are mainstream books that I enjoyed as a preteen. But honestly, with how consistently disappointed I’ve been with the books published under the Rick Riordan Presents imprint (and the later Trials of Apollo books), I question if Percy Jackson was ever that good. Fortunately, I still have a good record of loving Disney movies, but movies aren’t allowed in the rules! As such, I’m just going to put Disney songs as recommendations, since I actually listen to them casually.

• Let It Go
• Show Yourself
• Friends on the Other Side
• Under the Sea
• Be Our Guest