Viewing a single comment thread. View all comments

Keksis_theBetrayed t1_jdxhejd wrote

I don't know, I'd like to think that I have a pretty open mind. Sure, someone hypothetically comes to me and says "Hey fella, I'd recommend reading Mein Kampf." I'll probably tune out what they say.

But that's like, the obvious transgressive answer. If someone is genuinely making an effort to share something with me that they love, I think that effort deserves to be encouraged and rewarded with real consideration. Even if I don't end up reading whatever novel they recommend (it's incredibly rare for me to read non-fiction) I feel like I owe it to them to at least look into it. As someone who is generally very closed-off and private, I can appreciate the effort it takes to open yourself up even a little bit and share something that you enjoy. It makes you vulnerable and opens up a path to rejection. Of course, rejecting of a thing you like isn't rejection of you, but it can still hurt. A paper cut isn't much damage, but it still hurts.

I think a more positive version of this question is "is there a book or author suggestion that makes you immediately trust a person's recommendations?" For example, if someone recommended me a Clifford Simak novel, I'd want to spend some time with that person.

Edit: Upon rereading your post, I may have misinterpreted. This isn't really about the personal level, is it? It's more about recommendations and lists from social media users. Sorry for the misunderstanding.

3