So I have a story this reminded me of.
In high school I decided I wouldn't pretend to like or dislike something just to please other people. I joined the army at 19 nearly 20.
So one day as a 25 year old in the Army I'm on a little down time after a patrol near the end of my second deployment in Iraq. I decide to read a Warhammer 40k (reread but whatever I had just gotten it back) I'm minding my own business when who walk up but the Fucking New Guy. Now New Guy is 18 and has been in the Army for only a couple months and in Iraq for only a couple weeks. Immediately before that New Guy graduated high school where he was a slightly sterotypical football jock in a smallish town. New Guy is still trying to find his place in our platoon of battle tired soldiers. I'm easily the nerdiest guy in the platoon. He decides that makes me an easy target to gain status. Sadly for him he's playing by high school rules, I'm playing with grown up rules, when this interaction takes place.
(paraphrasing)
FNG: Oh my god! Is that science fiction?
Me: Yeah. So?
FNG: You are such a nerd.
Me: Yeah. So?
FNG: Reading that garbage is sooo dumb. I can't believe you read that crap. Blah blah blah [Long cliche rant about nerds] (seriously it was TV PSA bully level bad)
Me: Listen I know you don't want to hear this from me but you really shouldn't talk so much crap about these books. I know you don't believe me, but if you never trust anything I say, believe me when I say it's really NOT in your best interest to talk about it that way.
FNG: You just don't want me to tell everyone you're a nerd. Are you embaress...
Me: LISTEN dude! everyone knows I'm already a nerd. You can go ahead and talk whatever crap you want about me. I don't care. I'm trying to do you a favor and let you know talking crap about it won't end well for you.
FNG: Whatever nerd. What are you going to do about it
It was actually like a 5 minute conversation along those line between us. Remember how I was rereading the book. It had been loned to his Tank Commander and Section Sgt. His boss in other words. Half the platoon borrowed them from me but his TC was always first when I got a new one. It was also his TC that had helped me convince many of those same people to lan party the first Dawn of War game. Lastly his TC is the one who named our platoon... after a Warhammer 40k unit.
He never called me a nerd again so I'm guessing he didn't take my advice.