Noticed that I am extremely tuned out of media discussions bc of Maoism-Autism 
, but that sometimes I need to engage products, because I can't be picky about the battlefields. Vidya was a maladaptive coping mechanism for [fun and exciting] childhood 
for me, so I view old stuff with a distorted perspective and new stuff, I neither have the money nor the time for anything RPG or timesink wise. Same for anime, shows, movies and other stuff.
Now I don't want to be left out of these convos (Read: Struggle sessions about the cultural meaning of thing X or Y) entirely but is there any way to get back up on what a cultural product was about, preferably in-depth and critically?
Tell the person who wants to talk about it that you're not very familiar but it sounds interesting, would they explain? In my experience people love to go off about the piece of media on their mind, so just let them, listen, ask prompting questions. They will love it.
Would be a good idea, but I am a) a raging prideful asshole and more seriously, b) fans generally don't have the best understanding of their own stuff like try discussing why anime x is badwrong with a fan of anime x
That's ok, your goal is to participate in conversation, not do media criticism.
I think I phrased it wrong. Sorry about that. I meant more for stuff like "making clear why things like Goblinslayer are not just A R T, but actual nazi propaganda-level drivel" without spending hours and braincells on these things than necessary, maybe for less arcane things, like Song of Ice and Fire as an example instead of sleazy weebshit
Ok, well if you do want to do media criticism, then you need to engage with the media directly. But you're just likely to annoy people by doing shit like that in casual conversation. When a group is chatting about a show they like and you butt in with "that show is Nazi propaganda", you will not be well received 95% of the time. The 5% is settings where a media critical lens is expected and appreciated, and there you either need to know your shit or be willing to be a good, active listener
I see. Most people around me have taken the grillpill about entertainment. I tried exposing myself to stuff I found was silly and wrong but it is a lot of effort, especially as a side hustle so I hoped somebody else did that for things already. And I of course know how to do struggle sessions without being too mean. Like I personally think people prefer when I say my honest opinion instead of keeping silent. I will not say "you are a nazi fo watching this", but I want to change people's minds and patiently waiting for me to land a position where I can do this perfectly is worse than telling them what I think (without being an ass)
If you think you can walk that line, go for it. As a fellow neorudivergent person who often gets too focused on being right, I've had to very consciously learn that I'm usually better off not starting shit on this front, because it's not actually being received the way I feel it should. I do make my opinions known - I'm an extremely vocal communist - but I don't press it in conversations where it isn't warranted. Part of bonding with people is putting up with their annoying interests that you find pointless, droll, or brainrot. My wife loves complete garbage reality TV. She knows I don't like it and think it's literally bad for her brain, but I don't go off every time it's on.
I am in a place where I could pick some friends who are understanding. They get the emotional effort. I generally feel most people who are not ND or trans will just hate my ass anyway, so I don't owe them more than not being mean. I guess I do have to pick things apart one by one. I just was looking for some ressources of angry culture nerds who already transcriped and organized every single line of Fallout 4 dialogue or something I guess, lol
I sensed a kindred spirit and thought an argument might be more productive than answering your question, unlike with normals
I hate that. To repudiate some shitty media you often have to actually expose yourself to that shitty media. : p
same goes for people disliking things. I would want to have more of something that has the plot points of the product nailed down, summarizes the characters, etc