I think the concept of inferential distance applies to art. As a kid, I was mostly exposed to classic rock (Led Zeppelin, Queen, and so on), and I felt something close to disgust when listening to anything significantly removed from that genre. However, I eventually bridged the gap between genres by finding music that mostly resembled classic rock but with a bit of something else. Eventually, this led me to enjoying entirely different genres that I’m fairly sure I’d otherwise hate.
It’s the same with film. I moved from only enjoying blockbuster-type films to very strange films that some might say are pretentious or boring.
Before I thought there was an inferential distance for art, I tried to expose friends and family to some of my favorite movies. So, for example, I’d show them a movie like Festen—which I thought was actually somewhat tame and easy to like—and they’d hate it from the outset. The subtitles were a problem, the plot was a problem, it was boring, and so on. These were intelligent people with complex tastes in other areas. And now that I think about it, I’m confident that I’d feel the same way if I didn’t have the progression of experiences that allowed me to love that movie the first time I watched it.
So, I’d say if you want to enjoy the things “you’re supposed to like,” bridge the distance with things similar to what you already enjoy.
LWers are largely too confident in the conclusiveness of the research they cite for some of their beliefs.