Bubble people

So I've been living in this place for almost 2 years now. In other towns and other moves, 2 years has been the amount of time it takes me to find a group of people I really like and am comfortable with. Not so here. While I am certainly not friendless, I know very few people I actually care for.

I keep going to the movies, drinking coffee, having dinner - doing all the friend date things, It's not working. I have a confession about these people. They bore me. They say nothing I am interested in. They may not be stupid, but they certainly seem that way.

The reason I think I'm so bored with these people and often angry is that they seem to think they live in a bubble. They have very few interests, usually limited to things like playing Guitar Hero and intoxication of some form. They don't understand and don't care to even acknowledge that not only do their actions have consequences for them, they affect other people. And vice versa. When they complain about cuts to their financial aid and then say that they won't vote because it won't help them, I want to strangle them.

And when I try to talk about things I'm interested in - a book I've read, worrying about a grant proposal at work, what will happen if we leave/stay in Iraq, how could people change their lifestyles to deal with climate change without sacrificing too much, is the portrayal of "fat" in Kung Fu Panda empowering or not and does that make the humor cruel - I get blank stares, or worse, an uncomfortable laugh and a comment about my intelligence.

In just the past few weeks, I've started spending time with 2 people that aren't like this. So wish me luck.