Pick up hobbies that allow you to meet new people. In a different post you talked about having bad hours - you can always do activities with groups on days off or pick up a social game like an MMO or MOBA to play during the work week.

Bond with people at work - bring donuts every Monday or set up game nights or something.

It's kinda difficult to renegotiate once the work's already done. You agreed to do it for free, it's been done, and now you're doubling back and insisting they owe you. Next time ask to be paid, either up front or in equity. Write this one off, hombre. They don't owe you anything.

Make recipes off of Max Miller’s Tasting History. He includes history, it’s a fun group activity, nothing too offensive about it.

Honestly, though, a lot of kids aren’t built for nuance. That tends to come later. Most people who grew up with the idea of knights in shining armor, cowboys and Indians, or noble samurai had no problem adopting the reality that the knights, cowboys, and samurai were people too and therefore frequently the bad guys in the situation and that native Americans aren’t from India.

I can only maintain so many friendships. I can’t feasibly be friends with everybody I come across, I’m gonna have to filter them somehow. The first layer of defense is gonna be how easily a conversation flows - there are too many interesting people in the world that I’d otherwise be missing out on for me to spend months and years vetting every boring person who wants my time.