"mainly, I want to feel part of something."

I don't think that's a silly goal at all - in fact, the only thing I want out of this game (besides playing the game itself) is exactly that. I don't even care about the gear or the seeing the content (and I recognize this makes me something of a freak). What I want is to be part of a team of people who legitimately enjoy each other's company and are willing to give up a few hours a week to work toward a common goal.

You've outlined the difficulty there very well in this quote though:

"I’m happy to wipe on content, but I’m not happy to wipe because I don’t care enough about the people I’m raiding with [or] because people are lazy, uncommunicative or just don’t give a fuck about anyone else in the raid."

I don't have much to add to that, except Amen.

I will offer you a /pat, though, if I may be so forward. ^^
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