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1960-1966 Chevrolet pick ups, engine building swaps and hot rodding.
Computer building and mods (still build one when I need one).
Very early MTG, Met Richard Garfield's mom once.
D&D in an active group for a few years.
Collecting building and modifying various hand guns and rifles. (1911's are such great pistols.)
Collecting N scale trains
Collecting mid 60's to late 70's Aurora HO slot cars and track.
Fishing for years as a kid, every chance I got.
Aquariums with oddball critters, turtles, frogs & salamanders (oh and sometimes fish).
DIY home improvement.
Yes! Why, if you read books all weekend do people think you are a lazy person who didn't do anything and a weirdo loser vs. watch football or play golf all weekend? Like those activites are actually doing anything?
I used to get this at work all the time. What did you do this weekend? Read. Really? You didn't do anything look. Other people would respond watch football. Oh, they did something. (Not)
A lot of people collect comic books or Star Wars/Trek items and they are called "losers."
But it's "cool" when that person collects vinyl records or anything to do with the latest music.
It's also "cool" if that person collects sports-related items for teams they never played on and will never play for, but if that person likes fantasy items such as elves, fairies, trolls, ogres, wizards, knights, etc., that person is a "loser."
Why is that?
Why does Radio Shack ask for your phone number when you buy batteries?
I don't know.
A lot of people collect comic books or Star Wars/Trek items and they are called "losers."
But it's "cool" when that person collects vinyl records or anything to do with the latest music.
It's also "cool" if that person collects sports-related items for teams they never played on and will never play for, but if that person likes fantasy items such as elves, fairies, trolls, ogres, wizards, knights, etc., that person is a "loser."
Why is that?
You know, if you are passionate about something besides vegetating at home in front of the idiot box, then that is cool. I don't care if it's stamp collecting, bird watching, base jumping, or anything else.
In truth, the 'loser' label is more about the person awarding it.
It is perspective and if you are being called a loser for enjoying "X" I would say it is a rather narrow perspective.
My main hobby is trains. I have an extensive collection of large scale trains, G scale as they are often referred to and lots of track outdoors to run them on. When my wife and I travel we, more like I dragging her along will seek out RR related spots, museums, trains to see and ride and even dilapidated RR buildings/ structures make for good photo ops.
The thing is the train hobby as a whole is seen as something that old men and kids do so it is considered geeky by many.
Oh well I enjoy it.
My other "hobby" is a replica of a 1965 Cobra that I built and now enjoy driving a round on a nice day and I guess that is considered cool except as my wife points out, the 80's music I like to play while driving is not cool.
Oh well to each their own.
G(arden) scale is so cool. I love the early f series diesels and anything Northern Pacific.
Words well spoken! My favorite hobby is photography and out of that came
urban exploration and railfanning. I thought I was the one person alive that
photographed and/or videoed trains? I then realized there are thousands maybe
millions that venture trackside to enjoy trains. I don't pay any attention to what
others say about it any more....
Quote:
Originally Posted by rigby06
Agree completely, my hobbies are endorsed by many; and are vilified by others. I may not understand someone else's interest is in a particular hobby, and I myself might not care to participate in that hobby, but that does not make that person or their hobby stupid.
Words well spoken! My favorite hobby is photography and out of that came
urban exploration and railfanning. I thought I was the one person alive that
photographed and/or videoed trains? I then realized there are thousands maybe
millions that venture trackside to enjoy trains. I don't pay any attention to what
others say about it any more....
For me my hobby is I enjoy target shooting, I enjoy the practice to see how well I can shoot, weather it be a rifle or pistol.
But given today's environment half of the country despises firearms; and believes that gun owners are the spawn of Satan him self. And many of the other half are really into firearms; and love them.
But in either case I am not going to worry about what others think of me for my hobbies.
Some things are seen as too extreme (cosplay comes to mind even though it's mainstream now) or too old-fashioned (coin/ stamp collecting, model trains etc). Personally I am turned off by hobbies that involve collecting. I respect people who are into it but listening them drone on and on about it is boring to me. But from my perspective the conversations always shift into the nitty gritty of collecting. I'm more of a doer so the idea of collecting is a bit lost on me. My husband is into model railroads and he knows I tune out conversations about ebay, out of production cars etc but when he gets into track grades (math) or landscape I tune in. I can do math and I can appreciate building little tiny scenery but I don't get a kick out of the guts of the hobby- train cars and locomotives. I'd be happy if he just wanted a scale model of an ecosystem.
There are exceptions of course. When I am dragged (and dragged is the appropriate word) to a museum for these hobbies I really enjoy talking to the old-timers about trains or stamps or whatever. I enjoy their enthusiasm and passion and their knowledge of history but I'm real glad when I get back home so I can enjoy my own hobbies that involve more physical work. The thing that gets me is that when we do get back home my husband can only remember the collecting aspect. He doesn't remember the guy who worked on a train line for decades he only remembers what he wants to buy or what someone he met already bought. For him, that's the part of the hobby he finds attractive for me- it's about as fun as going shopping for new jeans.
I admit I find my husband's hobbies uncool but only because I'm a doer and not a collector. If he was more of a doer I'd be happy to build stuff with him. I'd never call him a loser for it though. He doesn't call me a loser for my interest in carpentry or gardening or reptiles (which a lot of people don't approve of). We were just made differently.
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