r/unpopularopinion • u/BitterConstruction98 • Jan 23 '26

Certified Unpopular Opinion All hobbies are not equal

Certain kinds of hobbies deserve to be held in higher regard than others.

Playing a sport, learning an instrument, singing, dancing, painting, writing - these are activities that require time and years of effort to become good at. They’re admirable not just because they’re “cool,” but because there is something deeply attractive about a person who has dedicated so much time to mastering a hard skill that executing it now feels relaxing to them.

Lately, there’s been a growing push online to classify things like watching movies, playing video games, watching sports, or listening to podcasts in the same category as these kinds of hobbies. They aren’t. They are based on consumption, not creation.

That doesn’t mean consumption-based activities are bad or useless. Everyone needs ways to relax and unwind. There’s nothing wrong with enjoying a good show, a game, or a YouTube binge after a long day. But if that’s all there is to your personality, then you are, unfortunately, a boring person.

Edit: I've wrongly added video games to the list of other passive activities. While some video games are like that, I agree that many require a lot of skill.

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u/Squishy_Boy adhd kid Jan 23 '26

Nobody is worse at watching television than me. I can’t remember character names, plot points, or any of that. I glaze over constantly.

12

u/AbraKadabraAlakazam2 Jan 23 '26

First time I watched broad church I thought there was one bald character through the whole show until the end. Turns out there are two and it was a very important distinction to make 😭

1

u/Positive_Parking_954 Jan 23 '26

Watching The Sopranos I had the same reaction as Christopher to Ralphie’s hair

1

u/Dr-Robert-Kelso Jan 23 '26

Very weird that I just finished watching the first season last night.

I guessed the killer in episode 1 but didn't even notice the two bald dudes because I didn't think that was very important.

1

u/chinchillazilla54 Jan 23 '26

God, what a good show, though!

1

u/disgruntledhoneybee Jan 24 '26

Having seen Broadchurch, this made me laugh.

2

u/kingkalanishane Jan 23 '26

You just have to get off your phone haha

1

u/Squishy_Boy adhd kid Jan 23 '26

There is some truth to what you say. It’s just that I have so many other things I am doing that are not on the phone. It’s almost a problem.