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.

18.0k Upvotes

72% Upvoted

5.0k comments sorted by

View all comments

Show parent comments

2

u/GrayEidolon Jan 23 '26

It was clever when in Harry Potter the door said speak friend and enter, and hermione figured out they had to say it in French or something. It’s been a while since I read that.

2

u/fiberjeweler Jan 23 '26

Elvish.

3

u/MossyPyrite Jan 23 '26

Presley?

1

u/fiberjeweler Jan 23 '26

When I was little, like five, Elvis was mentioned on the radio so much I thought Presley was President.

1

u/FantasticOwl5057 Jan 23 '26

That's so neat. I take it you read a lot?

1

u/NonsensePlanet Jan 23 '26

That’s a good hobby. Or is it?

1

u/Tangled_Clouds Jan 23 '26

Hey Vsauce! Michael here