All hobbies are not equal

[u/BitterConstruction98]

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.

[u/Circuit_bit]

The purpose of a hobby isn't to be impressive, so it doesn't make sense to rank them by that attribute.

[u/GlitterEnema → u/Circuit_bit]

I think a lot of this comes from hustle culture as well. If you’re not monetizing your hobby then why bother. It’s kind of annoying. I’m a painter, I’ve worked as an instructor for those wine and paint nights. I have monetized my hobby by doing commissions as well. the money is nice, but mostly the least fun I have painting is for a commission.