socially unpopular pastimes?

[hawkgirl]

How many other people have hobbies or pastimes that other people find, shall we say, less than socially acceptable?

As a motorcyclist, you get labelled.Temporary Australian, hoon etc. Meh.

But we also keep reptiles - more than one or two . People freak out that we have them & the amount of people who want to visit or stay overnight is able to be counted on one hand.

Add to that the OH is a handgun instructor & coach, & we both are licenced shooters..... and people just think you're some anti social, psycopathic freak !

Anyone else get this attitude to their hobbies?

[jcxr]

Yep, shooters get scorned.

[Stefan]

I suppose there are two elements here.

1. Hobbies that impact or encroach on other peoples lives. ie noise, fumes, unsightlyness.
2. Is the anti social element of a hobby. ie guns associated with crime.

I live in a conservative and very quite mid to upperclass suburb. I'd have the cops or council at my place every week if I did a test and tune on my cars everyweekend or have a parts car in the frontyard.

[The Yeti]

I'm in to hotrods and old cars so is that socially unpopular enough for you.

I guess not, arround here

at work or with extended family I'm seen as a bogan or a hoon, some pople see me and my kind as being enviromentaly ignorant, but I think thats just becasue they only look at the media.

any one in to old cars trys to salvage anything they can to build them and keep them on the road, whilst we may want more horsepower, lets face it them best way to get it is to tune what ever engine to be as efficant as possible so I cant see that as bad for the enviroment.

All said and done we all like what we like and as long as it doesnt hurt any one whats the harm,

I'm not big on reptiles, but my frineds and family keep them and thats there thing, and whilst its not mine I have no problem with them keeping them (visited and slept over numorus times)

Shooting, again not my bag, but I cant see why some people get so worked up about people being sporting shooters, if your going after vermin I see it as more of a positve.

[The Yeti]

Originally Posted by Stefan

I suppose there are two elements here.

1. Hobbies that impact or encroach on other peoples lives. ie noise, fumes, unsightlyness.
2. Is the anti social element of a hobby. ie guns associated with crime.

I live in a conservative and very quite mid to upperclass suburb. I'd have the cops or council at my place every week if I did a test and tune on my cars everyweekend or have a parts car in the frontyard.

thats why I live on acres, my neuighbors are mostly horsey types, but its all about keeping it tidy and being a little considerate, If I was going to do a tune with open headers late at night I would have the council and the comunity on me like a ton of bricks, as it is, they all coment on all the nice old cars my mates drive and have even comented how they were worried when they saw us move in and saw what we drove.

My mates know I dont tolorate them leaving in a cloud of smoke etc and 2 years on we have no problems the idiots acorss the road however, cop it at every turn but they leave the drive sideways and generaly act like the tools on ACA

[H.G]

chronic masturbators are probably the least socially accepted of all..
but its a guilty pleasure.....

[hawkgirl]

1. Hobbies that impact or encroach on other peoples lives. ie noise, fumes, unsightlyness.
2. Is the anti social element of a hobby. ie guns associated with crime.


yes, but we dont advertise the fact. We dont put our snakes on our shoulders & walk down the street with them, or go outside with firearms in our hands.

i guess its more about when you talk to people you work with, and they are, for instance, talking about their pets and asking, Oh what type of pet do you have?
Snakes.
Oh Yuck! Are you are weirdo or something? Dont they try & eat you while you sleep?

[2011G6E]

I own guns, I ride motorbikes, I used to go four wheel driving in the bush around town, I own a V8...an old dirty one with no anti-pollution either...my Celica and the WB ute don't have masses of air bags inside them, and I drive somewhere with no good reason sometimes, and I can't remember the last time I took a bus somewhere.

I'm lucky that I live in a small country town where I can walk outside with a rifle, say to put it in the boot of our car, and no one blinks twice. The shooters across the road carry high powered rifles around while packing up their roo shooting truck to go out a few times a month. This is all within a hundred meters of a school.
Anti-gun idiots in the city would have a heart attack!

[Cam]

I have been a skateboarder since I was about 6 (now 28). I was never into "team sports" and always preferred to push myself, rather then running around with a ball in short shorts, or the likes..

Obviously there are always a small minority that give the entire sport a bad name. Really and truly we are just a bunch of individuals who enjoy pushing the limits of what our bodies (and minds) can achieve. Sadly I went beyond the limits of what my body was capable of and sustained some back injuries that stop my career in it's tracks, but i still love nothing more then going for a roll. It's a GREAT way to de-stress!

I often get looks from people when I am carting a board around. It's a shame society has this view, because if less kids sat on their asses playing video games, and got out there and did something like skateboarding there would be less obese kids, and dare I say it less depression among kids as they would have an outlet to vent anger / frustration.

My boy has been around skateboards since he was 6 months old, he was standing unassisted on a board before he'd taken his first steps. He's now 3 and can roll down the smaller ramps at the local skate park. I love it when first thing on a Saturday morning he says "dad, wanna skate". Rather then asking for TV or an iPod/iPad to keep him amused..

Just for a laugh - http://www.collegehumor.com/video/67...with-tony-hawk

[Mr Hardware]

Going to church

[MAGPIE]

I used to have a jetski, I wasn't into riding it in annoying fashion or anything and always obeyed the appropriate rules and regs but the haters (usually boat owners and harbour masters) were just amazing. Never come across anything quite like it before or since.

If you were to behave in that manner to others based on race or religion you'd be chucked in the slammer before your feet touched the ground.

[TC200six]

I wonder would prostitution qualify.... Not that I've wanted to be one though

[GasoLane]

Originally Posted by MAGPIE

I used to have a jetski

I think Jetski riders are about as popular as Snowboarders.

[Yellow_Festiva]

I enjoy travelling to places and eating weird food....

Have got into many arguments about what I 'Should' and 'Shouldn't' have eaten.....

I do draw the line at certain stuff... (Whale, Shark fin etc) if that makes it any better?

[Psi-Pop]

I'm into modified cars.

[comagutsa]

yeah im into bowhunting, shooting (target and hunting), i ride road bike and used to race them, and i have a V8 ute and im a country boy, i work FIFO and i play with explosives ....yeah i get a bit of crap from some people haha

[ThaFlash]

cigar smoking, the look on people's mug!

[STINKY NINJA]

Nothing like the smell of nitro in the morning...
I have a nitro 1/8 buggy and the neighbours from time to time call the cops,i also have a few electric drift cars,monster trucks too.
My two boxers love to chase my cars around the front lawn.
Nobody likes the nitro but the fact of it is i can use it for up to 2 hours a day around home(on the front/back lawn) just like people with musical instruments etc.
The parents hate it but their kids love it!
And i dont do fightsports but i love to watch on tv and go see muaythai sometimes,when i mention it say down the pub people arent keen on it at all but i love to see people going head to head just like the caveman days

[Burnout]

I thought about seeing 'the Dark Knight Rises' yesterday, but went shootin instead........

[NC1183]

I'm into the usual country hobbies, most of which are "un-social" according to the large majority of city folk and the greens, that is shooting and hunting (going to give bow hunting a try), 4x4ing, loud cars (mate owns a mechanical workshop and most of our group of friends are there all weekend playing and sometimes using the dyno)

[Kryton]

Having my own thoughts and opinions, and not following the populist view just because its easier to be spineless and agree with whatever everyone else thinks.
Some people around here should try it one day.
You might be surprised.

[H.G]

so your socially unpopular pastime is arrogance davway?

[GasoLane]

Originally Posted by NC1183

shooting and hunting (going to give bow hunting a try)

/Me having visions of Nathan out on the plains trying to hit an angry Pig with a Bow and Arrow

[XR6T0Y]

Being on p-plates and taking care of my care!
Being on p-plates and making it run better and safer!

The usual associated with platers. Some do wrong and reflects on the rest -.-

[supershifty]

Umm - AFF!

[mac_man_luke]

Originally Posted by MAGPIE

I used to have a jetski, I wasn't into riding it in annoying fashion or anything and always obeyed the appropriate rules and regs but the haters (usually boat owners and harbour masters) were just amazing. Never come across anything quite like it before or since.

So very true!

Iv got a jetski and its amazing how much hate there is.

The group i ride with are all sensible, rule obeying people but when you show up and the ramp you get a welcome as if you were a bunch of bikies.

Some of the worst for breaking rules are boaties themselves.

Since getting my ranger iv been getting into off roading and it seems there is a similar opinion, e.g. everyone who drives a 4x4 is a track destroying, nature hating bogan but there are plenty that are not.

[zdcol71]

Don't know if you would class it as a hobby/pastime..I have a few but the one I get called on is being in a shout and drinking porter or stout!!

[macman]

I have three main hobbies which firstly includes cars and collecting model cars (which is pretty widely accepted).

My second hobby is collecting vintage Apple computers - some people think this is very weird/geeky/nerdy although I'm not a typical nerd.

The third hobby of mine is model railways. Almost everyone I tell is a little weirded out by it. People seem to think it's very strange and even more nerdy, probably childish comes to mind too. When someone asks my hobbies I don't usually include it though I find building models and scenery very enjoyable and reasonably rewarding. I feel that hobby is pretty out-dated and socially unpopular. Usually associated with older people though I'm only 24.

[Stugots]

Listening to 2GB, playing country music loud in the car in my anti-american suburb, I wouldn't go as far to say that hunting is socially unacceptable out in the sticks (socialistly unaceptable perhaps). Some of you folks must live in hoity toity places or do stuff at ungodly hours, I've never had one complaint about nitro buggies/on-roads in the park or street.

I like your style zdcol71. I'm strictly stout unchilled in winter. Cascade do a nice stout, Sheaf when I wanna put more hair on my balls and I like a Franziskaner Dunkel (dark wheat beer) when I'm cashed up (rarely).

[Jim Goose]

Originally Posted by macman

The third hobby of mine is model railways. Almost everyone I tell is a little weirded out by it. People seem to think it's very strange and even more nerdy, probably childish comes to mind too. When someone asks my hobbies I don't usually include it though I find building models and scenery very enjoyable and reasonably rewarding. I feel that hobby is pretty out-dated and socially unpopular. Usually associated with older people though I'm only 24.

There is an incredibly famous and rich person who is into modelrailways..

Rod Stewart.... he has a massive massive gigantic layout which he hand built nearly all of the buildings etc.

Modelling in anyform is a practical hobby as it helps you with motor skills (brain functions as opposed to engines lol), painting, detailing, planning etc.

I have a massive collection of Australian HO scale stuff which i have been collecting for a while now (most of my european stuff i sold off years ago) and plan to get back into it soon.
Nerdy ? maybe....

Outdated? no, more and more models are coming out which are simply supurb!
Check this out :http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y6gvnHrGDQs
Worlds largest layout in Germany, fully computer controlled.

Cars that drive themselves complete with soundeffects lights and indicators.
Airplanes which take off and land...
Ships which move about on water..