Things I *don't* do as a hobby

[compilerbitch]

Inspired by Scott Adams' wonderful oneliner from his current Dilbert blog:

Atheism is religion the same way that NOT collecting stamps is a hobby

I just started wondering if you lot had antihobbies. An antihobby isn't the absence of a hobby -- I mean, there are loads of things I don't do, like polevaulting for example, but I can't say that I make a hobby of not polevaulting.

<flamebait>Vegetarianism, for some people, appears indistinguishable to others as making a hobby of not eating meat.</flamebait>

Discuss.

Edit: ¶ #

[Poll #918141]

Comments

[redbird]

I wonder if an anti-hobby might be something that all/most/many of your friends or family do and you don't: if you're the only person in your social circle who doesn't play bridge, or go rock-climbing, or collect obscure jazz recordings, it becomes noteworthy.

[andrewwyld.livejournal.com]

I don't know that this isn't the same as the linguistic distinction between "I want to listen to Kate Bush" and "I don't want to listen to Kate Bush" (predictably, I am currently listening to Kate Bush).  Ambivalence and antipathy are both handled by "I don't want ..." yet are distinct states.  Thus, not collecting stamps is more like agnosticism; avoiding the ownership of more than one stamp at a time--i.e. no little books of self-adhesive stamps--is more like atheism.  You could, conceivably, make a hobby of never having more than one stamp in your possession at once.

Of course, then you'd have variants--does a stamp count as part of a collection if it is on a letter you are about to post?  If it does, does an anti-stamp-collector have to post letters one at a time, between stamp-buying trips?

[compilerbitch.livejournal.com]

I totally agree about the being-obstructive-to-TV-licensing-bastards concept. For years, when I still lived in the UK, I didn't have a TV, but I was constantly hassled by TV licensing anyway. I remember that, circa about 2002 or so, there was a voice response system number on the back of the renewal form you could call to say that you didn't have a TV, which caused them to stop bothering you. More recently, that has disappeared, with them basically wanting you to provide written evidence (or some such idiocy) and threatening all kinds of things if you don't. I read a few web sites and, seemingly, you're quite within your rights to ignore them, and to tell them to sod off if they turn up at your door.

Apparently, 'TV Detector Van' really equals 'underpaid goon with a database printout'. Ha. I moved to America, where I am Evilly Watching TV Without A Licence. Legally. And I even have BBC World. So Ner.

[lsur.livejournal.com]

That's the key really - it's a hobby if you do it intentionally. Making a point of not doing something is actually (not)doing it intentionally so it's a hobby, not an anti-hobby. Anti-hobbies don't really exist in this universe. Like anti-hobbits, they are fictitious and only live in holes.

I've thought of a proper one!

[fatdog.livejournal.com]

I don't see films.

I do read film reviews, somewhat obsessively. I am interested in cinema. But I do not see films. Not through choice anyway.

I'm not sure why, although I think its something to do with the fear of being stuck in the cinema for 2 hours watching complete crap and being very bored.