Caring for an animal ISN'T a hobby.

[The Snark]

@Spasshasser Put it far better than I ever could. Simplified, 'Hobby' is subjective. What the individual makes of it. Probably put best by the 2nd in command at our S.O. station, "His hobby is doing welfare checks, on and off duty."

@Ian14 I recognize the cop mentality. Tolerates nothing not cop. Bleeds blue. When our new Sheriff took over, by the book straight from the city, it took her several months to get a grip on a different variety of cops and duties. Way over half our calls were welfare checks. The cop shop was an isolated world all it's own that was oblivious to everyone around it. The real station was the local cafe. The cops that isolated themselves from the community, the cop clique, were pretty much useless. Citation issuing machines out on the highway. Our business was all about people, knowing them, assisting them, and on rare occasion protecting them. When the tank was full we selected the least offenders and put them in hotel rooms with a stern warning to not be seen before daylight.
A different world, with lots and lots of hobbies.

 

[Tim Benzedrine]

My name is AphonopelmaTX and my hobbies include horticulture and arachnoculture.

Pretty irrelevant I realize, but I can't see the word "horticulture" without thinking of the poet Dorothy Parker's comment. "You can lead a horticulture, but you can't make her think."

Thus ends the literary segment of this thread. Carry on!

 

[cold blood]

I'm a police officer.
That's a profession. Not a hobby.
I cannot imagine anyone regarding being a police officer as a hobby.

While its true that actually being a cop is a job and not a hobby, just about every aspect of being a police officer has its own hobby following...From badge types, to cars, to techniques, to surveilence to profiling and even specific criminal activities...lots of people love just listening to police scanners as a hobby.

Stamp collecting. A hobby no one could regard a profession

There are most definitely people who buy and sell stamps on a professional level...they are who the average collector often buys from or sells to.

In fact there is even a term for being a professional stamp collector....a philatelist.

 

[basin79]

I just see you having an issue with feeling the word doesn't accurately represent your interpretation of what it is you do, in this regard. Remember, however, that the word is meant merely to communicate an idea as clear and succinct as possible. Therefore hobby works because it helps to easily and clearly communicate the action to someone. It's served it's purpose. Luckily there's many other ways to expand upon that idea.
I'd caution against forgetting that the idea is to communicate, not to confirm what it is to yourself. You know what it means to you. You can call it whatever you want in your mind. If, however, you muddy the waters of communication because it doesn't fit the picture in your mind you've decided conveying ideas is secondary, in communication, to your personal feelings about the ideas you're conveying. Use hobby, then expand if someone has more interest. Also don't be afraid to embellish when using hobby; avid, serious, dedicated, and so on.
Don't forget that there are many hobbies out there that consumes the person, that involve insane amounts of love, dedication, time, and effort.
IMO

I do like that explanation. However I myself will NEVER use the term hobby. As you have seen the title and may or may not have read my other replies I just hate the term used for my pets.

I'm well aware hobby seems to be the preferred way of the majority and they aren't using it as to cheapen the taking care of the lives of their tarantulas.

 

[Two short legs]

Had a look on line,what is a Hobby,and examples.maybe someone just like us to all agree,and say it's not a hobby!but it's really how the outsiders of the hobby?? See it as.

 

[Spasshasser]

@basin79 I did read your replies, and I quite admire your fervor on this. I completely understand where you're coming from.

The only place where your argument fails is the fact that when you use words you're never using them for yourself. You're using words simply to convey an idea to whomever you're communicating with.

I spent the majority of my life in the Army. When I explain to people what it I did in the Army I rather dislike the terms I have to use. The words will never accurately represent my job, it's meaning, and the weight of it. It is, however, the only way I can convey to most people. Words like DUSTOFF & crew chief are lost on the audience. Let alone all the acronyms we have in the service.

The other issue I think you have is some preconceived notions about what a hobby is. There are people who chose sailing as their hobby and spend the majority of their days on a boat in treacherous waters. People who die in pursuit of their hobby, people who treat their hobby as the most important aspect of their lives. A hobby is not a cheap thing, it's also not necessarily a huge consuming thing. It's simply a thing one chooses to do out of an enjoyment for it. The rest is determined by qualifiers.

I think if you remember that words aren't for you, they're for the recipient, it will make it more clear. We'll never understand your truest feelings about keeping arachnids, but words are our closest hope. If we don't use them properly then we only diminish their ability to do the incredible things that they can.

 

[basin79]

@basin79 I did read your replies, and I quite admire your fervor on this. I completely understand where you're coming from.

The only place where your argument fails is the fact that when you use words you're never using them for yourself. You're using words simply to convey an idea to whomever you're communicating with.

I spent the majority of my life in the Army. When I explain to people what it I did in the Army I rather dislike the terms I have to use. The words will never accurately represent my job, it's meaning, and the weight of it. It is, however, the only way I can convey to most people. Words like DUSTOFF & crew chief are lost on the audience. Let alone all the acronyms we have in the service.

The other issue I think you have is some preconceived notions about what a hobby is. There are people who chose sailing as their hobby and spend the majority of their days on a boat in treacherous waters. People who die in pursuit of their hobby, people who treat their hobby as the most important aspect of their lives. A hobby is not a cheap thing, it's also not necessarily a huge consuming thing. It's simply a thing one chooses to do out of an enjoyment for it. The rest is determined by qualifiers.

I think if you remember that words aren't for you, they're for the recipient, it will make it more clear. We'll never understand your truest feelings about keeping arachnids, but words are our closest hope. If we don't use them properly then we only diminish their ability to do the incredible things that they can.

See I can't type for anyone else nor will I change the way I think/feel for others.

I'd imagine using words like amazing, phenomenal, beautiful and graceful can't be misunderstood.

Again though I've explained why to me my pets will never be a hobby. Any and every definition of hobby can be linked, typed out or explained and it won't change my mind.

Now in hindsight it would have been better if I'd called this thread "To me caring for an animal ISN'T a hobby" but too late and to be fair if I did I don't think it would have generated as many posts.

 

[Spasshasser]

You definitely churned out some discussions. I doubt many people feel as though a word truly encapsulates what something is to them. It's not designed to. Words are like Legos, with enough of the right ones someone will get an idea of what you're saying.

I've always had a hard time with the way that words are used and abused. Language is amazing and often gets mutated and destroyed. We have this incredible ability to take something abstract and bring it into the concrete world and then back and forth. An idea made real.

Someone mentioned using passion, that's a great replacement. Endeavor works as well. Or get someone to pay you in some shape or form and you can call yourself a professional.

 

[Colorado Ts]

I’ve enjoyed the discourse. basin79, it’s been fun, and it’s generated a lot of thought...and I got to poke fun, so that’s always an A+.

 

[Hoops71]

Hobby is an extremely trivialised term. That's why you see many use it to describe tarantulas but not cats, dogs, birds.

I think its more to do with the fact that people anthropomorphise animals deemed to be cuddly or more aware. And anything they cant anthropomorphise goes into the hobby category, just ask Colin my mm p subfusca.

 

[DarkInvader]

Its gonna be 100% hobby for me dawg. Something I can relax and have fun doing.

 

[Danthevine4432]

Yeah same for me. It’s going to be 100% hobby and fun.

 

[ThatsUnpossible]

Challenge: name a profession that no person also regards as a hobby. Name a hobby that no person regards as a profession.

Profession that’s not a hobby: Brain Surgeon, Traffic Warden, Undertaker, Waiter, Postman. Probably loads more I can’t think of.

Hobby that’s not a profession: Can’t think of a single one. I’m stumped. Edit: Trainspotting!

 

[Two short legs]

My hobby was photography,my profession was a photographer.I may take a photo ,when I'm out and about,But then I may think I can use that!I'm my Profession.