• Politics are not permitted. There's plenty of places to discuss that elsewhere, and a hot pepper forum is not the place. Thank you for respecting the community!

The Politics Of Hobbies

scratchzilla

scratchzilla

I've never really considered there to be a lot of politics involved with ones hobby. Wether it's stamp collecting, or ice fishing it just always seemed like something that didn't need that kind of conflict.

Lately I've been noticing a trend in a couple different hobbies, drama. I'm sure most people on here are familiar with all the he said, she said going around lately. This is not meant to be a discussion about that at all, so let's try to keep it out of this thread.

I visit a record collectors forum, since that is another hobby of mine that takes up a lot of my life, and lately I've been noticing the same antics happening in that world. With labels putting out vinyl exclusive releases in numbers as low as 100 copies each, these little discs are highly sought after. The same mob mentality against, pretty much anyone with differing opinions is prevalent. Flippers, or people who buy a release at value on release day, and immediately put for sale on eBay get the most of it, but even die hard collectors who order multiple copies for set completion are targeted.


My question is what drives people to get this worked up about something that started out as a way to relax, unwind, and get away from the conflict of everyday life? When does a hobby become so consuming for a person that it becomes dramatic?
 
Ego, insecurity, pettiness & money all come into play. And then a % of the population are just plain old fashioned d-bags. An online community is a microcosm of the rest of the country.

And if you put a ton of personality types, demographics and culturally different people together in a room, regardless of the hobby & you're going to get some sparks.

And when there are sparks, sometimes mob mentality emerges.

I moderated at a hobby discussion community for a while. Every "beef" came down to something like this. Strong communities, like this one, can survive the storms. There's some beef, most people see a train wreck & stay out, some people get sucked into it - a mini drama unfolds and when the dust settles everyone moves on.

Smaller communities don't survive as well. Mods in those tend to ban 1st, ask later. This community is strong - lots of members - largely self-policing, plus excellent moderation.

I don't think it's a hobby thing so much as an online communications thing.
 
Money. Whether you're spending too much on the hobby, or trying to make it with the hobby, money tends to make people crazy.  From not wanting to spend money on something that's not worth it if you're the consumer to trying to sell your product and cover your ass if you're the vendor.  
 
I'm a nerd and I like learning/teaching language as a hobby. I used to do that on a forum.  It's pretty hard to get into arguments on that type of forum, not many ways to monetize other than books, but the forum/site was the resource.  There were linguistic discussions about language that could go on tangents and in crazy directions, but never really any "wars" or drama.
 
True that.

Fantasy sports folks gives gun folks a real run for their money though.

Peppers are a distant 3rd.

I disagree about money being the root of all evil though: I am in the pepper business and I'm no more nor less evil than I was when I was a hobbyist. :)

Dysfunction, pride, defensiveness, ego, dishonesty, incompetence, inexperience - any of those on their own or any combination of them when combined with money/business = bad juju.
 
paulky_2000 said:
Nowhere is all of this more true than in the world of firearms hobbies/forums.
 
Ammo prices.....gun rights......FUDDS vs. Tacticools......FBHO.....
 
The purse-swinging never ends.
Click to expand...
 
 
True Dat. There is even  a fairly successful website solely dedicated to people taking the high road because of all of the firearms bickering, it can get extreme on other sites. 
 
paulky_2000 said:
Nowhere is all of this more true than in the world of firearms hobbies/forums.
 
Ammo prices.....gun rights......FUDDS vs. Tacticools......FBHO.....
 
The purse-swinging never ends.
Click to expand...
Gun Forums and Cigar Forums will really keep you on your toes. This is why I love this place, most the folks here are truly genuine good folks. When I first started here I actually caught myself a couple of times with my sarcastic condescending wit coming out from previous forums, where without it you don't stay alive for long.
 
I saw so many threads here were members took the high road over and over again, when they really could have crushed someone. This inevitably had made a profound change in how I reacted. It was so refreshing to come in here, relax and learn, without preparing for the next fight. I really find most threads with debates here rather self controlled.
 
Sure they're exceptions, and there will always be those folks who will try to provoke a reaction, but from what I have seen, most of you here at THP are to smart to be drawn into an internet brawl. (I said most of you  :) ) 
 
SL3 said:
This is why I love this place, most the folks here are truly genuine good folks.
Click to expand...
 
Couldn't agree more. I'm new but rules don't seem too strict and people is nice (imho it's another demonstration that you don't need lots of rules, only to respect what is in effect... As italian i know something of this, though i don't understand anything of laws...).
 
For aggressivity and money i have a theory... Psychologist cost. To insult people is free and relaxes (more or less). Cheaper.
 
I am moderator of a subforum of a very big forum... Not the worst place you can find and there are good people too, but rules are strict and is BIG. You see 30-40 years old people that seems hooligans... And for nothing vital (ludic things). I can understand  that someone couldn't agree with all rules... But if there are rules... You respect them or go in another place. And the most funny thing is that someone never understand why has been temporarly banned for obvious reasons, but is very reponsive if someone else should be.
Really, i am reevaluating wisdom of little children.
 
The skiing forum I used to visit got real ugly. It start by poking fun at each others home mountain. And then it turned personal, the conflict spread over to Facebook. People started getting banned and other people started 'free so and so' campaigns for banned members. Stupid crap, it drove me away from the forum and I wasn't even in the middle of it.
 
Sometimes i think it would be fun to see him as moderator (and i think to be a very tolerant guy):
sergente.JPG
 
A hobby is just a career that costs you money instead of the other way around.
I know I sure as hell wouldn't buy a pod at the price it costs me to grow one.
 
But have no problem plunking a couple hunnerd down on some lights.
 
Husker21 said:
The skiing forum I used to visit got real ugly. It start by poking fun at each others home mountain. And then it turned personal, the conflict spread over to Facebook. People started getting banned and other people started 'free so and so' campaigns for banned members. Stupid crap, it drove me away from the forum and I wasn't even in the middle of it.
Click to expand...
 
Now this is funny!  Nothing against skiers, but "home mountain" really???  
 
JayT said:
Now this is funny!  Nothing against skiers, but "home mountain" really???
Click to expand...
4 realz. Ski Sundown for life for this guy. Represent!

People would argue about vertical, difficulty, snow making, and the all important 'vibe' at a mountain. And don't get me started on ski racers vs cruisers vs mogul skier vs snowboarders. It can all get quite ugly. Lol so I guess yeah hobbies can get way too political.
 
I see a big problem on different sites caused by the site itself.
ANYTHING that draws hits is good,especially if the guys who pay dues or add fees are stirring the pot.
Loyal customers follow some vendors in herds.

A good train wreck gets lots of attention.
Just have to walk the line between too many train wrecks and keep the rest of the people coming in.
See the posts still drawing hits about the Reaper.
Pepper Joe played the whole thing like a Stradivarius Violin.
Keep loyal NEW customers spreading the word and insulting/threatening people etc. as needed...
He did a very good job of walking the line,made a lot of $.Still is.

A lot , if not most times the internet is mob/hit/$ ruled,actually a blend of all of it.

Since words printed on a screen show no emotional intent,any post is very easy to be quoted totally out of context if someone gets bored or decides to stir the pot.

Tons of times I've posted stuff that a lot latter, another post said I'm full of crap,the poster blocks whatever I post...sugested everyone else do the same.

One guy in particular posted not to waste your time reading anything I post.

It was when everyone was posting that about any red unknown hab. was a Caribbean red.
I posted something like a lot of stuff gets guessed as Caribbean reds ,but in that particular post,the pic,to me looked like a couple other red habs I've grown.

The guy took my post for being a hater of caribbean reds or hater of all who guessed the pic was a Caribbean red.
To me I was trying to make a point that Caribbean reds were the generic guess for any red hab. even IF the pepper in question looked nothing like the ones I'd grown,more like something else to me.

Same thing with Red Savina and other red habs.
Even more so with all the supers these days that are given new names when the non isolated seeds were re grown after only 1 season or even several seasons.

I wrote it off to the fact that I may have-at the time- grown out more red hab varieties than most and was just trying to make a point that I saw almost every"what is this red hab. post" being answered by most as being a C.red.

I made a simple comment-no malice intended,taken out of context I was seen to be full of crap to several people.
Same thing with LEDs.
I always post THIS IS HOW I USE THEM,MIGHT NOT WORK FOR YOUR GROW.
But the guys who got ripped of on EBAY are experts on LEDS...THEY-LEDS Suck...
They mostly got crap panels or possibly good ones but tried to light a room with them because the seller said it would replace whatever...
I get TONS of the tea crowd really pissed because I don't think the leaves obsorb any amounts of the nutes to do anything.
BUT I DO think the runoff to the soil adds all the stuff in the tea to actually make great plants.

I'm also suprised that Salmonilla (SP?)or whatever isn't a problem,but then again,a lot of teas use Molasses,Rum is fermented molasses that is run through a still.
Maybe the alcohol kills off the bad guys before it turns to Vingar(acetic acid).
Just Guessing but maybe the booze killed some stuff and the acid that booze breaks down to killed the other stuff.
I'm just guessing...

Who knows,nobody covers the soil so run off doesn't make it to the roots...

Don't look at this post about guessing what some pod might be OR about LEDS,or anything else.I'm just puting out examples of my past experiences,nothing more.
That is the point I'm trying to make.

Popular opinion rules and hits are what sites survive on.
Toss in the trolls that are permitted to post,in moderation(if the post draws hits)at any time.

Like a very smart guy once told me about the net.
Whatever you read on the net is worth exactly what you paid for reading it,$0.00
Always remember,opinions are like Buttholes,everyone has one.
Some stink,others don't...All depends on your opinion of what stinks and what smells like roses.

PS.
I see what i've heard about Facebook etc. as making things even worse in general.
Likes,don't likes,subscribe etc.
I'll NEVER join a social site-Facebook,Myspace or anything else.NEVER.

Foodies,Chiliheads or whatever.

All the stuff you read could be/is BS,most is I think.
I've only met a few people on the net.
Most were VERY cool but enough were pure A$$holes.
Enough to stop doing some of the give aways,SASBE offers etc. I used to do.
A whole lot of people that would rather be on facebook than out and about dealing face to face with reality-but that's another post somewhere else I'd guess.

I think the net is getting like a brave new world,why deal with reality when you can post anything you want on the net and be whoever you want to be.
If you blow it,start another account and find other sites that feeds your needs.

Side note,I see the street racer guys as the worst as far as slinging crap these days on different sites.
US muscle (vintage) cars VS rice burners,same with Bikes...
 
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