I really don’t like it. I’m arrogant, combative, condescending, filled with contempt, etc.
I wish I had other hobbies or ways to pass the time. What do other people do?
Is stamp collecting still a thing?
I really don’t like it. I’m arrogant, combative, condescending, filled with contempt, etc.
I wish I had other hobbies or ways to pass the time. What do other people do?
Is stamp collecting still a thing?
On line gaming? That can suck up all your spare time and money.
No offense, but didn’t you post in another thread that you lost your job? Maybe your hobby should be getting another one?
I read (Books and internet stuff - more history, science and tech than politics) and play Pathfinder. But I’m told there are these places out in the world where you can actually meet people. An extrovert might know more.
Get a pet.
Cripes, man, politics isn’t a hobby, it’s a nuisance! Try beginning woodworking; I don’t have any real woodworking tools, but I can do some nifty things with the stuff I have, it just takes a bit longer, but it’s still satisfying when something comes out right. Maybe more so!
Try following politics from another country, it is easier to remove yourself from it since you don’t vote there.
I’ve recently taken up cryptic crosswords, although regular crosswords are just as fun and a very inexpensive hobby.
Since you seem to be interested is government, read about early American history. I find it interesting to know how they thought back then.m
I hear ya. Whatever you do, find something to do that doesn’t involve staring at a screen. I took up woodworking a couple of years ago. I put on some tunes out in my shop and build kinetic sculptures and I don’t think about politics all that much. My wife is obsessed though, to the point of carrying around her ipad with cnn streaming on it if she is away from the TV, so as soon as I come in the house I get the politick firehose. All it does it make me really angry & depressed and want to write ranting posts on the SDMB.
bee keeping
genealogy
water colors
gardening
Do some volunteer work: help the elderly, help the humane society, with the Scouts, with a church group…
Find a new genre of books from the library. Victorian novels, say, or detective stories, or biographies of artists.
Line dancing
fox hunting
knitting
Beading is a fun hobbie, plus you could sell necklaces at craft shows.
Well, maybe not, nothing makes me madder than a craft show.
Just string beads and make yourself a beaded curtain. Fun times, I am telling you.
I manage to write some of my political angst away. Particularly if I’m having a day where it feels like nobody’s “getting it.” It’s all fiction, so it’s like the universe gets it, even if the characters don’t. In that world, I am god!
Games are a fantastic time waster but might not always feel fulfilling. I get depressed when I game too much. Definitely work on something creative if you have any inclinations.
You could also do some concrete work on the issues that bug you so you feel less helpless. But I don’t want you to feel like you have to do anything other than fun.
I can relate to your feeling. I hated the outrage monster that Facebook turned me into. I’m not immune to outrage now but I don’t actively look for it any more. Probably the best thing you can do is avoid the news. Anytime you start to get pissed off, ask yourself : is there anything I can do to control this outcome? Short of voting, the answer is almost always no. There’s nothing so urgent in the news you must know now, that you wouldn’t immediately hear from ten other people if it mattered that much. So give yourself a break.
The last time I boycotted news, this crazy country voted in Donald Trump. I vow to keep a weather eye beaded on CNN forever. Altho’ I keep the sound muted.
Truly I understand the impulse, but it reminds me of how, when I was terrified of flying, I’d listen to every creak and groan to try to be the first to catch the plane’s engines exploding. If that had happened, I would have been entirely reliant on the pilot.
I do quite a bit of zero-interaction stuff at work - reviewing applications, making corrections, working on spreadsheets, etc. My work area is so quiet you can hear a pin drop even though there’s dozens of cubicles within hearing distance. So I started listening to Youtube shows while I work.
Over the last year and a half as the Trump nightmare has unfolded, my subscriptions have increasingly become overwhelmed with political stuff. My comedy and science channels are still there, but they get lost in the mountain of incredibly popular and depressing political tragedy / current events.
So, I’m right there with you… I’m thinking I’ll create a second Youtube account with *only comedy and science subscriptions so I can switch to it when I’m just not in the mood for news.
I’m obsessed with podcasts. They are great when I’m feeling like I need a break. Recommend Radio Lab (still the gold standard IMO), The Nerdist, Reply All, Shittown… That will get you set for life. I couldn’t get through all the back episodes. It feels like socializing and having riveting conversation without anyone telling you your opinions are stupid.