# Things You Were Surprised People Could Be So Passionate About **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [June 19, 2018, 10:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-were-surprised-people-could-be-so-passionate-about/816409 "2018-06-19T22:58:53Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![RivkahChaya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rivkahchaya/32/8919_2.png) [@RivkahChaya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RivkahChaya)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2018, 2:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-were-surprised-people-could-be-so-passionate-about/816409/41 "2018-06-20T14:35:31Z")
I just thought of another one. I’m interested in true crime, especially unsolved crime (my grandfather was a reporter from about 1930 to 1972, and he had the crime beat most of his career, so he had lots of books on true crime, and I used to look at them whenever we went to visit). I post on a lot of unsolved crime message boards. There are people who have pet solutions to famous unsolved crimes, and can become enraged when challenged. Often the solutions are extremely detailed, and full of lots of examples of the original meaning of “begging the question.” But people defend them like they are their own children. They also come to message boards unprepared to discuss with an open mind, but only to promote their pet theories. They get suspended a lot. ---
**Author:** ![Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/earl_snake-hips_tucker/32/3269_2.png) [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_Snake-Hips_Tucker)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2018, 2:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-were-surprised-people-could-be-so-passionate-about/816409/42 "2018-06-20T14:39:09Z")
Chicagoans and ketchup on hot dogs. (Personally, I’m not a big ketchup eater for anything, but I still don’t get it.) Eh. . . ‘traditionalist’ MLB fans’ antipathy toward interleague play. ---
**Author:** ![Jophiel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jophiel/32/66_2.png) [@Jophiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jophiel)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2018, 2:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-were-surprised-people-could-be-so-passionate-about/816409/43 "2018-06-20T14:39:20Z")
> [@bump](#): > > And don’t try saying “Well, it’s only dumb from \*your \*point of view.” No, it’s objectively dumb for a grown person to get spitting mad over Rey’s parentage, or whether Rian Johnson sucks, or about Tom Brady and football inflation, or if Fallout 4 was awful, or whatever it is that the toxic fans are getting their panties in a twist over. > > IT DOESN’T MATTER ONE BIT. They’ll all still get up in the morning and go to work, and in the main, life will continue on just like it did before the movie/game came out or their team lost or won. Yeah, I can see being passionate about politics since a handful of people really do have the ability to meaningfully impact the nation for years to come. Or, if you’re a believer, being passionate about religion since you believe eternal souls are on the line. Even if I don’t agree, I can follow the thread that makes you worry about it. But there’s no rational reason to get insane over entertainment. That’s just crazy-sauce. Since you mention toxic fans, I’ll clarify my original post by saying that there’s a big difference between someone displaying their video game passion by spending all their disposable income on Nintendo tchochkes and someone sending death threats to a game developer because they’re mad about a new character. I don’t really understand the allure of either but if you just want to harmlessly spend your money on stuff, rock on with your bad self. ---
**Author:** ![Ulfreida](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ulfreida/32/8014_2.png) [@Ulfreida](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ulfreida)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2018, 2:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-were-surprised-people-could-be-so-passionate-about/816409/44 "2018-06-20T14:44:30Z")
It would be a much shorter list if I just wrote down what doesn’t surprise me. Must be 90% of the things people in groups are passionate about, I find difficult to imagine ever wanting to even glance at. But in particular I am surprised by people getting excited about something which is being sold to them. Like lines of clothings, brands of beer, different models of cars. The experience of being profitable to giant corporations is one I wish I could bypass altogether, but it consumes the majority of the world. ---
**Author:** ![Ulfreida](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ulfreida/32/8014_2.png) [@Ulfreida](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ulfreida)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2018, 2:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-were-surprised-people-could-be-so-passionate-about/816409/45 "2018-06-20T14:46:20Z")
> [@Patx2](#): > > This was my thought process, too. Out of the things mentioned here, I think this is one I can understand. On the other hand, pro abortion advocates can get pretty fired up, too. Nobody’s pro-abortion, sport. Your bias is showing. ---
**Author:** ![madsircool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madsircool/32/3432_2.png) [@madsircool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madsircool)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2018, 3:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-were-surprised-people-could-be-so-passionate-about/816409/46 "2018-06-20T15:18:18Z")
> [@Ulfreida](#): > > Nobody’s pro-abortion, sport. Your bias is showing. Is anti abortion just as biased? Pro choice and pro life seem like the fairest identifiers. ---
**Author:** ![Procrustus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/procrustus/32/2994_2.png) [@Procrustus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Procrustus)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2018, 3:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-were-surprised-people-could-be-so-passionate-about/816409/47 "2018-06-20T15:28:35Z")
> [@Mangosteen](#): > > The way the Right was so passionately opposed to President Obama. A large segment of the US population truly believed that “He’s out to destroy the country!!!” And a large segment of the population passionately believed in everything Obama did. And you know what? The United States “survived” eight years of Obama. > > Now its the Left’s turn to be passionately opposed to President Trump. A large segment of the US population truly believe that “He’s out to destroy the country!!!” And a large segment of the population believe in everything Trump is doing. And you know what? The United States is going to “survive” 8 years of Trump. > > Look at the polls. Both Obama and Trump have very similar popularity numbers. Neither one was elected Dictator. Congress and the Courts limited what Obama wanted to do and they have limited what Trump wants to do and Congress and the Courts will continue to do so. > > Now I can’t wait to be told by Dopers on the Left how Trump REALLY IS A THREAT!!! And Obama’s presidency was the greatest thing that ever happened to the country! > > Just relax. The United States is going to be just fine. You want to go out and protest and RESIST Trump’s every move? That’s your right, but is it going to change anything? Last night I thought it best to ignore this, and not derail the tread with politic. However, these are not normal times and none of us can sit back and let pass any opportunity to raise an alarm and yes, resist. So now, fortified with coffee, I’m just going to say that it is no vice to be passionate about American values and be quite passionate what the current administration is doing to all we once at least pretended to hold dear. Obama actually was a good president, and more importantly, a good man. I’ll let [Steve Schmidt’s](https://www.thedailybeast.com/steve-schmidt-mccains-campaign-chief-quits-indecent-and-immoral-gop) quote sum up for me: > [@](#): > > “Republican members of Congress are cowed and fearful of Trump and they have abrogated their oaths to defend the Constitution of the United States from Trump’s attacks on the rule of law; on objective truth; his defilement of important institutions; his sundering of the American people; his betrayals of the Atlantic alliance; his racism; and his cruelty. The party has become profoundly corrupt, both financially in the form of men like Scott Pruitt and Jared [Kushner] and Ivanka [Trump], but also intellectually rotten and corrupt.” ---
**Author:** ![dalej42](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@dalej42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dalej42)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2018, 4:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-were-surprised-people-could-be-so-passionate-about/816409/48 "2018-06-20T16:02:00Z")
> [@enipla](#): > > Whatever floats your boat. > > When my Wife and I traveled to Germany for three weeks I started thinking about how many pairs of socks and underwear I would need. 21 pairs of socks and 21 pair of underwear? Um, no way. And as we where going to do all of our travel from hotel to hotel by train, we did not want to carry two bags apiece. > > So, once, we had a hotel service wash our clothes, and otherwise washed stuff in the bathroom. No problem at all. > > Also, I bought travel clothes that dry quickly. Since then, unless we are going for a long trip by car, One carry on each is no problem. Heck, it’s liberating. And that’s fine. The people I’m referring to are active on travel forums or travel meetup groups. They love to look down from their pedestal and sneer at the unwashed masses who aren’t ‘smart’ enough to travel carry on only. And, there’s a subset that seems to be similar to the ultra light hikers mentioned above. They engage in competitive packing wank fests so they can brag about just how light they traveled. ---
**Author:** ![Serenata67](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/serenata67/32/10646_2.png) [@Serenata67](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Serenata67)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2018, 4:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-were-surprised-people-could-be-so-passionate-about/816409/49 "2018-06-20T16:42:22Z")
I’ve stopped being shocked by what people can be passionate about. When I realized I really loved reading and editing FAQs and other technical writing, I realized I’m one of those people with a surprising passion. I mean, honestly, who but me actually _reads_ instruction manuals? The statistics of the 1996 Dallas Cowboys Offensive Line? Fine. Totally obsessed with the various incarnations of the X-Men and all of their AU powers? Good for you. Wanna hear about how to properly structure a Table of Contents for an instruction manual? 'Cause that’s what I’m into. ---
**Author:** ![ftg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ftg/32/2801_2.png) [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2018, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-were-surprised-people-could-be-so-passionate-about/816409/50 "2018-06-20T16:55:00Z")
People who are very insistent on very particular, single-use only food terms. E.g., BBQ is only this. Chili is only that. And they aren’t just preferring one use. They know for a fact (!) that there use is the _only_ one. Period. And of course citing the original meanings, decades old uses, etc. just irritates them. Similarly, in Computing we have the idjits that insists that “hacker” means only one thing. A meaning, BTW, that was used by exactly one person at all the colleges I was a student or CS faculty member. Again, citing decades old usage like “hack writer” does not provide the needed enlightenment. They just double down on the foolishness. ---
**Author:** ![Pixel\_Dent](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/bc8723/32.png) [@Pixel\_Dent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pixel_Dent)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2018, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-were-surprised-people-could-be-so-passionate-about/816409/51 "2018-06-20T16:55:25Z")
> [@begbert2](#): > > Sports. Honestly I still have a hard time comprehending why anybody cares at all, and when I hear about things like riots over some game or another I just don’t comprehend at all. There’s nothing mysterious about this anymore as it’s been thoroughly studied. When watching sports our bodies react in a very similar manner to if you are actually participating. Heart rate increases, testosterone is released, and our brains release chemicals like dopamine, serotonin, and cortisol. I find it really interesting how we can trick our bodies into doing things like this simply by watching a video of people kicking a ball around. ---
**Author:** ![Velocity](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/velocity/32/18006_2.png) [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2018, 4:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-were-surprised-people-could-be-so-passionate-about/816409/52 "2018-06-20T16:57:19Z")
Speaking of food, how one eats a steak. There are people on Facebook who threaten to defriend acquaintances if they eat their steaks well-done. Internet diatribes against those who would ‘reduce a steak to leather’ by having it well-done. If it were the steaks being given to them, OK, but why such rage and anger over how someone \*else \*eats \*their \*steak? ---
**Author:** ![Maggie\_the\_Ocelot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/df705f/32.png) [@Maggie\_the\_Ocelot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maggie_the_Ocelot)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2018, 5:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-were-surprised-people-could-be-so-passionate-about/816409/53 "2018-06-20T17:02:14Z")
Women who fixate on a single, rather obscure part of their body that they feel is “ugly” and are insecure about. I can understand wanting to have a flatter tummy, smaller hips, larger/smaller bust. But upper arms? Feet? Ears? I just found out a year ago that a thigh gap is 1) A Thing and 2) A Thing which, lacking it, can cause insecurity. 😕😕😕 ---
**Author:** ![MandaJo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ac91a4/32.png) [@MandaJo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MandaJo)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2018, 5:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-were-surprised-people-could-be-so-passionate-about/816409/54 "2018-06-20T17:03:27Z")
> [@dalej42](#): > > And that’s fine. The people I’m referring to are active on travel forums or travel meetup groups. They love to look down from their pedestal and sneer at the unwashed masses who aren’t ‘smart’ enough to travel carry on only. > > And, there’s a subset that seems to be similar to the ultra light hikers mentioned above. They engage in competitive packing wank fests so they can brag about just how light they traveled. I don’t really care except when they stretch the definition of “carry on” to it’s absolute breaking point, where both their “carry on” and their “personal item” are excessively large. Bonus points if it’s a whole family like this. Even more bonus points if their bulging, densely packed carry on is so heavy they can’t easily lift it, making loading and unloading the plane a slow ordeal. (obviously, people with disabilities that need help are well within their rights to slow things down. But refusing to check your bag and taking pride in travelling light rings hollow when you can’t even move your bag on your own. Check it and be done!) ---
**Author:** ![Projammer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/projammer/32/559_2.png) [@Projammer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Projammer)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2018, 5:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-were-surprised-people-could-be-so-passionate-about/816409/55 "2018-06-20T17:22:48Z")
You should go to a bbq cookoff sometime. Texas -v- St Louis -v- Memphis -v- Kansas City styles. AND Lump charcoal -v- briquet -v- gas -v- electric. There’s a lot of good natured ribbing going on (pun intended), but there’s always someone who won’t even talk to people from other schools. ---
**Author:** ![pudytat72](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ce7236/32.png) [@pudytat72](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pudytat72)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2018, 5:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-were-surprised-people-could-be-so-passionate-about/816409/56 "2018-06-20T17:25:52Z")
Toilet paper- hanging down in front or in back ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2018, 5:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-were-surprised-people-could-be-so-passionate-about/816409/57 "2018-06-20T17:52:06Z")
> [@Mangosteen](#): > > Just relax. The United States is going to be just fine. You want to go out and protest and RESIST Trump’s every move? That’s your right, but is it going to change anything? Clearly you’re going to be just fine. That’s a pretty good parcel of privilege to own. ---
**Author:** ![dalej42](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@dalej42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dalej42)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2018, 6:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-were-surprised-people-could-be-so-passionate-about/816409/58 "2018-06-20T18:08:08Z")
> [@MandaJo](#): > > I don’t really care except when they stretch the definition of “carry on” to it’s absolute breaking point, where both their “carry on” and their “personal item” are excessively large. Bonus points if it’s a whole family like this. Even more bonus points if their bulging, densely packed carry on is so heavy they can’t easily lift it, making loading and unloading the plane a slow ordeal. (obviously, people with disabilities that need help are well within their rights to slow things down. But refusing to check your bag and taking pride in travelling light rings hollow when you can’t even move your bag on your own. Check it and be done!) Yup, and I don’t care if your third cousin had their bag sent to Bangkok rather than Bangor back in 1977. Check it and be done. ---
**Author:** ![zimaane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/a3d4f5/32.png) [@zimaane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zimaane)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2018, 6:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-were-surprised-people-could-be-so-passionate-about/816409/59 "2018-06-20T18:08:53Z")
Adults who are really into children’s cartoons. I am not talking about the Simpsons or Family Guy, which are at least partially aimed at adults, but programs specifically for children. The Powerpuff Girls, or Kim Possible, to use a few dated examples. How can grownups stand to watch these for more than a few minutes? People who are really into American muscle cars from the 60s and 70s. I am not really interested in cars in general, but these have always struck me as particularly unattractive and uncomfortable. And yet people will pay tens of thousands of dollars for them. And those that can’t afford these sums will watch auctions of these cars on the Discovery Channel. I acknowledge that I have some interests, like dance or art history, that others would find bizarre. ---
**Author:** ![zimaane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/a3d4f5/32.png) [@zimaane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zimaane)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2018, 6:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-were-surprised-people-could-be-so-passionate-about/816409/60 "2018-06-20T18:11:18Z")
> [@](#): > > Women who fixate on a single, rather obscure part of their body that they feel is “ugly” and are insecure about. I can understand wanting to have a flatter tummy, smaller hips, larger/smaller bust. But upper arms? Feet? Ears? > > I just found out a year ago that a thigh gap is 1) A Thing and 2) A Thing which, lacking it, can cause insecurity. I think this is more than a strange passion, it is a disorder that can be treated, is it not? And men get it too ☹ [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-were-surprised-people-could-be-so-passionate-about/816409.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-were-surprised-people-could-be-so-passionate-about/816409.md?page=4)