The hobbies people have are just as diverse as society itself. Some border on the creepy, bizarre, or dangerous side, however. Growing up as a girl through the '90s this writer succumbed to the porcelain doll trend. My mother loved them so I was happy to collect them too.
Except, the shelves lined three walls of my bedroom so all the dolls--a good portion porcelain clowns--were all facing my bed. In the shadows of the night, I swear they were staring right at you. I ended up hiding some of them in my closet at night as their smiling, unblinking faces became a bit too much. My mom couldn't figure out why I had insomnia at a young age...
Really though these are just some of them, excuse my 1994 home haircut while I'm surrounded by the demon dolls.
Wanting to hear what other hobbies people just don't get Redditor CanadianW asked:
“What hobby will you never understand?"
“If that balloon does not inflate then you just die.”
“No limits free diving. For those who don't know what no limits free diving is, let me explain. You take a deep breath and go down to extreme depths with a weight,(100-170 ft) and then go up by inflating a balloon. If that balloon does not inflate then you just die. Why would anyone risk their lives to do that.” Intelligent_Read281
Chasing that hole-in-one.
“I'm a pretty bad golfer, showing no real signs of improvement, and I'm absolutely addicted to it. I have no explanation.” Klangdon826
Adam Sandler Golf GIFGiphySpelunking
“Spelunking in remote cave systems, through crevices you must exhale thoroughly to somehow squeeze through. Read about John Jones' death in the Nutty Putty caves, if curious and not claustrophobic.” paul_brightside
Just plain rude!
“As someone who has sold at craft fairs, I swear a huge number of people's hobby is to go to them and walk around judging everything and saying "Oh I could do that myself." And then go home with nothing and never try to make anything themselves.” errant_night
Creepy...
“Collecting dolls. How tf do you sleep at night knowing Annie and the squad are planning your death upstairs?” sassy_possum_bastard
horror scary gif GIFGiphyChild beauty pageants...
“Child beauty pageants. More specifically people who have this idea that they need to force their 5-year-old to get all dressed up and go on stage to be gawked at by a bunch of old men and feel no sense of disgust with their own exploitative use of their kid that could have had a more respectable talent that they actually chose to do. Maybe I just "dont get it" but theres something slightly menacing about the whole practice." jerrythecactus
On todays episode of hoarders...
“My dad collects junk. He goes to estate and garage sales to spend money on things he doesn't want, need, or intends to use. His house is just full of unrelated knickknacks. They pile up on shelves, in closets, in boxes...He even bought 2 storage buildings last year to accommodate the amount of overflowing crap.”
“He knows he won't ever touch the stuff and that it's all worthless, but he can't go anywhere with junk and just not buy something. Here's a good example: last year he went to the drug store and bought me the cheapest, sh*ttiest Halloween mask I've ever seen. It was 2-3 weeks after Halloween...and I'm 36.”
“I told him that I can't handle storing anymore of his junk and that he should take it with him. He said he thought I would like it. Why? ‘Well, it was on sale, so I bought it.’. He says it's a hobby, but I think it's a mental disorder.” fappyday
People Share The Dumbest Purchases They Have Ever Made | George Takei’s Oh Myyy
We've all been there. Impulsive, unnecessary and overall stupid purchases can be the bane of anyone's bank account. But your purchases are probably nowhere n...Do you wan to be cursed? Because that's he you he cursed...
“Summoning ghosts/demons. Not sure what people are trying to gain from that.”swefoobar
How did this even become a competition?
“Competitive eating. You know, how many hot dogs can one eat in x amount of time. Gross.” whiskeyknitting
Sneakerheads...
“Sneakerheads. Like you're just giving Nike a lot of money for special sneakers. And usually the special ones are pretty ugly. I just don't get it.” Victor_Korchnoi
“I don't understand but hey, you do you.”
“The whole self mutilation thing. implanting donuts in ones head or horn bumps, splitting the tongue down the middle, stretching out giant holes in various parts of the body, etc. I don't understand but hey, you do you.” original_4degrees
They do the math on these things...
“Any hobby that seems like the effort+expenses to enjoyment ratio is too high. The two prime examples I can think of are polo and sailing.” 628radians
Trolling.
“Trolling. I get it as an occasional decision, because sometimes people need to be taken down a peg. But as a full-on, actual pastime? Come the f**k on, people, how pathetic is your life?" ApexInTheRough
It’s not fair to the animals...
“Exotic pets. Imbecile people who try to popularise it.” SillyDude93
Paper from more paper?
“My boyfriend has just started making his own paper. From shredded paper.” kiwiscantfly222
Fun to collecting...
“Funko Pops." hotdoggyloon
“I used to work at a place that sold them, and while I do have a few of my own and can understand collectors who focus on one or two franchises (like Harry Potter or Marvel), I have never and will never understand EXTREME collectors.”
“The ones who made me go up to our inventory shelves to show them 26 different versions of the same pop because the ones on the lower shelves had dime-sized dents in their little windows or closed with a .22mm gap between the box and lid. Or the ones who buy them just to have them, not because they like that specific franchise.”
“(I swear, they made that Ad Icon line just to sell more. Nobody wants them!) One guy came in and bought $700 worth of pops just to collect, not because he enjoyed them. So many kids lamenting about how they released new ones, oh no they can't afford the new line, not to mention the chases! Like, guys, you will never be able to keep up with what they release. Stop wasting your money!" ThatRohanKid
Unnecessary...
“Those very loud motorcycles that make everything in the vicinity shake. How are the drivers not annoyed by this constant sound and shaking?”GlossyCinnamon
Action Bronson Motorcycle GIFGiphyChronic redecorating...
“people that entirely redecorate and refurbish their homes every year, costs a fortune time wasted and you never have a home you can live in as its always in a state of change.”creamywhip
Stamp collecting?
“Stamp collecting” Touchedbyshrek
“I used to feel this way too! Until I started collecting weird/fun stamps. I really only get ones that strike my fancy (like outerspace, science, fandom stamps). I don't care about the year they were produced or the history. They're fun to look at & some bring memories.” LusciousofBorg
While some of these are preference other at downright dangerous. Whatever makes you happy do it safely.
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Do you ever wonder what it must've been like to experience major events throughout world history when reading about them in text books?
But if you take pause and actually think about it, we're living through many newsworthy current events that succeeding generations will be talking about long after we're gone.
Reading about them online or in newspapers is one thing. But seeing them happen unfold before our eyes is another.
Curious to hear from those who'll have anecdotes to tell in the future, Redditor "What is the most historically significant event you witnessed IN PERSON?"
People recall the natural disaster events they've witnessed.
Tremors
"1964 Good Friday Earthquake 9.2 Richter. Was a boy in Cordova, Alaska at the time."
– KitchenLab2536
"My father was skipper of the USCG cutter stationed there. He was inport, and when the quake struck shortly before 5:30pm, he and my mom gathered me and my three siblings on the front porch. At first, it felt like the house was crumbling at the foundation, but on the porch we could plainly see our whole world was shaking. I remember watching telephone poles swaying, and the wires snapping and crackling in the street. The quake lasted about five minutes initially. My dad got his ship underway to avoid the tidal wave which was sure to come. We had several aftershocks in the coming weeks, some of which were quite strong, though nowhere near as strong or as long as the quake itself. I was seven at the time."
– KitchenLab2536
Collapsing Freeway
"October 17th, 1989. I watched the 880 Nimitz freeway collapse during the San Francisco earthquake. The Honda in front of me had the upper deck crush her front-end engine compartment. The mother and her daughter were shaken up but completely fine."
"I was driving a convertible Triumph Spitfire, which was scratched up slightly from debris. However, I walked away unscathed. Aside from the fact I pissed my pants, which I didn't notice until much later."
– CatDaddyWhisper
Thar She Blows
"I sat on the roof of our house and watched Mt. St. Helens erupt less than 100 miles away."
– stinkykitty71
"This must have been fascinating and terryfing in equal measure. What a thing to witness."
– runrossyrun
"It was amazing! The ash that covered everything like snow was interesting to kid me, but less so to my parents."
– stinkykitty71
People recall seeing major catastrophes as a result of malfunctions or judgement errors.
Bomber Crash
"The b-52 crash that led to changing what large military aircraft are allowed to do for airshows."
"I didn't see the plane, but immediately saw the fireball. It was just a perfect, bright red turning to black mushroom cloud."
"Fairchild is a nuclear air base and there were a few minutes there where I was sure the world was about to end."
"A few years before a KC-135 doing the same thing crashed near the school while we were in class."
– goffstock
Tragic Takeoff
"I was standing on my front porch watching the launch of the Challenger."
– StarChaser_Tyger
"Was riding in my parents car to a basketball game in the next town over in north texas when we saw a shooting star and thought that was neat."
"It was the Columbia..."
– Misdirected_Colors
Demolition Gone Wrong
"The failed implosion of the Zip feed mill in Sioux Falls, SD in 2005."
"They hyped it up, sold tickets to it, had a big 'BOOM' marketing thing, and broadcast it live on TV."
"The explosives took out the main supports on the first floor, and the rest of the building above it just plopped down 10ft or so and came to a rest. It was a massive failure, and was a funny little blurb on news stations around the world that day. Definitely not major news, just the rest of the world taking 20 seconds to laugh at us."
"The building sat like that (the leaning tower of SuFu) for quite a while until they figured out how to safely demolish it."
"Here's a clip of the failed demolition."
– KitchenBandicoots
These well-known historical events were seen by very few who are alive today.
Historical Remnant
"The tumbling of the Wall in Germany… along with people selling bits and pieces of it on tables in lobby in front of commissary and px in the following weeks and months. I had picked up a chunk about the size of an oreo and kept it… has blue spray paint on the flat side. Wonder if anyone is buying them now?"
– SingedPenguin13
Major Upheaval
"I would have to say the LA riots. I lived about two blocks from where it started. I was on my way home from school and saw someone throw a brick through a window. I didn’t even wait. I just started running the whole way home."
– Scarlaymama0721
Day Of Infamy
"9/11, I could SMELL the collapse of the towers."
– go4tli
"A friend of mine was there. One day in the warehouse we worked in together there was an odd electrical burning smell. He stopped in his tracks and went 'this is what 9/11 smelled like.'"
– mantistoboggan287
I didn't physically witness the fall of the World Trade Center but I was living in New York City at the time.
However, I did see the smoke.
I was living up north in Washington Heights at the time and knowing what happened, uncertain of what was to come, and seeing the plumes of smoke from the attack site was the most ominous sight I've ever seen in my life to date.
Have you ever lived through a historic moment or witnessed something sure to be noted in history books? Let us know in the comments below.
