Socially embarrassing hobbies and unattractiveness

[johnapril]

pet rocks

 

[Nantucket Red]

Originally Posted by Kent Wang

Isn't that an oxymoron? No, the reference of serial killers in conversation.
Hyperbolic understatement is called meiosis. For example, describing exquisite food as "very nearly edible" or a beautiful woman as "not too unsightly."

 

[johnapril]

Originally Posted by Nantucket Red

Hyperbolic understatement is called meiosis. For example, describing exquisite food as "very nearly edible" or a beautiful woman as "not too unsightly."

Didn't Amory in This Side of Paradise have a habit of this?

 

[chrysalid]

Originally Posted by Nantucket Red

Hyperbolic understatement is called meiosis. For example, describing exquisite food as "very nearly edible" or a beautiful woman as "not too unsightly."

same meiosis as the type of cellular division.

 

[aybojs]

Originally Posted by Nantucket Red

Hyperbolic understatement is called meiosis. For example, describing exquisite food as "very nearly edible" or a beautiful woman as "not too unsightly."

I think you have the term mixed up with litotes, which specifically refers to understatement by implying the negative of its opposite. I'm definitely sure your second example is one of litotes. I don't remember the details of what meosis covers, and it may be a more general term for understatement that could encompass litotes, but I recall learning that meosis involves the use of a substitute word of lesser scale to refer to one that carries more weight; in the cases of your examples, it would be like calling a gourmet meal a "nice dish" (kind of like the first example) or saying that a supermodel is "slightly attractive." My guess is that there is a negative vs. positive distinction that separates the two.

 

[Nantucket Red]

Originally Posted by aybojs

I think you have the term mixed up with litotes, which specifically refers to understatement by implying the negative of its opposite. I'm definitely sure your second example is one of litotes. I don't remember the details of what meosis covers, and it may be a more general term for understatement that could encompass litotes, but I recall learning that meosis involves the use of a substitute word of lesser scale to refer to one that carries more weight; in the cases of your examples, it would be like calling a gourmet meal a "nice dish" (kind of like the first example) or saying that a supermodel is "slightly attractive." My guess is that there is a negative vs. positive distinction that separates the two.

The Concise Oxford gives it as "another term for litotes." In fact, I believe it covers both bases. My second example was litotes by definition, as you mention.

 

[imageWIS]

If the Style forum is bad, I don't want to be good.

Seriously though, I'm interested in so many things, that there is no way that I couldn't find one "˜hobby' that doesn't correlate to something someone else is interested in. That said, in 68' not a lot of people wore contacts. I bet that not having glasses on has changed many people's looks from "˜unattractive' to "˜attractive' (all of which is subjective anyways).

Personally I sometimes wear my glasses and sometimes my contacts, and I wear the contacts only because of the ease of use (I don't have to clean them throughout the day, etc...), I could care less how glasses make me look. If someone doesn't like me for who I am then: oh, well.

Jon.

 

[imageWIS]

Originally Posted by Kent Wang

You're beginning to sound like Patrick Bateman.

Ed Gein, The maitre "˜d at Canal Bar?

Jon.

 

[Quirk]

I have no hobbies, per se. I think the truly unattractive find hobbies confronting and intimidating, and not at all the refuge from society that they are commonly thought of being.

 

[chrysalid]

Originally Posted by Quirk

I have no hobbies, per se. I think the truly unattractive find hobbies confronting and intimidating, and not at all the refuge from society that they are commonly thought of being.

the unattractively vacuous?

 

[Mike]

I don't think there is anything wrong with hobbies per se, but there is a fine line between having a hobby and having an obsession. The people who's whole life is devoted to one singular obsession. Have you seen some of these people who have an obsession with Elvis or Kiss? This can go from mere fandom to full out creepiness, with their whole house being full of stuff related to them. I saw a show on the Food Network where they showed a guy who collects beer cans. His whole house was full of shelves with cans everywhere. He almost bragged about spending an extreme ammount of money on some old can, like 20 or 30 grand. Its not my money and I can't tell someone how to spend their's, but there has to be some sort of restraint shown. Same with the comic book fans who spend 10000 dollars on a book, only to hermetically seal it, never read it or even look at it, as the sun will destroy it. Why spend so much money only to lock it away?

So, in summary, hobbies can be a good way to spend your time, but when your hobby completely incompasses your entire being, seek psychological help, no matter if its something considered geeky or something somewhat hip. Hip fades with obsession.

 

[cheapmutha]

hmmm.... im not sure where i fit in here... skateboarding and thrift store shopping are my only hobbies(obsessions)

both are full of ugly people.

 

[Nantucket Red]

Originally Posted by Mike

I don't think there is anything wrong with hobbies per se, but there is a fine line between having a hobby and having an obsession. The people who's whole life is devoted to one singular obsession. Have you seen some of these people who have an obsession with Elvis or Kiss? This can go from mere fandom to full out creepiness, with their whole house being full of stuff related to them. I saw a show on the Food Network where they showed a guy who collects beer cans. His whole house was full of shelves with cans everywhere. He almost bragged about spending an extreme ammount of money on some old can, like 20 or 30 grand. Its not my money and I can't tell someone how to spend their's, but there has to be some sort of restraint shown. Same with the comic book fans who spend 10000 dollars on a book, only to hermetically seal it, never read it or even look at it, as the sun will destroy it. Why spend so much money only to lock it away?

So, in summary, hobbies can be a good way to spend your time, but when your hobby completely incompasses your entire being, seek psychological help, no matter if its something considered geeky or something somewhat hip. Hip fades with obsession.

I once met a woman who was completely obsessed with Wayne Newton. Every conversation revolved around Wayne Newton. Her greeting was always, "Have a happy Wayne day!" She was institutionalized for life, I think. It was to the point that she couldn't function properly in society; a kind of fandom gone past the point of no return.

 

[imageWIS]

Originally Posted by Nantucket Red

Her greeting was always, "Have a happy Wayne day!" She was institutionalized for life, I think.
Probably by Wayne Newton himself. Jon. I personally don’t get it…especially since Wayne Newton isn’t that interesting anyways…

 

[Margaret]

Originally Posted by imageWIS

Probably by Wayne Newton himself.

Jon.

I personally don't get it...especially since Wayne Newton isn't that interesting anyways...

You've never seen him perform in Vegas, or you wouldn't say that. The man is a giant of the entertainment industry.