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06-24-2011, 03:51 AM
I think this hobby-talk is interesting. I have talked to quite a few Japanese people who were very willing to share their hobbies with me fairly quickly. Perhaps it has to do with me being a foreigner, but I don't know.
I mean, I met a drunk guy on the last train one night who told me of his love of western movies. He was also extremely knowledgeable about different actors and movies and what not. I met a friend's co-worker who told me of his SUPER expensive car that he went in on with a couple of friends. I have a few friends that are unashamed of owning fishing rods and fishing equipment that costs way more than you could imagine... which is all geared towards catching just one type of fish. I met some of my best friends through having similar, slightly outlandish hobbies. But sometimes I feel as though there is a guilt factor for having hobbies. Like, shouldn't you be at work during you entire waking life? I mean, I know people who only sometimes have the chance to take a bath with their kids before they go to bed and start the whole day over again. That includes most weekends and holidays. Where does a hobby fit in in those peoples' lives? 
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06-24-2011, 04:13 AM
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06-24-2011, 07:39 AM
I see what you're saying, but on the contrary I think that style of thinking has resurfaced or has just kept on keeping on (perhaps it's just in my general area?). I often hear the "it's a recession" excuse for that style of working. The thinking goes like this: yea, the pay is terrible and the hours are outrageous, but at least I have a job.
The result is this: People "work" 8 hours a day for 5 days a week. That's on paper and in hiring advertisements. In reality people work on weekends and stay after work for at least a few hours of unpaid over time every day. Even if over time is paid, it's not like time and half (or a greater amount of pay than the usual hourly rate), it's a percentage of the regular hourly rate. I'm sure you know all about how that works MMM... I'm just saying that while that kind of overworking is "outdated", it still seems to be carried out by quite a few people I know. The whole lifetime employment thing disappearing is something I feel like I've read in articles dating back to the early/mid nineties. I get what you're saying though... and I do feel like there is definitely an age group that feels very strongly that way. Unfortunately however, I feel like some of the younger workers fall into the "I'm just happy to have a job" category. I also hear the "during the war"... type of thinking. At any rate, I'd like to see that kind of overworking truly become outdated and a thing of the past. You could literally take one person's shift and split it between two people and still have both of them come close to 40 hours a week (each). I think some of it has to do with shady employers as well. My wife got offered a "part-time" job, which had her working 9 hours a day 5 days a week with days off being spread out throughout the week (with probably an average of less than one day off a week). By "part-time", I think the place meant, "we'll strip you of any full-timer benefits and let you work full time." (which in case of that particular company full time benefits is bonuses... they don't have real over time pay or maternity leave or paid days off or anything like that). It's a win-win situation for the employer. So while on paper and in statistics everything looks hunky-dory, the reality is some people just don't have time to have a life. I personally wouldn't want "life-time employment" in that kind of situation anyways. Anyways, MMM I'm sure you've heard this kind of thing and seen it first person a lot... but I'm just saying I don't think it's a thing of the past. It's rather unfortunate really.
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06-24-2011, 07:46 AM
I didn't say people didn't work the outrageous hours, I just meant the thinking that their lives should revolve around work and they shouldn't have a hobby is outdated. They certainly work the hours, but it seems like people are more vocal about complaining about it than they were 20 years ago.
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06-24-2011, 07:49 AM
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Wishing there were more free time to do whatever hobby or see kids or just relax, very common.
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