Well, it used to be called the "Sporting Life."  You could just go by "Sport" like at the beginning of the 1900's.

I like "friend" or "gentleman". I don't like "client". It's too cold. "Hobbyist" I like actually, but it refers to those that enjoy the discussion, the reviews, the strip clubs, Mathesar's rating system, etc...the whole package of all this. "Boy toy" or "afternoon male slut" are still highly ranked in my book.

HB

since most fellow TER member use the terms hobbyist and provider, I decide to use them in my messages.

Friendly F--king For Money for us good ole rednecks.  A hobby is collecting cars on blocks, washing machines for the front porch, baseball cards, butterflies and stamps!!

I had never heard the terms hobbyist or provider until TER.  However any name is fine as long as it is not intended in a deragatory manner.  "A rose by any other name is"

I don't think that looking on this as a hobby is derogatory at all. After all, people typically hate their job, but are passionate about their "hobbies". I don't particularly get golf, but devotees pursue it with an almost religious fervor. The same could be said about sailing, skiing, surfing etc. Many of these other "hobbyists" tolerate their job, only to provide them money for their "hobby".

And to continue the analogy just one step further, I would imagine that the wives of our married participants would be as upset (if they knew) about the time and resources devoted to this "hobby", as to any other.

I think hobbyist is a cute shorthand and I don't mind it. I never thought it trivialized or demeaned the ladies. I have tons of respect for the ladies I've seen who are true professionals and great people.

We are all aware of the client/provider distinctions - nobody should be under the illusion that we are being provided services exclusive of any financial arrangement. Or, that as a "hobbyist", the client has no exclusive loyalty and is therefor disrespectful. That in no way lessens the mutual respect that providers and clients can have for each other.

You ladies are amazing people.

Peter pumpkineater
A Respectful Hobbyist

Fun and passion are all parts of hobbies, I race high performance go karts which compete at speed over 75MPH with no roll cage or seat belts less then 2 inches from the ground in higly competitive classes, now I am extremely passionate about this and I don't find it demeaning when someone refers to it as a hobby.  I feel the same way about OUR hobby, demeaning can be the way we treat one another. The word hobbist it's just a euphemism we use so we can talk in code to each other, nothing more.



-- Modified on 8/1/2002 8:59:03 AM

i spewed on the term "the hobby" in a post last week.

demeans the ladies? that's hilarious. what demeans the ladies is lameass guys who squirrel money off their expense accounts or sneak cash from the household budget, and lie about where they're going and why, and then try to come across like "real men."

and if it's not lies wrapped in lies, then it's a pungent, primal, sometimes scary encounter with the limits of self control in situations of extreme arousal and need. "oh, shit ... did i really do that with her?"

hobby -- yeah, right. it's so obviously a term coined by men who are in full denial.

in the vegas ad, when the dame daubs her eyes with the fishnet briefs handed her by the male stripper, and the announcer says "whoa, mamma's got a hobby!" it's funny. otherwise, a hobby is just videotaping your own handjob.

maybe calling it a hobby is OK. I prefer "date" to "appointment," etc., however prefer DATY above all! LOL

I always kind of liked the British term, "punter."

But amongst friends (and I generally share my experiences with my close friends who are also punters) we use the term "research."

I did some SERIOUS research north of Frankfurt a few weeks ago.