As much as the cost of going out to bars and town has increased nowadays to the point that its a luxury, things like spending time with friends and loved ones, reading, watching films, listening to music, dancing, singing and cooking with others are all either free or incredibly cheap, like the only way this is a "privileged take" from him is if the people replying consider it privileged to have irl friends. Some online leftists are just bitter philistines trying to defend spending hours and hours of their free time getting into arguments online instead of doing anything else with their time.

[–] Emily@lemmygrad.ml 9 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

Yeah, I have to say, spending time reading and writing (or drawing or making music) is as cheap or expensive as you're willing to make it. My spouse and I heavily pulled back from the internet over a year ago now and have spent a lot more time at the bookstore, reading books to each other, doing puzzles and playing card games. It costs almost nothing, is significantly more fulfilling, and I've found myself much more motivated to write creatively again, something I hadn't done regularly since I was a teen.

[–] BattleshipPokemon@hexbear.net 6 points 2 weeks ago

its all very "I live in a burnt out T34 in a junkyard in Wisconsin. My only friend in the world is a tapeworm called Bordiga..."

[–] TraschcanOfIdeology@hexbear.net 5 points 2 weeks ago

Some online leftists are just bitter philistines trying to defend spending hours and hours of their free time getting into arguments online instead of doing anything else with their time.

Decades of academic, disconnected from praxis leftism and Protestant brainworms really show when it comes to that.

[–] SootySootySoot@hexbear.net 4 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago)

Spending time with friends costs me petrol or bus fare, both are extortionate.
Reading books I want to read costs money to.. buy said books. Libraries are an option but see travel costs above.
Watching films costs money unless you have the education, money, and ability to not worry about cops enough to pirate.
Listening to music, see above.
Cooking can be cheap, but requires knowhow and energy that most over-worked people don't have. And experimenting to learn can be costly if you ruin tonight's dinner. It also benefits significantly from a bit of money for tools/quality ingredients.

I do sort of agree with your take here. But as someone who really did live penny-to-penny for the first 20 years of my life, there many times I wanted to do all these things you suggest are "free or cheap", and could not afford it. I literally couldn't afford to spend time with friends (nor go out and make friends) most weeks, because they.. weren't in walkable distance.

So I kind of object to the idea that these things AREN'T a privilege, given that I have literally previously been too poor to do them. They all can cost substantial money.