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It's always seemed to me that hobbies are a very individual thing and hobbies celebrate an individual world view over collective viewpoints. There seems to be a drive towards collectivist views of society in the West represented by various ideologies. This, to me, is strange, because much of the evolution of western societies has been about creating a framework where individuals can be free to pursue whatever they choose. Last century was a pretty good demonstration of where collectivist views of society lead - to the Gulag and extermination camps.
I think the author of NYT article only gets part of the problem, that of the commodification of everything and a vacuous desire for unattainable perfection. To me there is a more fundamental issue of the integrity of the individual in society to choose that which appeals and amuses him/her without reference to anyone else.
Charlie
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