Why are audiophiles perceived as being wackos?


I have been pursuing this wonderful hobby of high end stereo equipment and music for almost 30 years. I do consider myself a passionate audiophile who loves to listen to music on a daily basis. The reason for this post is because it has been my experience that the great majority of people who do not pursue this hobby think of audiophiles as being wackos/screwballs because of the amount of time, money, and passion they put towards their systems. I find it very interesting that individuals who spend tremendous amounts of money and time pursuing esoteric tastes such as wines, watches, coins, etc, are considered connoisseurs or aficionados with a serious passion that is often respected even if it is not the other person's cup of tea. Another example would be people who love high end cars/boats who read all the magazines, go to the shows and invest large sums of money to purchase and tweak their cars or boats to get the last bit of ultimate performance out of their prized possessions. So I don't believe the negative viewpoint towards passionate audiophiles revolves around the amount of money that they can invest in their equipment. So my question for all you GON members is what would be your explanation for people outside our hobby having such a negative or condescending attitude towards our passion, where they infrequently would not have the same attitude towards other people's hobbies and passionate but unique pursuits? It would be a pleasure to hear about your experiences and what your explanation would be for this phenomena towards our hobby.
teajay
here is something to think about. of all the hobbies mentioned in this thread, ours is the only one not growing. in fact, more music is listened to on pc's alone than all the audio systems(low,mid, or hi end) combined. any growth numbers are coming from home theatre. movies evidently ARE the new rock and roll
Perhaps I'm lucky, but my friends are tactful enuf not to tell me that I'm a whacko because I 'collect' audio equipment or music. Maybe you need new a new class of friends. :-) The assumption that there are a lot of folks who think we are whackos may be nothing more than collective paranoia with a bit of guilty conscience thown in.
Who? Me?
.
If car buffs thought they could increase acceleration by Cryo treating their spark plugs, they would get the same treatment.
.
We all have our likes and dislikes. One man's passion is another man's apathy.
But anyone who ridicules another persons passion, lacks a bit of social
sophistication.

So it's best to go by the old Native American saying:
"Do not criticize your neighbor, until you've walked a mile in his shoes."
This way, you're a mile away, and you have their shoes!