Basic Life Skills No-One Has Anymore

[deadlyric]

Technology. Imo your buddy needs a pair of those 'knives that cut bricks' to last him instead of a sharpening/whet(sp?) stone.

Realistically as Agayek said above; if I get a hole in a sock it's easier to take 10 minutes to buy a new pair opposed to getting out your sewing materials and stitching it back up.

However as for the social/mental benefits of doin' it yerself(ikno) obviously getting satisfaction from self accomplishments motivate individuals differently, I don't think everyone is as stupid as they say they are.

Most basic life skills, sharpening a stone, stitching clothing are pretty self evident on how to accomplish; whether you're a master anyone with basic reasoning can say if I stab thread between cloth I can patch a 'hole'. Distinguish 'Master' ability from 'can get it done'. I can't cook for crap, but I know if I throw meat on fire long enough it'll cook through, and salads are a flawless victory

 

[Cynical skeptic]

Technology. Imo your buddy needs a pair of those 'knives that cut bricks' to last him instead of a sharpening/whet(sp?) stone.

Every knife needs to be sharpened. The knives they use to cut a brick (and then a tomato, softest thing that even needs to be cut) are ruined afterwards.

 

[deadlyric]

Technology. Imo your buddy needs a pair of those 'knives that cut bricks' to last him instead of a sharpening/whet(sp?) stone.

Every knife needs to be sharpened. The knives they use to cut a brick (and then a tomato, softest thing that even needs to be cut) are ruined afterwards.

Well if you want to get all technical, they don't NEED to be sharpened.. just buy some new ones, but yes I understand your point. Also; dull knives fail at cutting through tomatoes, but then again you also have TV magic; ect. It was a metaphor for 'basic' life skills, sharpening a knife is not difficult.

 

[LawlessSquirrel]

I agree with the many lovely people above me; it seems like it's a lack of motivation doing the damage, and pure laziness. I'm far from the most life-experienced person in the world, and my understanding of social protocol is mostly feigned, but when there's a particular skill I feel I could use I do go out and try to teach myself.

I can cook, but I prefer not to if given an alternative (not that it's that hard, the things I like to eat are easy to prepare), and I can sharpen knives, although it's rare that I have to (other people do it first), and I know enough about running repairs and cleaning to get by. I personally haven't met many people who can't improvise those skills to a competent degree, but I'm sure there's a large amount that can't.

Perhaps the issue is that people don't feel the need to learn these skills any more? Why learn to sharpen a knife and why learn to pick a lock if you've never had any need for those skills, or if there's an accessible alternative?

 

[Elexia]

There are skills I wish I learned when I was younger - sewing, knitting, general household repairs. I picked them up later, in adulthood, but I wish I had learned them earlier, so I could be an expert rather than a beginner by the time I lived on my own and they came in handy.

 

[dududf]

I can cook complicated dishes, I know how to clean, I can maintain machinery, And I can aim and accurately fire guns.

I can build a shelter, I can make a fire assuming I have access to a math or a fire source.
I can dissemble and reassemble a computer.
Uhhh...
I can sew...
I can do a martial art very effectively.
Only one of those was passed down.


I can repair some electronics... I can hunt...

I...uh... I repair general things... Assuming There's duct tape and underwear near by....(There's a reason for the underwear)

Oh and I can fix most things regarding wood.


That being said, I can do them, I just rarely ever actually do it.

 

[Deef]

Was it parents simply not passing them down?

This in my case.

Same here, although it doesn't take a genius to figure out how to sharpen a knife.

 

[Cynical skeptic]

Technology. Imo your buddy needs a pair of those 'knives that cut bricks' to last him instead of a sharpening/whet(sp?) stone.

Every knife needs to be sharpened. The knives they use to cut a brick (and then a tomato, softest thing that even needs to be cut) are ruined afterwards.

Well if you want to get all technical, they don't NEED to be sharpened.. just buy some new ones, but yes I understand your point. Also; dull knives fail at cutting through tomatoes, but then again you also have TV magic; ect. It was a metaphor for 'basic' life skills, sharpening a knife is not difficult.

Yes, dull knife + tomatoe = failure. But with sufficient technique, you can make it work. Which is partially why they always have master chefs doing the demonstrations. The rest is 90% of that "super knife's" ability is coming from the master chef.

 

[Antitonic]

Locally, it seems the ability to read, speak, or write English has left us, and gone forever.

Otherwise, basic repair skills. Society is more disposable than it used to be.

 

[deadlyric]

Technology. Imo your buddy needs a pair of those 'knives that cut bricks' to last him instead of a sharpening/whet(sp?) stone.

Every knife needs to be sharpened. The knives they use to cut a brick (and then a tomato, softest thing that even needs to be cut) are ruined afterwards.

Well if you want to get all technical, they don't NEED to be sharpened.. just buy some new ones, but yes I understand your point. Also; dull knives fail at cutting through tomatoes, but then again you also have TV magic; ect. It was a metaphor for 'basic' life skills, sharpening a knife is not difficult.

Yes, dull knife + tomatoe = failure. But with sufficient technique, you can make it work. Which is partially why they always have master chefs doing the demonstrations. The rest is 90% of that "super knife's" ability is coming from the master chef.

I would think at that point if you had sufficient technique to cut a tomato well with a dulled knife you'd be maintain your knives and not being a failrobot by cutting cans and bricks lol. Then again, Master Chef continues to prove me wrong about terribad cooks.

 

[Kiju]

1) Usually when a sock has a hole in it, it's either A) a cheap piece of crap that wore out and needs to be replaced anyway, or B) It's old enough that it should just be replaced. Socks aren't made to last too long anymore. The method used for making them has changed due to using cotton instead of wool.

2) Some people just don't know how to cook, and that includes frying an egg. The fact a 20-something doesn't know isn't much of a surprise to me. Why should they learn, when they can just as easily scramble it or go out and buy some sandwich or other with egg in it?


I guess what I'm trying to say is...those aren't really "basic life skills" as you claim them to be. Some people didn't know how to do certain things back when we didn't have these luxuries simply because it wasn't their trade, and they had no one to learn from. Sharpening a knife isn't much of a good example either. Most people who have knives don't really care enough to sharpen them as the theory of: 'if it cuts, it's sharp enough' holds true. Hence why most knives now-a-days for cutting are serrated. (Besides, I cheat and use a pair of sterilized scissors to cut meat. Works better.)

Simply because you learned them when you were young doesn't make them skills everyone should know. I learned how to fold clothing when I was six, but that doesn't make it a basic life skill; just something that's nice to know.

 

[SenseOfTumour]

I live with a dude who can't do dishes or vaccuum or... well anything really.

I also have a friend who lived with a young woman who somehow managed to fuck up mashed potatoes. Badly.

I reckon it's the parents. I know how to do things because my parents made me do things for myself. The people who struggle are the ones who've never had to cook a meal or do their wahing until they've left home.

I sense you live with a dude who knows if he leaves it long enough, you'll do it, more than 'not knowing how' he just fakes uselessness.

I'd also suggest to this generation that we all can do a lot of stuff better than our parents in terms of setting a video recorder, changing the clock on the oven, sending emails, etc etc.

 

[Quantum Star]

I am a damn good cook, and I'm proud of it. I don't know how to mend clothes, but I think that isn't as necessary as being able to cook. If, for example you get a little hole on the edge of your jeans, they're still wearable as long as they're not completely shredded, and unless your job involves testing the sharpness of knives on your clothes, sewing isn't used as frequently as other skills. Sewing is practical skill to have, it's just not used as much as other abilities

However, we need to be able to prepare food everyday to provide our bodies with energy. Lots of people take the lazy option nowadays by consuming too much fast food, when they could just learn to cook instead. America wouldn't be so overweight if people just took a cooking class or two and learned to provide for themselves.

Its times like this I wonder if technology and convenience are really making our lives better, or if we're just leaving ourselves in shambles.

 

[Socius]

basic survival abilities:
1: Is a good cook.
2: knows about most herbs and plants in the area.
3: can find locations based by landmarks and stars.
4: is quite handy with a knife.
5: know how to escape blizzards.
6: can fix clothes.
7: can create small hutt's for shelter.


In return I'm pretty useless with technology.

 

[Cynical skeptic]

I would think at that point if you had sufficient technique to cut a tomato well with a dulled knife you'd be maintain your knives and not being a failrobot by cutting cans and bricks lol. Then again, Master Chef continues to prove me wrong about terribad cooks.

I thought we were talking about television commercials and paid appearances.

 

[Guffe]

I know all that.
But I may just say I live in Finland so basically everyone knows basic "survival/do things your way" stuff, after all everyone else in the world says we are barbarians so we got to live up it.
Here parents ask/make you do stuff so you learn and are prepared when you need to do something on your own. All my friends know how to cook (some more advanced stuff we need aid like a recipe) and do everyday basic stuff.
Some of my friends go into extremes like hunting with their parents when they were 10 and learned how to cut open a dead animal (like a moose) in the garage.