Basic Life Skills No-One Has Anymore
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The OP is actually making a rather valid point.
Sure in this age of internet, smartphones, flatscreen TV's and microwave ovens, who needs "skills" right?
Every-bloody-body!
As much time as I waste sat at my desk, I still like to get out and know how to do things and I find it rather pathetic when I have to teach my peers who to do simple things such as change a wheel or make a brew.
I think it's just a sense of complacency that has let older skills be forgotten and yet when you consider we live in an age when religious extremism can be backed up with a laser-guided bomb, I shudder to think how we'd cope if it all went to shit.
Sure there is no real need to know how to light a fire and skin a rabbit when you can just go to the shops, buy a read-meal and stick it in the microwave but, as many people have said, "you never know what tommorrow may bring". I'm not saying we should all take up hunting because, right now, there is no need and I have nothing but the deepest loathing for those twat-sandwiches who hunt for "fun" - rednecks usually fit this category - but there is a difference between that and knowing how to cope if civilisation does come crashing down.
Years ago I was given a book called "Hatchet" by Gary Paulson and I urge anyone to read it. The main character is a city-boy who is left stranded after a plane crash with no idea where he is or where to go. Usually the useless city-boy would starve to death inside twenty minutes but Brian learns to adapt and improvise and winds up surviving many months.
Of course the OP wasn't talking about things of such extremes but the point still applies.
I wouldn't blame parents as much as I would blame society as a whole. It's not a bad thing that the vast majority of us now live in reasonable comfort with cheap socks and fuel-efficient vehicles but it has made us rather dependent.
I agree with tkioz that it's really just a little bit pathetic when people can't do such simple things anymore. I've known people take their car to a garage to get a dead lamp or blown fure replaced and I want to clip them round the earhole, especially when they whine that they wouldn't know where to start.
Thankfully I always wanted to learn such things and I have parents who could teach me such things and my grandparents also imparted a lot of knowledge and passed on their skills. I'm talking things like making a cup of tea, doing my own laundry, wiring a plug, fixing my car, cooking, cleaning, sewing (although I suck at it!) - all simple, basic things that we should all know how to do but so many people today don't.
It's...sad...really.
Wardy
Sure in this age of internet, smartphones, flatscreen TV's and microwave ovens, who needs "skills" right?
Every-bloody-body!
As much time as I waste sat at my desk, I still like to get out and know how to do things and I find it rather pathetic when I have to teach my peers who to do simple things such as change a wheel or make a brew.
I think it's just a sense of complacency that has let older skills be forgotten and yet when you consider we live in an age when religious extremism can be backed up with a laser-guided bomb, I shudder to think how we'd cope if it all went to shit.
Sure there is no real need to know how to light a fire and skin a rabbit when you can just go to the shops, buy a read-meal and stick it in the microwave but, as many people have said, "you never know what tommorrow may bring". I'm not saying we should all take up hunting because, right now, there is no need and I have nothing but the deepest loathing for those twat-sandwiches who hunt for "fun" - rednecks usually fit this category - but there is a difference between that and knowing how to cope if civilisation does come crashing down.
Years ago I was given a book called "Hatchet" by Gary Paulson and I urge anyone to read it. The main character is a city-boy who is left stranded after a plane crash with no idea where he is or where to go. Usually the useless city-boy would starve to death inside twenty minutes but Brian learns to adapt and improvise and winds up surviving many months.
Of course the OP wasn't talking about things of such extremes but the point still applies.
I wouldn't blame parents as much as I would blame society as a whole. It's not a bad thing that the vast majority of us now live in reasonable comfort with cheap socks and fuel-efficient vehicles but it has made us rather dependent.
I agree with tkioz that it's really just a little bit pathetic when people can't do such simple things anymore. I've known people take their car to a garage to get a dead lamp or blown fure replaced and I want to clip them round the earhole, especially when they whine that they wouldn't know where to start.
Thankfully I always wanted to learn such things and I have parents who could teach me such things and my grandparents also imparted a lot of knowledge and passed on their skills. I'm talking things like making a cup of tea, doing my own laundry, wiring a plug, fixing my car, cooking, cleaning, sewing (although I suck at it!) - all simple, basic things that we should all know how to do but so many people today don't.
It's...sad...really.
Wardy
Before I left my parents house they teached me some of these skills. I am very happy I know them now. Most of the things that show a minor defect I'll try and fix miself.
Some things that work very dubious (works for x time, then it doesn't), I tend to smash to shit to spare me the frustration and the delusion I could know what is broke.
Some things that work very dubious (works for x time, then it doesn't), I tend to smash to shit to spare me the frustration and the delusion I could know what is broke.
Varrdy said:
Doesn't that mention of 'Hachet' kind of deflate your point a bit though? That is, if it's supposedly about about at boy who didn't have those skills before hand and yet adapted and survived. Wouldn't that be more an illustration of the survivability of humans without any prior training?
If this synopsis from wikipedia is anything to go by:
The book is actually demonstrating the opposite of what you think it is. But hey, it's fiction, I'm sure anyone who got into that situation in real life without survival training would be dead within hours, right?
Sixteen-double-bagel. On Roger's planet, its one of the most important birthdays, if Steve doesnt fuck it up.Dango said:
OT: Just luxuries. Whenever something breaks, we in the united states at least have enough of a surplus to just throw it away and get new ones. We dont need to know how to fix it. I think thats all it boils down to. The basic life skills arent needed in the US because we have the money to make it so that they dont matter. In third world countries, the situation is different Im sure.
Fair point. Looking back on my post I realise I left out a rather critical point that I intended to go after my mentioning of Hatchet.GothmogII said:
What I meant to say was that a lot of people in today's society seem to be pre-programmed to replace rather than repair and when anyone challenges them to do such a simple thing as sew on a button or change a wheel, their immediate response seems to be "I wouldn't know where to start!" even though, if they at least stopped and thought about it, they might surprise themselves. OK so Hatchet was fiction but it still has a valid point to make in that the simplest skills and tools can come in very handy and we should all take the trouble to at least try and learn them.
Wardy
Price. I have absolutely no incentive to mend socks. I know how, I taught myself. But I can also just buy a brand new pair for 50 cents and be done with it. I don't consider saving that expenditure of money worth my expenditure of effort, thus, I don't do it. Sharpening knives is definitely not a basic skill btw, if I need my knives sharpened I take them to my shoe repair man who has all kinds of crazy gear. Again, low financial expenditure means little incentive for taking the effort.tkioz said:
(Also not being able to fry an egg is just sad)
My (female) cousin knows neither how to use a washing machine, an iron, a dishwasher, or a cooker. Her mother does everything for her. I was... Horrified! She's 19 now, she has no intention of moving out of home nor of learning those things. Basically, my aunt and my grandparents spoil her horribly. She never needed to learn if there is always someone to do it for her. :/
Pointless. Repairing things is such a pointless thing to do. Especially with socks. I mean christ, SOCKS?! Who repairs their socks?! As for cooking, totally pointless. Everything I eat doesn't require cooking. I also haven't used a knife and fork to eat at home since I was 16. Why make washing up for yourself when you've got hands?!
They aren't going to disappear anywhere, people will just have to learn them later on.
How many parents now days go, "Come here timmy, Dad is going to show you how to sharpen your kitchen knife."
Or how many kids are going to "Whippee!!! Dad going to teach me to sharpen knifes!" Example...!!!
I know how to mend my cloths, I make myself alot of cloths. I know how to cook, I just don't cook wide variety of things.
I don't consider people losing skills, I just see people who are stupid, or parents and teens who don't care to teach/learn. But if you look around your community, there still are people who are masters in different things and amateurs on others. I myself don't know how to DIY furniture or basic household renovation, well my reason is my Right hand that I am slowly losing control of.
But also as times change and culture and community changes, other skills aren't valuable as others. Ex, I cut my hair at someone who is good at it, it supports then community and do better job in it. I repair most of my better cloths at a professional, same reason. I rarely do this, because I buy good quality stuff that last long.
I don't see basic skills going to vanish, I just see people who don't care for them.
How many parents now days go, "Come here timmy, Dad is going to show you how to sharpen your kitchen knife."
Or how many kids are going to "Whippee!!! Dad going to teach me to sharpen knifes!" Example...!!!
I know how to mend my cloths, I make myself alot of cloths. I know how to cook, I just don't cook wide variety of things.
I don't consider people losing skills, I just see people who are stupid, or parents and teens who don't care to teach/learn. But if you look around your community, there still are people who are masters in different things and amateurs on others. I myself don't know how to DIY furniture or basic household renovation, well my reason is my Right hand that I am slowly losing control of.
But also as times change and culture and community changes, other skills aren't valuable as others. Ex, I cut my hair at someone who is good at it, it supports then community and do better job in it. I repair most of my better cloths at a professional, same reason. I rarely do this, because I buy good quality stuff that last long.
I don't see basic skills going to vanish, I just see people who don't care for them.
Cooking skills I rarely see in anyone anymore, it's amazing how such a basic fundamental skill of survival isn't as widespread as it should be.
I love to cook and I am mostly self taught, I'm no expert by any means but I know enough to prepare a meal for multiple people with ease.
I love to cook and I am mostly self taught, I'm no expert by any means but I know enough to prepare a meal for multiple people with ease.
Well, I can do most things that need doing around the house, drill holes put stuff together, connect electrical stuff, cook etc. And if there's something I don't know, there's the great collective information centre, otherwise known as the internet, world wide web, a series of tubes. Only thing I can't do is IT-business, but my brother can do those things.
I'm pretty useless when it comes to using a washing machine. Like, a proper household one. When I was at home, my mum did all that sort of stuff - I always felt like I should do my own but never got the chance because she genuinely enjoys doing laundry. Here, we just have a launderette with monkey-proof 'put money in and press one button' machines. It's not a difficult thing to learn, in fact I'm pretty sure I'd only need to be shown once or twice depending on different settings, but I've just never bothered. I also have no idea how to use a dishwasher because I've never had one - my parents are 'of a certain age' and they don't see the point of paying loads of money for a machine to do what takes a few minutes and mere pennies to do by hand, and I'm inclined to agree.
I can cook, but choose not to. We only have useless electric cookers here so I just throw stuff in the oven and be done with it... I'll cook a lot more when I've got a nice gas cooker to use. I'm shocked that anyone wouldn't know how to sharpen a knife, although admittedly I don't have a knife sharpener here, call it a by-product of not bothering to cook. I'm even more shocked that people would rather buy new knives than sharpen them, those things aren't cheap.
As for clothing: I know how to repair stuff if necessary but, honestly, it's unlikely I'll bother unless it's something that cost a fair bit of money. In the case of socks, the needle and thread to repair them would probably cost more than buying a new pair.
Minor household repairs are no problem, largely because I used to enjoy taking things apart and seeing if I could put them back together again. That and I always seem to get a new tool kit for Christmas every year because nobody knows what to buy me any more. Changing plugs and fuses, no trouble. Putting up shelves, cool. Bicycle repairs: probably still alright, although I haven't owned one in years. Assembling flat-pack furniture: I actually enjoy it.
When it comes to cars... yeah, that's where I have almost zero knowledge. I don't drive, so I've never considered it necessary knowledge. Even when I was taking lessons I figured it was something I could learn later on. If I ever get back to learning (which will entirely depend on where I end up living in the next few years) I have plenty of people who can help teach me that sort of thing.
I can cook, but choose not to. We only have useless electric cookers here so I just throw stuff in the oven and be done with it... I'll cook a lot more when I've got a nice gas cooker to use. I'm shocked that anyone wouldn't know how to sharpen a knife, although admittedly I don't have a knife sharpener here, call it a by-product of not bothering to cook. I'm even more shocked that people would rather buy new knives than sharpen them, those things aren't cheap.
As for clothing: I know how to repair stuff if necessary but, honestly, it's unlikely I'll bother unless it's something that cost a fair bit of money. In the case of socks, the needle and thread to repair them would probably cost more than buying a new pair.
Minor household repairs are no problem, largely because I used to enjoy taking things apart and seeing if I could put them back together again. That and I always seem to get a new tool kit for Christmas every year because nobody knows what to buy me any more. Changing plugs and fuses, no trouble. Putting up shelves, cool. Bicycle repairs: probably still alright, although I haven't owned one in years. Assembling flat-pack furniture: I actually enjoy it.
When it comes to cars... yeah, that's where I have almost zero knowledge. I don't drive, so I've never considered it necessary knowledge. Even when I was taking lessons I figured it was something I could learn later on. If I ever get back to learning (which will entirely depend on where I end up living in the next few years) I have plenty of people who can help teach me that sort of thing.
True enough, although, education has to start somewhere, and to it's failure, school often doesn't provide in this regard very well. Home Economics for example should be mandatory, as in many schools not only does it teach cooking and sewing, but also how to run a household and budget (at least, the one in my school did), however, because of the limited amount of spaces, it was not feasible to have it as a class for everyone, and as for myself, I was advised not to take the course because: 'Chefs don't get paid well', as if that were the limits of the class. :/Varrdy said:
And, being an impressionable sort I acquiesced and did metalwork instead, something which I disliked and had little aptitude for. And while I did manage to pick up those skills after a fashion when I was older, sewing and cooking and the like, it would have been of immense benefit personally to have had the opportunity earlier.
I could cook (enough to survive anyway), and I could pick up most of those skills quickly if I had to. Most aren't learnt simply because there's no necessity to do so.
