alfadriver wrote: In reply to mndsm: You need to separate the want to learn and figure it out and the ability and availability to do so. The rate of want doesn't change much. More so, the need of learning it goes down- so even the people who don't want to learn are not forced to learn just to operate. I think it's better this way- the people who come here are more the ones who WANT to learn.
There definitely is that, and i am happy for it.
In reply to mndsm:
I have to ask, have you been called a bully for expecting chores to get done before her allowance is dispersed?
I got into a long and involved FB argument with a millennial friend of mine over that very video. My basic claim was that this is the fundamental E36 M3 your parents need to teach you, and if they can't / won't, then you should sack up and figure it out for yourself. His basic claim was that it was a vast failure of the socioeconomic system that this stuff was not taught in public school.
I never had a Home Ec class or a mechanics class in my life. And I'm 51, so I grew up when some schools still taught it. If you're 20 and don't know how to boil an egg, get a berkeleying pot of water and some heat and an egg, and try it.
johnnie wrote: Change a tire. Sharpen a knife. Hammer a nail. Brew coffee. Jump start a car. Cook bacon. Drive a manual transmission car. Back a trailer. Cook eggs. Shake hands. Sit. Good boy/girl.
Change a tire. Why bother? At least one of the 10 credit cards has a roadside assistance plan and that stuff is dirty and dangerous.
Sharpen a knife. Buy new one
Hammer a nail. Requires too much PPE anymore. OSHA studies and certification required.
Brew coffee. Cause Starbucks/Tim Hortons ?
Jump start a car. Who does that anymore? Worlds gonna be like Japan where 5 year old cars are banned anyways. Are not all cars going to be electric anyways?
Cook bacon. OK, that is a required lifeskill. Darwin will kick in if they dont learn
Drive a manual transmission car. A what? Why? This would be an affectation, not a lifeskill.
Back a trailer. You are asking too much, settle for "Drive Car"?
Cook eggs. As a teenager, was too busy trying to fertilize them thank you.
Shake hands. Too germy for the new generation, elbow bumps only please.
Sit.
Good boy/girl. Wait, we talking to the dog here?
NOHOME wrote: Sit. Good boy/girl. Wait, we talking to the dog here?
No, dogs listen when they're told, figure things out on their own, and understand the word "no"
How and why of turn indicators!
The economics of celebrity endorsement! I had a niece that wanted some Beats by Dr. Dre (headphones)and I took her shopping and found her another brand that sounded better, were lighter, cost about a third of Beats and her vapid little friends would not steal them.
Guys, guys.
Don't break your berkeleying arms patting yourselves on the back about how awesome you are compared to children.
I'm sure some of you have noticed a theme in my posts that my brother is wildly incapable of doing anything "handy" and expresses a strong desire to NOT learn new skills.
Here's the kicker, he's 32 and in his circle of friends/co-workers/acquaintances he's rock star famous for his "Mr. Fix-it" skills. It appears there are a whole lot of people out there who's entire skill set is updating instagram or serving lattes.
z31maniac wrote: Guys, guys. Don't break your berkeleying arms patting yourselves on the back about how awesome you are compared to children.
I'm not. But there's an attitude of willful helplessness that is getting pervasive. If you watch the video in question (it's making the rounds on social media) a lot of the people are complaining about their own basic lack of life skills, yet it hasn't seemed to occur to many of them that they can teach themselves most of these things without a lot of effort or resources.
It's no secret that every generation thinks their parents are old fogies while the parents' generation thinks the new kids are lazy morons. This isn't quite that.
Set up a tent
Light a fire
Catch and clean a fish.
I think the web series sounds great.
That said, I don't think it will solve helplessness. Instructions for most any life skill exist already. You're describing someone who doesn't try to throw their mind at the problem, or at least, try to look up the answer to a problem.
I'm a gen-X'er, and grew up with a dishwasher. My first apartment lacked any such appliance. I bought some dish soap, took a stab at it, and got decent results, but decided it was really inefficient. I looked up instructions on the interwebs, found a better way. Problem solved.
If you're convinced you can't, or that it is someone else's problem, you're not going to try solving it. You're not going to take the step of looking up instructions.
RevRico wrote: In reply to mndsm: I have to ask, have you been called a bully for expecting chores to get done before her allowance is dispersed?
Not me, because not my kid. Swmbo has been called a whole mess of things and had accusations of being a slave owner though.
Duke wrote: I got into a long and involved FB argument with a millennial friend of mine over that very video. My basic claim was that this is the fundamental E36 M3 your parents need to teach you, and if they can't / won't, then you should sack up and figure it out for yourself. His basic claim was that it was a vast failure of the socioeconomic system that this stuff was not taught in public school. I never had a Home Ec class or a mechanics class in my life. And I'm 51, so I grew up when some schools still taught it. If you're 20 and don't know how to boil an egg, get a berkeleying pot of water and some heat and an egg, and *try* it.
Or check that E36 M3 out online. I actually called my gramma the first time i wanted to do one. Believe it or not, your elders actually know E36 M3!
egnorant wrote: How and why of turn indicators! The economics of celebrity endorsement! I had a niece that wanted some Beats by Dr. Dre (headphones)and I took her shopping and found her another brand that sounded better, were lighter, cost about a third of Beats and her vapid little friends would not steal them.
Ive had this exact argument with swmbo jr. She didnt think my shure earbuds (se215ks for those that care) would smoke her grandmothers beats. Though given the crap she listens to (jesus, im my parents) you probably wouldn't notice.
Duke wrote: His basic claim was that it was a vast failure of the socioeconomic system that this stuff was not taught in public school.
I have to agree with him on that point. I was a shop teacher from 1966 to 1994. Frequently I meet former students who thank me because they learned things that their parents didn't know and couldn't teach them.
Today's kids don't have that opportunity.
Education has done a great disservice to society by eliminating Shop, Home Ec,etc. classes.
There are a lot of skills we didn't get that I wouldn't mind learning too: Churning butter, tanning leather, shoeing a horse, making candles, using a manual wringer washing machine, tacking in a sailboat, making soap, making rope, knot tying, spinning thread, weaving, shearing sheep, maintaining a gravel driveway, etc...
Edit: Another topic worth some time would be menu planning. There is an art to setting up the perfect week with pot roast Monday, hot beef sandwiches Wednesday and beef soup Friday all using the same chunk of meat. It's more than just discovering leftovers and making something with them; it's planning for them and maximizing your grocery dollar.
In reply to oldopelguy:
Believe it or not, I actually know how to use a wringer washer. For some berkeleyed up reason that was the machine we had at the brewery was a wringer.
Hal wrote:Duke wrote: His basic claim was that it was a vast failure of the socioeconomic system that this stuff was not taught in public school.I have to agree with him on that point. I was a shop teacher from 1966 to 1994. Frequently I meet former students who thank me because they learned things that their parents didn't know and couldn't teach them. Today's kids don't have that opportunity. Education has done a great disservice to society by eliminating Shop, Home Ec,etc. classes.
My complaint, is both. Primarily these kids dont get the opportunity. The other side of it is, there is no interest even when its available. If it isn't berkeleying pewdiewhatever they aren't interested and can't be arsed to learn.
Given your attitude along with many others here, are you berkeleying surprised by their attitudes in return?
Stefan (Not Bruce) wrote: Given your attitude along with many others here, are you berkeleying surprised by their attitudes in return?
I think we are misinterpreting each other here. I am more than willing to teach anyone i know, anything i know. I like to share. My problem comes in when people just dont give two E36 M3s and look at me like i should take care of it for them, instead of bothering to learn. That's what pisses me off. I think most will agree that the dyi culture as a whole is on a rapid decline. Let's face it, handypeople are a dying breed. I live with this on a daily basis, and its horrifying. My demonstration with the modem was indeed an act of frustration. But I've about reached my breaking point with this level of apathy. Was i surprised by the eyeroll and dismissive attitude in this instance? Of course not. I probably deserved it. However, when i can read a list that looks like a college term paper of just things ive tried to teach people in the last 12 months, not even with swmbo jr, but on a whole, that have been completely berkeleying ignored because someone else will eventually do it for them, its not something i abide by.
This is not to say i by any stretch a master know it all. I might play one on tv, but there's a million things i dont know. I do however, share a strong belief (as im sure most of us do) that doing things for oneself, for whatever reason, can be extremely satisfying. Example- i can knock out a bangin ribeye for like...10 bucks. Could a resteraunt do better? Absolutely. But i dont need to take out a second mortgage (or a first one, who am i kidding) to do it, and i am continually getting better. There is much satisfaction to be had when i cut that bad boy open and its a perfect medium rare. I don't get why people are so apathetic towards fending for themselves. There is an abhorrent level of dependency in the new generation. Frustrating, absolutely. But the opportunity to present basic information in a matter these kids might grasp (lets face it. Some idiot making an ass of themselves under the guise of learning is a far better sell these days, than say julia child) is one that amuses me greatly, and it covers all my bases at once. I can share what i know, learn E36 M3, and vent frustration without picking up a felony. All win win. And if a kid learns to change a tire because i accidentally rocked myself in the junk with a jack handle and it goes viral, so be it.
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