# People who haven't learned a common skill **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [June 11, 2011, 8:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-who-havent-learned-a-common-skill/585150 "2011-06-11T20:53:26Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 6
**Author:** ![xkit0katx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/50afbb/32.png) [@xkit0katx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/xkit0katx)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2011, 1:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-who-havent-learned-a-common-skill/585150/101 "2011-06-13T13:26:58Z")
Huh, I can do most if not all of the things mentioned here _really_ well, and have never thought much of it (I’m 20 btw), including: Swimming like a fish Building a fire (with lighter, matches, or flint n’ steel) Driving a stick shift (actually I prefer stick over auto) Tying all matter of knots in various permutations Sweeping and mopping Writing a check Basic computer skills and google-fu Making change Although I can understand how those skills might not be “common” at all, as I have encountered plenty of IRL folks who can’t (or won’t) do them. In the category of things I haven’t seen mentioned: Basic Sewing 101 - even sewing on a button!! Loading a dishwasher correctly - especially the silverware. Seriously, those cute little slots in the side baskets? They are for each piece of silverware to go in individually. If you insist on shoving all of the forks and knives and spoons in the end bin that’s meant for 1-3 over-sized pieces, you are Doing It Wrong. Using the index in a textbook to look something up Actually using a textbook at all :smack: (As a college student and tutor of math, I see way too much of the above two then I am comfortable thinking about) ---
**Author:** ![gallows\_fodder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/8c91f0/32.png) [@gallows\_fodder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gallows_fodder)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2011, 1:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-who-havent-learned-a-common-skill/585150/102 "2011-06-13T13:34:13Z")
> [@antonio107](#): > > Except when I goto university, and ML55.61 is nowhere NEAR ML55.611, and I felt like Dewey done let me down, lol… That’s not Dewey, that’s LCC (Library of Congress Classification). Different system. The Dewey Decimal system is a, well, _decimal_ system, so xxx.61 comes before xxx.611 comes before xxx.62. In LC, the numbers after the decimal point are not ranked the same way – they’re ranked like cardinal numbers, with xxx.61 and xxx.62 coming before xxx.611. ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2011, 1:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-who-havent-learned-a-common-skill/585150/103 "2011-06-13T13:37:17Z")
56 1/2 years old. Never learned how to drive. ---
**Author:** ![Balthisar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/balthisar/32/2825_2.png) [@Balthisar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Balthisar)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2011, 1:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-who-havent-learned-a-common-skill/585150/104 "2011-06-13T13:48:52Z")
> [@panache45](#): > > I was amazed to discover that a lot of people need the map to be oriented the same as reality. So when you make a left turn, you have to turn the map 90 degrees. It would never occur to me to do such a thing . . . or need to. It’s so pervasive that there are actually GPS programs that _don’t have_ a north-up mode. The damn things always reorient themselves. Drives me nuts. ---
**Author:** ![Zsofia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/7bcc69/32.png) [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2011, 1:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-who-havent-learned-a-common-skill/585150/105 "2011-06-13T13:58:58Z")
> [@xkit0katx](#): > > Loading a dishwasher correctly - especially the silverware. Seriously, those cute little slots in the side baskets? They are for each piece of silverware to go in individually. If you insist on shoving all of the forks and knives and spoons in the end bin that’s meant for 1-3 over-sized pieces, you are Doing It Wrong. Yeah, but that’s a pain and stupid when the silverware gets clean just fine without them. On my dishwasher those little slotted lid things are removable. So I removed them. ---
**Author:** ![Bytegeist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/9dc877/32.png) [@Bytegeist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bytegeist)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2011, 2:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-who-havent-learned-a-common-skill/585150/106 "2011-06-13T14:23:42Z")
> [@panache45](#): > > And then there are people who don’t know the 2-letter abbreviation for their own state. I can understand someone else getting AR, AL and AK confused, but not the people who actually live there. Then there was the time on CNN, several years ago, when the news-crawl at the bottom of the screen warned of a hurricane threatening “TX, LA, and MI”. ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2011, 2:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-who-havent-learned-a-common-skill/585150/107 "2011-06-13T14:30:05Z")
> [@Magiver](#): > > It’s like I’m living on a different planet. When I was young parents taught their kids basic life skills like how to budget money, cook, and fix stuff. … > > I never thought of “the greatest generation” as being particularly special, just normal folks who were relatively self sufficient. It sure doesn’t seem like skills are getting passed down. We live in very different times. For most white-collar workers, the 40-hour-week is lost to history – any place that has abundant job opportunities also has long commutes, long hours, and high costs of housing and education. Many people don’t have the time to learn how to fix things themselves, much less teach they kids how to do things. Kids also don’t have time, with massive commitments to academics and organized extracurriculars. ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2011, 2:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-who-havent-learned-a-common-skill/585150/108 "2011-06-13T14:32:52Z")
> [@panache45](#): > > I was amazed to discover that a lot of people need the map to be oriented the same as reality. So when you make a left turn, you have to turn the map 90 degrees. It would never occur to me to do such a thing . . . or need to. This isn’t so much a learned skill thing as it is an innate ability. Some people just cannot orient themselves without turning the map. > [@](#): > > And then there are people who don’t know the 2-letter abbreviation for their own state. I can understand someone else getting AR, AL and AK confused, but not the people who actually live there. The two-letter postal abbreviations were the worst idea ever. I hate them. I know what they all are but I refuse to use them and I think they should be banned in international forums like the internet. ---
**Author:** ![beartato](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/9d8465/32.png) [@beartato](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beartato)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2011, 2:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-who-havent-learned-a-common-skill/585150/109 "2011-06-13T14:39:56Z")
> [@Thudlow\_Boink](#): > > Now I’m wondering if I’ve been doing it wrong. What’s to know? You’ve probably been mopping like a champ, but for many it’s confusing as hell. Like others, I’m baffled by the difficulties many people seem to have with mopping. I never had to mop growing up, but through TV shows and commercials and just basically looking at the damn tools involved, I never needed to be shown how. I mean, c’mon: Fill bucket with water. Add soap. Put mop in water. Wring most of the water out. Water goes on floor, with scrubbing-esque motion until the floor is clean. Wring mop out fully. Run over the floor again to soak up excess water. Clean mop in sink. Wring out fully. Put away. Empty bucket. Clean bucket. But I’ve worked several jobs where mopping was part of daily clean up. And at any given job, over half the people had to be shown and re-shown the basics. No, you don’t just leave the water on the floor. No, you don’t put away the mop dirty. No, you don’t put the mop away wet. No, you don’t dump a bunch of water in the middle of the floor and push it around a bit with the mop. No, **you don’t mop before sweeping.** It was like some people had no comprehension of what the purpose of mopping was, at all. I’m talking about restaurant staff, and bakery staff, and the like. I know it’s a part-time job, not a career in janitorial service, but how do people get that far in life without understanding how or why to mop? ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2011, 2:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-who-havent-learned-a-common-skill/585150/110 "2011-06-13T14:52:35Z")
> [@Lynn\_Bodoni](#): > > Well, if you’re not near a natural body of water, it’s gonna cost money to go swimming. My high school had two pools, and we had swim class every day for six weeks each semester (and yes, the boys swam nude). You couldn’t graduate without learning to swim. ---
**Author:** ![antonio107](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/7ea924/32.png) [@antonio107](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/antonio107)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2011, 3:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-who-havent-learned-a-common-skill/585150/111 "2011-06-13T15:49:12Z")
> [@gallows\_fodder](#): > > That’s not Dewey, that’s LCC (Library of Congress Classification). Different system. The Dewey Decimal system is a, well, _decimal_ system, so xxx.61 comes before xxx.611 comes before xxx.62. In LC, the numbers after the decimal point are not ranked the same way – they’re ranked like cardinal numbers, with xxx.61 and xxx.62 coming before xxx.611. Oh, I know. I’m just saying using one system truly screwed me over when introduced to the next. I just said that ineloquently :). ---
**Author:** ![Yorikke](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yorikke/32/4335_2.png) [@Yorikke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yorikke)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2011, 3:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-who-havent-learned-a-common-skill/585150/112 "2011-06-13T15:56:32Z")
> [@Bytegeist](#): > > Then there was the time on CNN, several years ago, when the news-crawl at the bottom of the screen warned of a hurricane threatening “TX, LA, and MI”. In their defense, maybe it was a very, very large, selective hurricane. Joe ---
**Author:** ![suranyi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e36b37/32.png) [@suranyi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/suranyi)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2011, 3:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-who-havent-learned-a-common-skill/585150/113 "2011-06-13T15:56:37Z")
> [@panache45](#): > > My high school had two pools, and we had swim class every day for six weeks each semester (and yes, the boys swam nude). You couldn’t graduate without learning to swim. Of course these things vary. Our high school didn’t have a pool, so naturally swimming was not a graduation requirement. (We did have a swim team, but they practiced at the local Y, which was a few blocks away.) ---
**Author:** ![Imago](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/85e7bf/32.png) [@Imago](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Imago)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2011, 4:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-who-havent-learned-a-common-skill/585150/114 "2011-06-13T16:04:32Z")
I lived in an apartment for all but six years growing up, and have been living in one for all my adult life, so I have no clue how to do lawn chores or the kind of just-above-basic household fixes a houseowner needs. I can’t whistle despite having been taught how a thousand times, and I never learned to ice skate or ride a bike. I can, however, swim, build a fire, cook, clean, sew, handle a computer, make change, bake, do all manner of things with tea, and do basic handy shit like change a lightbulb or operate a drill. And I’ve met at least one person who can’t do each of those. I have a friend who cut off all her hair because she didn’t know how to wash it (AUGH!), but she rides a bike to work. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2011, 4:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-who-havent-learned-a-common-skill/585150/115 "2011-06-13T16:13:09Z")
I was reading this thread, feeling pretty good about how competent I am at damned near everything, and it occurred to me that I’m lacking in a big common skill - I can’t hold a friggin’ job. I’m 44 years old, I’ve worked since I was 18, and I’ve never had a job longer than 20 months. There’s always something - a co-worker bullying me, a co-worker I can’t stand, the job is killing me physically, some of the duties are driving me crazy, etc. I understand that other people just put up with those things, but I just quit and find a new job. I work as a temp now, so at least I’ve come to grips with my inability. ---
**Author:** ![Anne\_Neville](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Anne\_Neville](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anne_Neville)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2011, 5:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-who-havent-learned-a-common-skill/585150/116 "2011-06-13T17:02:54Z")
> [@Maiira](#): > > A lot of financial/banking stuff, like taking out loans. Dunno if that counts as “common,” but it seems to be something that a lot of my friends have had to do. You call a few brokers (you find them on Google, just like everything else), and pick the one who gives you the best rates. The paperwork is a pain in the ass, but they give you what you need to fill out and sign. You might have to give them stuff like pay stubs and bank statements. It’s a pain, but not really difficult. > [@](#): > > -Do basic math. Well, no, that’s not right, let me rephrase that: do basic math quickly. A lot of simple sums that most folks can come up with off the top of their heads (like 8+9) are ones I need to think about for a moment before answering. I can do it, I’m just very, very slow. I can’t do this either, and I have a math degree. I can’t drive a stick shift. I can’t think of a good reason why I should spend the time and effort to learn, when they’re relatively uncommon. I can’t text. Again, can’t think of a reason why I should bother to learn. Most of the people with whom I communicate are other old people who use email and use their phones for calls. On my list of Things I Would Like To Learn How To Do, driving stick and texting are well below “speak Chinese”. I don’t use Facebook, or any other social networking site other than Linkedin. I can’t really think of a reason why I would want to (Linkedin is useful, as it allows me to network for jobs without having to go out and talk to people, thus making an odious chore somewhat less distasteful). Same goes for Twitter. I can do computer software, but I’m pretty hopeless if I have to do anything involving hardware. I don’t know how to tie a tie, but, being female, I’m not expected to wear one. They look uncomfortable, so I’m glad I don’t have to wear them. I can’t do car repairs. This is why I have a AAA membership. I can’t mow a lawn. Was never able to learn, because of my allergy to lawn grass. I don’t know how to do most other landscaping chores, either, for the same reason. I will always have to hire a landscaper. I don’t know how to iron clothes. I generally wear stuff that doesn’t require ironing, sometimes hang stuff in the bathroom so the steam gets out some of the wrinkles, or (rarely) get stuff dry-cleaned. Fortunately, business casual is the rule in my line of work. I can’t whistle. I can’t ice skate or rollerblade, though I can roller skate. My ankles are just not strong enough. ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2011, 5:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-who-havent-learned-a-common-skill/585150/117 "2011-06-13T17:31:02Z")
I’m pretty competent at common things like cooking, cleaning, car repair, basic home maintenance, all manner of computer stuff, mowing/edging yards, trimming trees, running a chainsaw, starting fires, swimming & other athletic stuff, loading diswashers, washing clothing, etc… Competent to the point of being considered “good” at them. My mother decided when I was very young, that I wasn’t going to be one of those dependent men she saw so many of when she was younger, so I basically got the same home-ec education that a girl would get, and then I liked hanging out with my (remarkably handy and ingenious) father when he did stuff on the car or the house. I’m adequate at things like sewing, advanced handyman stuff, baking, baseball/softball throwing, and other stuff that I’ve done, but not terribly well, and haven’t had much practice at. The only thing I can think of that I wouldn’t consider myself ‘adequate’ in, was picking up women. I have friends who I could go out with to a bar or a party, and they could chat women up and either go home with them, or get a number, and be in the sack inside of a few dates. I always seemed to take the long track- I never could do the instant pickup, and when I did get numbers, it was always with the girls who had issues with sex, or who wouldn’t give it up without ridiculous effort on my part. I guess it all worked out- I’m happily married now, but thinking back, that was definitely one skill I never could develop. ---
**Author:** ![Laggard](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/9de053/32.png) [@Laggard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Laggard)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2011, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-who-havent-learned-a-common-skill/585150/118 "2011-06-13T17:32:49Z")
It’s minor but I can’t do the Vulcan sign. Actually, can half-ass do it if I concentrate. RE: not being able to swim. I remember it taking me about 10 seconds to figure out how to doggy paddle. I don’t understand what those who can’t swim can’t at least pull this off. I could also teach someone how to tread water in a couple minutes. ---
**Author:** ![Anne\_Neville](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Anne\_Neville](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anne_Neville)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2011, 5:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-who-havent-learned-a-common-skill/585150/119 "2011-06-13T17:49:42Z")
> [@bump](#): > > The only thing I can think of that I wouldn’t consider myself ‘adequate’ in, was picking up women. I have friends who I could go out with to a bar or a party, and they could chat women up and either go home with them, or get a number, and be in the sack inside of a few dates. I never learned how to flirt. I can’t tell when guys are interested in me in that way, either. I have decided that I am in the last romantic relationship of my life, though, or at least never plan to seek out a romantic relationship again, so it doesn’t matter, at this point. Might even be an advantage for staying faithful in my marriage, since there is less chance for temptation. ---
**Author:** ![TimeWinder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bcef8e/32.png) [@TimeWinder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TimeWinder)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2011, 6:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-who-havent-learned-a-common-skill/585150/120 "2011-06-13T18:24:36Z")
> [@Laggard](#): > > It’s minor but I can’t do the Vulcan sign. Actually, can half-ass do it if I concentrate. I thought I read somewhere that whether or not you have voluntary control over the particular muscle that allows this is genetic, and that (famously) William Shatner had trouble with it. So I’m not sure it counts as a “skill.” [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-who-havent-learned-a-common-skill/585150.md?page=5) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-who-havent-learned-a-common-skill/585150.md?page=7)