# 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:** 8
**Author:** ![gatorslap](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/bb73d2/32.png) [@gatorslap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gatorslap)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2011, 10:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-who-havent-learned-a-common-skill/585150/141 "2011-06-14T10:27:26Z")
This thread makes me feel pretty good about myself. šŸ™‚ By the way, Iā€™m in my 20s (and American) and I drive a stick. A good friend of mine does as well. I must admit I canā€™t sew at all, even a button. But, Iā€™ve never had the occasion to. If it comes up, Iā€™m sure I could figure it out. I canā€™t tie a tie either, but Iā€™ve never worn one in my life. Iā€™m always amazed at people who canā€™t spell worth a damn or construct a coherent sentence. More broadly, Iā€™m amazed at people who simply act helpless when presented with an unfamiliar task, or needing to know basic information about a subject they donā€™t know about. Is it really so exhausting to do 5 minutes of research? I spent more time writing this post than it would take to learn how to change a toilet flapper, and yet there are (non-disabled) people out there who will actually call in a professional plumber just for that silly task. Not knowing how to do it in the first place is completely understandable; being unwilling to even make a cursory try is just ridiculous. > [@Laggard](#): > > RE: not being able to swim. I remember it taking me about 10 seconds to figure out how to doggy paddle. I donā€™t understand what those who canā€™t swim canā€™t at least pull this off. I could also teach someone how to tread water in a couple minutes. I learned how to tread water from [this](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xQmGCmpoNS0) 30-second cartoon segment. No joke. ---
**Author:** ![LouisB](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/dfb087/32.png) [@LouisB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LouisB)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2011, 12:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-who-havent-learned-a-common-skill/585150/142 "2011-06-14T12:04:49Z")
Iā€™m hopelessly inept with common household repairs; plumbing baffles me and electricity is worse. If I had a piece of wood and every woodworking tool known to man, the only thing I could reliably produce would be sawdust. I canā€™t put up shelves and I canā€™t paint walls although those might be blessings in disguise. I canā€™t iron and I canā€™t sew. I wish someone could teach me how to make a grilled cheese sandwich; I just canā€™t do it. ---
**Author:** ![Floater](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/dc4da7/32.png) [@Floater](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Floater)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2011, 1:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-who-havent-learned-a-common-skill/585150/143 "2011-06-14T13:01:52Z")
> [@panache45](#): > > I was amazed to discover that a lot of people need the map to be oriented the same as reality. But thatā€™s the way pros do it. Ask any orienteer. ---
**Author:** ![sachertorte](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sachertorte/32/3727_2.png) [@sachertorte](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sachertorte)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2011, 6:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-who-havent-learned-a-common-skill/585150/144 "2011-06-14T18:25:33Z")
> [@Anne\_Neville](#): > > I never learned how to flirt. I canā€™t tell when guys are interested in me in that way, either. Same here. Iā€™m also generally oblivious so that makes things worse. One time a guy was interested in me and I had no clue. He was serious flirting and I thought he was just being nice. A friend of mine had to clue him into my unavailability. On Laundry: My college dorm held a meeting in the laundry room at the beginning of the year for all the kids who didnā€™t know how to do laundry. I was tempted to look and see who was there but didnā€™t. I hear it was packed! On Checks: I recall being taught how to format a letter in middle school but never how to write a check. Iā€™m not surprised that people come of age not knowing how to do this basic task. My mom was smart. Whenever I needed a check for something (school etc) she made me fill out the check and give it to her to sign. I wonder what my school thought of all the childish writing on her checks :D. ---
**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 14, 2011, 7:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-who-havent-learned-a-common-skill/585150/145 "2011-06-14T19:17:12Z")
> [@sachertorte](#): > > On Laundry: > My college dorm held a meeting in the laundry room at the beginning of the year for all the kids who didnā€™t know how to do laundry. I was tempted to look and see who was there but didnā€™t. I hear it was packed! I would have been there, my freshman year of college. > [@gatorslap](#): > > More broadly, Iā€™m amazed at people who simply act helpless when presented with an unfamiliar task, or needing to know basic information about a subject they donā€™t know about. Is it really so exhausting to do 5 minutes of research? I spent more time writing this post than it would take to learn how to change a toilet flapper, and yet there are (non-disabled) people out there who will actually call in a professional plumber just for that silly task. Not knowing how to do it in the first place is completely understandable; being unwilling to even make a cursory try is just ridiculous. Iā€™m leery of trying a task I donā€™t know how to do when thereā€™s electricity, plumbing, or my car involved. Things can turn south very badly very quickly if you screw up those things, and Iā€™m not at all confident in my mechanical skills or dexterity. Try to put together a disassembled bookcase from Ikea, yes, with help from Google. The worst that is likely to happen there is I donā€™t get a bookcase, or I smash a finger with a hammer. With plumbing, the worst that can happen is ā€œhouse indefinitely uninhabitable and unsellable because of toxic moldā€. With electricity, thereā€™s the possibility of death. If I ruin my car, Iā€™ve ruined a very expensive piece of equipment that is not trivial to replace. Those are not chances Iā€™m willing to take. > [@LouisB](#): > > Iā€™m hopelessly inept with common household repairs; plumbing baffles me and electricity is worse. If I had a piece of wood and every woodworking tool known to man, the only thing I could reliably produce would be sawdust. I think I could make something that at least _looked_ like a shelf or a piece of furniture. I wouldnā€™t try to put anything heavy on it, though. ---
**Author:** ![Greg\_Charles](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/839c29/32.png) [@Greg\_Charles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Greg_Charles)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2011, 7:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-who-havent-learned-a-common-skill/585150/146 "2011-06-14T19:40:58Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > And **Lucky 13** , whatā€™s the ā€œrabbit earsā€ way of tying shoes? I only know of one way to tie shoes, and Iā€™m not sure if itā€™s the same way or not. The way I do it, you basically tie a square knot, except that on the second overhand, you use the loops of the laces rather than the ends. Did you ever get an answer to this? I scanned the thread and couldnā€™t find one. The rabbit ears way of tying shoes is to tie a simple knot, and then create two loops with the laces and tie those loops into a simple knot. If you do it right, you get a square not. If not, then a granny knot. That does sound like what you described. The more typical way of tying the second part is to create one loop and pinch it between your thumb and finger, then take the other lace and wrap it around the loop, under your thumb, and pull it through to make the second loop. Same result, but just a bit faster. ---
**Author:** ![j666](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/9de0a6/32.png) [@j666](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/j666)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2011, 12:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-who-havent-learned-a-common-skill/585150/147 "2011-06-15T00:14:27Z")
> [@LouisB](#): > > Iā€™m hopelessly inept with common household repairs; plumbing baffles me and electricity is worse. If I had a piece of wood and every woodworking tool known to man, the only thing I could reliably produce would be sawdust. These are not simple common skills; these are skilled trades. Sure lots of people can change out a faucet (especially with the new fittings) or a light switch, maybe even bang together a book-case, but there is nothing wrong with hiring professionals to do a professionalā€™s job. > [@LSLGuy](#): > > We have a bunch of Mennonites who live 100+ miles out in the country. ā€¦ > > And there they are, struggling to operate the escalators. They get the big idea pretty quickly from watching the the other customers, but they canā€™t figure out how to get on. Or they canā€™t work up the courage. Or something. I travel a lot and I cannot gracefully get off the moving walkways; I try to pace myself and adjust my stride, but it just never works. > [@spark240](#): > > If you canā€™t prepare food for yourself, that means youā€™re _dependent_ on other members of society to do it for you. I can grow food and cook it; I can make my own clothes; I can rock, mud, & paint a wall. I cannot kill and dress a dress; spin or weave; lay a foundation or frame a house. Most people are dependent on others for something. > [@salinqmind](#): > > My college grad daughter despite multiple demonstrations just canā€™t write a check. And my mother-in-law will not pay bills on-line. ---
**Author:** ![alphaboi867](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alphaboi867/32/3898_2.png) [@alphaboi867](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alphaboi867)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2011, 2:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-who-havent-learned-a-common-skill/585150/148 "2011-06-15T02:08:02Z")
> [@Pixel\_Dent](#): > > I grew up in the US and moved to a new state every few years. Every school I ever attended had a pool with weekly swimming classes. (Actually, I take that back, one school didnā€™t have a pool; however, we were all bussed once a week to another school that did.) High school and college both required students to pass a swim test for graduation. I assumed this was pretty common but I guess not. My high school didnā€™t have a pool. The district twice had plans drawn up for one, but the board changed their minds at the last minute. The first time was when the high school was build in the 1970s and they opted for an auto shops instead. The second time was in the early 1990s when the adjacent middle school was built; they opted for a _clocktower_ instead (this is also why both the HS & MS lockerrooms open onto a huge empty courtyard in the middle of the complex). I still learned how to swim though. I remember taking swim lessons at the YMCA when I was very little, plus swimming in my grandparentsā€™ pool, and later in the above ground pool we put in out backyard. I still have issues with opening my eyes underwater though. > [@Siam\_Sam](#): > > I, too, cannot throw a football, and yes, that is part of the reason I had to leave Texas. That plus I canā€™t ā€œmosey.ā€ Iā€™m pretty sure Iā€™ve forgetten what little I knew about how to play sports (havenā€™t played anything since my last PE class). I canā€™t catch a damn (never really got over my instinct to flinch & try to dodge anything being thrown at me. I have only the vaugest idea what the rules are to basketball, baseball, football, etc. I also frequently get team names confused (ie refering to a baseball team as a football team & vice versa). Last year I had a little freakout when I thought Iā€™d forgetten how to tie shoes. Iā€™ve worn laceless shoes since middle school & didnā€™t own any with laces. I was helping to take care of my grandfather after his stroke, part of that involved helping him get dressed. After he got his shoe I could not figure out how to tie them. :o Fortunately he wasnā€™t going anywhere that day and just wore his slippers. When I went over to my parents I sneaked on a pair of my dadā€™s shoes to see if I could tie them; which I could without thinking. I just couldnā€™t tie shoes that werenā€™t actually on my feet for some reason. I had to have my mother (a CNA) teach me how to tie shoes on somebody elseā€™s feet. :smack: ---
**Author:** ![bahia\_hombre](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@bahia\_hombre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bahia_hombre)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2011, 3:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-who-havent-learned-a-common-skill/585150/149 "2011-06-15T03:13:49Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > We have a bunch of Mennonites who live 100+ miles out in the country. Every so often some come into town and go to the airport to recieve guests or send somebody off. Which is where I see them. > > And there they are, struggling to operate the escalators. They get the big idea pretty quickly from watching the the other customers, but they canā€™t figure out how to get on. Or they canā€™t work up the courage. Or something. Pretty odd to watch a 20-something fail at this basic civilized skill. > > I donā€™t mean to make fun of these folks; their lifestyle is pretty admirable all around. But it does leave them at a loss in some pretty basic modern situations. My sister-in-lawā€™s 80-ish parents traveled to Florida on a charter bus and planned to fly back home after their vacation. One of their kids had to fly down to accompany them back on their return flight because they were unable or intimidated to navigate their way thru the airport to catch their flight. Blew my mind when I heard about that. ---
**Author:** ![Princhester](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3e96dc/32.png) [@Princhester](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Princhester)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2011, 3:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-who-havent-learned-a-common-skill/585150/150 "2011-06-15T03:55:36Z")
> [@Floater](#): > > But thatā€™s the way pros do it. Ask any orienteer. Not really to the point, though. Orienteers do it that way to be fast and clear, but they wouldnā€™t _have to_. There are times you canā€™t orient a map, such as when looking at one up on a wall, or when standing around one with a bunch of people. ---
**Author:** ![Do\_Not\_Taunt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/do_not_taunt/32/2968_2.png) [@Do\_Not\_Taunt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Do_Not_Taunt)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2011, 4:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-who-havent-learned-a-common-skill/585150/151 "2011-06-15T04:33:27Z")
> [@wheresgeorge04](#): > > [QUOTE=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 ā€œTX, LA, and MIā€. In their defense, maybe it was a very, very large, selective hurricane. [/QUOTE] I know! Like, how could it threaten Texas and L.A. and not get the O.C. too? [QUOTE=StGermain] She went out to see if everyoneā€™s power was out, and was **shatting** with her neighbor [/QUOTE] Seriously? No one has made a smart remark about this typo yet? ---
**Author:** ![Magiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2011, 5:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-who-havent-learned-a-common-skill/585150/152 "2011-06-15T05:17:40Z")
> [@Do\_Not\_Taunt](#): > > I know! Like, how could it threaten Texas and L.A. and not get the O.C. too? > > Seriously? No one has made a smart remark about this typo yet? Crappy spelling pretty much goes with a thread about people who havenā€™t learned common skills. ---
**Author:** ![pullin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c57346/32.png) [@pullin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pullin)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2011, 12:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-who-havent-learned-a-common-skill/585150/153 "2011-06-15T12:21:19Z")
> [@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. Iā€™ve observed an interesting cultural preference regarding this. Iā€™m a flight instructor, and our school recently began teaching large numbers of Indian students. After a while, I noticed that they frequently changed the map orientation of the onboard GPS unit to ā€œNorth Upā€. Us 'merricans usually set it to ā€œTrack Upā€ which essentially orients the display map to your (the planeā€™s) direction. (A feature shown on the left side of the map would also appear on the left side of the plane in this configuration, no matter what direction you were headed.) The Indian students seemed to prefer the display oriented exactly like the paper chart in their lap (North up). Iā€™ve always wondered why. ---
**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 15, 2011, 4:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-who-havent-learned-a-common-skill/585150/154 "2011-06-15T16:36:02Z")
> [@pullin](#): > > Iā€™ve observed an interesting cultural preference regarding this. Iā€™m a flight instructor, and our school recently began teaching large numbers of Indian students. After a while, I noticed that they frequently changed the map orientation of the onboard GPS unit to ā€œNorth Upā€. Us 'merricans usually set it to ā€œTrack Upā€ which essentially orients the display map to your (the planeā€™s) direction. > ā€¦ > Iā€™ve always wondered why. Iā€™ve always wondered why the preference for track up (I didnā€™t know that it was called that before, but I like it). In fact, I complained about it way, way upthread because too many GPS applications these days donā€™t have a north-up mode, which is my preference nearly 100% of the time. I think the most succinct explanation I can give to my preference is, I always want to know my heading and location relative to everything thatā€™s around me, and when using track up I lose my sense of where I am relative to everything else. ---
**Author:** ![Shakester](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shakester/32/437_2.png) [@Shakester](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shakester)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2011, 5:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-who-havent-learned-a-common-skill/585150/155 "2011-06-15T17:00:12Z")
I canā€™t ride a bike. A childhood ear infection caused a punctured eardrum and inner ear damage, so my balance is dodgy at best. I tried, I really did, but I canā€™t keep balanced on a bike. I get vertigo. I couldnā€™t take swimming lessons when I was a kid for the same reason, so I never learned how to swim. I donā€™t mind not being able to swim, but I would like to be able to ride a bike. ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2011, 5:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-who-havent-learned-a-common-skill/585150/156 "2011-06-15T17:09:36Z")
> [@](#): > > She went out to see if everyoneā€™s power was out, and was shatting with her neighbor > [@Do\_Not\_Taunt](#): > > Seriously? No one has made a smart remark about this typo yet? Iā€™ve seen that said many ways, many times, but never in the pluperfect subjunctive! ---
**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 15, 2011, 5:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-who-havent-learned-a-common-skill/585150/157 "2011-06-15T17:25:27Z")
> [@Balthisar](#): > > I think the most succinct explanation I can give to my preference is, I always want to know my heading and location relative to everything thatā€™s around me, and when using track up I lose my sense of where I am relative to everything else. This is the main reason why I donā€™t use GPS in my car . . . except in rare cases when a map is ambiguous. I canā€™t stand being unaware of the context Iā€™m in. ---
**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 15, 2011, 5:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-who-havent-learned-a-common-skill/585150/158 "2011-06-15T17:39:44Z")
> [@Balthisar](#): > > Iā€™ve always wondered why the preference for track up (I didnā€™t know that it was called that before, but I like it). In fact, I complained about it way, way upthread because too many GPS applications these days donā€™t have a north-up mode, which is my preference nearly 100% of the time. I donā€™t like track up, because the map looks too different to me in different orientations, so I get confused. In video games, I much prefer the overhead view, where you are looking down on your character from above, rather than the view that shows what your character would be seeing. I get lost quickly in the latter view. Iā€™m generally lacking in spatial skills. > [@](#): > > I think the most succinct explanation I can give to my preference is, I always want to know my heading and location relative to everything thatā€™s around me, and when using track up I lose my sense of where I am relative to everything else. This is something I have trouble understanding. I almost never know my heading in terms of north south east west. I canā€™t understand why not knowing that would bother anybody. Mr. Neville sometimes tries to pull the ā€œturn southā€ thing on me, but I immediately say, ā€œis that left, or right?ā€. I only know north or south if Iā€™m getting onto an interstate. ---
**Author:** ![simster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/simster/32/1047_2.png) [@simster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/simster)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2011, 7:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-who-havent-learned-a-common-skill/585150/159 "2011-06-15T19:30:31Z")
My BIL has a number of ā€˜unlearnedā€™ skills - I kid you not - I have had to walk him thru hooking up a VCR to a TV - using color coded AV cables - "see the red, white and yellow jacks on the back of the TV where it says input ? yes. you plug in the red white and yellow plugs from the cableā€¦he still didnā€™t understand. We bought them a gas powered weedeater - we showed him how to use it (well, he watched as I used it on his yard) - the next week, he called asking how to get the gas cap off. On another TV, he canā€™t figure out how to use an RF adaptor to hook the cable line up. The TV has a cable input. The most recent one? He canā€™t figure out how to light charcoal. Terminally Stupid does not begin to describe him. ---
**Author:** ![It\_s\_Not\_Rocket\_Surgery](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/it_s_not_rocket_surgery/32/312_2.png) [@It\_s\_Not\_Rocket\_Surgery](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/It_s_Not_Rocket_Surgery)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2011, 8:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-who-havent-learned-a-common-skill/585150/160 "2011-06-15T20:34:41Z")
A former co-worker of mine does not know how to brush or comb his hair. It wouldnā€™t be so bad if he kept it short, but heā€™s a pothead who is still stuck in the '70s, and wants to keep it like Peter Frampton did back then. Amazingly, it never became dreadlocks. My wife cannot iron (fortunately, Iā€™m good at it). Iā€™d bet a lot of people donā€™t know to do that. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-who-havent-learned-a-common-skill/585150.md?page=7) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-who-havent-learned-a-common-skill/585150.md?page=9)