There’s plenty of very specialized skills to which the logic of “if you find yourself in x situation you should be able to do y” applies, though, and I don’t see why driving stands out. The practice of everyone driving their own cars is not good for the environment, it leads to bad urban design, and it arguably fosters isolation. I’d counter this skill with “you should know how to make good use of public transit or alternate means of transportation (biking, for instance).”
Oh, god no. I don’t do maps/directions. Never have, never will.
A diaper is not a challenge and I don’t anticipate any hair braiding emergencies. And both can be handled with duct tape so there is always that.
I can sum up every one of these lists quite succinctly: “Know the basic skills required to take care of yourself without hand-holding, and also here’s a couple dozen things that I personally think are somehow vital and may even be to me in particular, but are utterly pointless to someone who has a different lifestyle/world-view.”
No, these are things parents need to know. I have no children, no desire to ever change that, and no desire to ever be responsible for a child.
Why? These have absolutely no practical application. I’ve never in my life played poker, and again - I’m perfectly satisfied without it. (And I’m saying this as someone who is a huge sports fan and has studied several instruments.)
Really? So someone living in Chicago or Manhattan should know not just how to drive, but how to drive a type of car that the vast majority of people don’t drive, and do basic maintenance on it? What the hell for? To perpetuate the idiotic and single-minded dependency on owning a car that the flyover states have?
Ah, yes, for all those times that the typical American needs to use a gun. :rolleyes:
Really? Again, our hypothetical guy in Manhattan who has never been camping and has no desire to do so needs to know a skill that he will literally never, ever use? Why?
I absolute agree - but if you’re doing the first, you’re doing the second.
No.
Once more - why? I don’t even eat fish.
Ten years ago, maybe, but why in the world would this be a valuable skill today?
Completely impossible for a huge number of people, and utterly pointless.
Duct tape on the diaper? Or directly on the baby?
Another on my cynic’s list of skills required of every Amurrican: the ability to make people really fucking hurt.
It doesn’t have to involve duct taping a baby, but if you can’t demolish a weak and needy person in 25 words or less, you don’t belong in the land of the free and the home of the brave.
How are these even relevant if someone doesn’t have kids? If you want kids, knock yourself out, but someone else’s kids are not my responsibility.
These are just silly. Does it really matter if someone has no interest in gambling or spectator sports? Why these? Why not fencing or equestrian skills? For that matter, why not theatre, painting, or other arts? What makes your completely arbitrary list better than anyone else’s completely arbitrary list?
And I can’t think of a single circumstance where stone-skipping would be vitally necessary for anything.
I don’t disagree with your analysis of driving, but you still should know how to do it should you find yourself needing to. I don’t understand why that is difficult to understand. It is basic life skill everywhere outside of major metropolitan areas. Even in fairly urbanized areas, public transportation can be quite poor, and distances too far to bike reasonably. So when we go hiking for the weekend and I twist my ankle and can’t drive, I have to wait for EMS to come and find me because you couldn’t be bothered to learn to drive a car? That’s just absurd.
I can diaper a baby. In fact, I used cloth diapers when it seemed that nobody else did, and yes, I washed them, too. However, someone who doesn’t have kids, and who doesn’t have charge of kids, has absolutely no need to diaper a baby. Babies should not be handed to random strangers when they (the babies, not the strangers) need to be changed. If a person wants to have a baby, then yes, that person NEEDS to know how to change a diaper, among other things. But for people who don’t want kids, and are not in charge of kids, changing a diaper is not a skill that they need. Heinlein included it in his list because he was of the opinion that everyone SHOULD want babies. He might have included it in his list because he thought males should be able to change diapers, too. But there’s no reason that EVERY adult should know how to do this.
I’ve been a little girl with long hair, and I’ve had a little girl with long hair. Again, this is a skill that only certain people will need.
As for 16 and 35, again, I think that the writer of the list is letting his/her personal preferences dictate what EVERYONE should know how to do. Why checkers and chess, and not reversi, for instance? Why should everyone know the rules of a sport or sports that they’re not interested in either playing or watching?
Hey, I know! Everyone should be able to recognize the various D&D monsters both by image and verbal description! Because I think this is a vital skill! And everyone should know what alignments the monsters are, and how to defend against them. After all, being stuck with a bunch of fantasy roleplaying gamers is just as likely as being stuck with a bunch of football fans.
Now, I can get behind the idea that everyone should be able to cook a few tasty meals from scratch, because everyone has to eat. And everyone who drives a car/truck should be able to fill up the gas, and check the oil and air. But it’s perfectly possible to live in certain cities and never need to drive a car.
Tying a necktie really only applies to men in certain social classes, with certain types of jobs. I don’t think that my husband even OWNS a necktie that’s in fashion. And women only need to know how to tie one for their husbands or sons, AFAIK. As for ironing…I don’t iron, except for when I sew. I know how to iron, but I also know how to pick out clothing that doesn’t require ironing.
Thank you for your advice. I understand where you are coming from but I’ve been in a situation like this and it didn’t work. Two of us, in fact, I’m a female, the other person a guy. Neither one of us separately nor both of us together could get the bolts to budge. So I know from experience. If I was in a deserted scary area for a long time, I’d ride on the rim slowly instead to get to a better location. Yeah, I know, I’ll probably ruin the rim. Ruining the tire is a given. If it’s a dire situation, that won’t matter. In this case we were on a state highway and a state trooper (NY) called a wrecker for us. It was before cell phones.
Since that instance, I’m a lot older with bad back, knees, etc. I’m better off doing something else than trying to do it myself. 
I am no longer surprised at your knowing only six accomplished women. I rather wonder now at your knowing any.
First aid is a basic life skill. Reading is a basic life skill. Driving is not one. I can say with confidence that I’ve never been seriously inconvenienced by not driving. Honestly, beyond the basic prerequisites of making it through life without dying of starvation, I think there are different sets of “skills for all American adults” - urban vs. suburban vs. rural vs. agrarian, and so on. In a dense high-crime city, knowing how to escape a mugger without injury is something everyone should know. On a farm, knowing how to keep livestock or crops healthy is something everyone should know. I don’t mean to derail this thread, but on a little consideration its basic premise turns out to be questionable.
First aid as a basic life skill, but not driving? Nah.
Yeah, the geneology thing’s not going to work for a lot of black folk whose last name isn’t Haley.
Know how to use a fire extinguisher. Know how to control a fire wtithout a fire extinguisher. Know when to get the heck out and call the fire department.
As for driving, even if you are one of those odd ducks who’s able to live, work and eat in the same skyscraper and not even ride a bus more than once a week, you may be on vacation somewhere and need to drive because you want to visit some place (or a friend/family member) that the tour buses don’t go to, or you may be traveling with someone who suddenly falls ill or is simply too tired from driving all day and you need to take over.
One of the scariest drives I’d ever been on was with someone who lived in the city, but rented a car to pick up a TV that a similarly car-less friend was giving to them. It was almost to the point of “Bill, I’ll buy you a new TV and have it delivered if you stop right now and call the rental company to tell them where they can find their car!” In reality, it became “Move over. I’ll drive!”
I’m not going to argue with anybody’s items, but I have a few more.
Learn how to say no without confrontation, and understand that very few situations can be helped by fisticuffs. Watching television will try to teach you the opposite. TV is a lousy guide to life.
Know how to be skeptical; in some lives, this skill is needed every day. Radical Pi’s item about recognizing scams is part of this.
If you get the urge to gamble, be aware that the house always wins.
It’s true you can get along without knowing how to swim. However, if you can’t swim, don’t fish, get on a boat, or step into a river, lake, or pond. Looking like a coward is immensely better than drowning.
Take “no” for an answer in various situations, ranging from sex to asking a doctor for antibiotics to all kinds of other scenarios.
Understand and accept that rules apply to you, too, even when you don’t like what happens as a result.
Cook something reasonably healthy and inexpensive, that you’d be willing to eat.
Live within your means.
Find and keep a job.
Socially acceptable hygiene and grooming.
Research a major purchase before making it.
Live alone. You should either know how to do all the basic household stuff that needs to be done, or you should know how to find someone who can. Relationships can go sour, so it’s important to be able to make it without one for a while if you need to.
Recognize when you or other people need medical help.
Basic safety precautions, such as fire safety and safely using any tools or equipment you use. Not doing things if you can’t find a way to do them safely.
Read and write well enough to function as an independent adult.
Type. This is an essential skill now for most of us.
Why don’t you take a seat right over there.
I’m afraid to ask, but I will anyway. What? :eek:
ETA: never mind. I read it backwards.
Recognize others as fellow human beings with their own needs, wants, fears and aspirations and learn to treat them with the respect, or at least the courtesy, that you desire for yourself.
Learn how to get your needs met without resorting to passive-agressive methods.
Be able to identify feelings and learn how to deal with them in a healthy manner.
These three things would go a long way toward solving many of our social problems.
Oh, snap! Love that quote!
My Additions:
Making love well and being able and willing to perform great oral sex.