Saturday, October 22, 2016
One of the first things to fix
I've heard a lot of the younger set question the "Make America Great Again" theme because they've grown up in an America that didn't build anything, but consumed everything. People didn't make things with their own hands, but they paid for things other people made. Several generations of people who don't know how to do the simplest things for themselves have to hire others who are then able to charge outrageous sums for their efforts. How do you make America great again? Start teaching ourselves and our youth how to make things again. How to make things, build things, create things, and not just consume things. There is nothing more satisfying than using or eating or wearing something you made with your own hands. So let's start there.
My house is known to all the kids in the neighborhood who need bicycles, skateboards, and other things fixed or adjusted. I don't do the work; instead, I open up the toolboxes, show them what kind of tools to select, and guide them into doing it themselves. That makes a much stronger impression, when they can go home and say "I did that!".
ReplyDeleteI had no clue The Donald read Patrice Lewis' columns at WND.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.wnd.com/2016/10/bring-back-home-ec-and-shop-class/
Terry
Fla.
Unclezip... You are being a 1960-70s dad to the kids. Every kid from that era (me, I am 62) were taught such things because it was part of growing up...to fix things that break. We were taught by our dads how things functioned and how to fix them when they broke. From lawn mowers to toasters and all things in between. In my neighborhood girls were right there with us as well. Hell I married a women that could replace rings in a small engine. Would not surprise me our host is cut from the same material.
ReplyDeleteKudos Unclezip.
I was lucky I guess. My Dad was into guns and gunsmithing, and taught me some of that. Not to mention being into guns. But from birth I think, I was a car guy. Dad was not. So I learned how to be a mechanic on my own. These days I rebuild most of my own components (assuming I can find the parts) because I know I can do a better job. We trained up a kid, he turned into a mechanic too (note, not a "technician") He now works for Amazon fixing and improving the machinery that moves stuff in a warehouse... My Dad taught me some woodworking too... The more things you know how to do, the better and more useful you will be. And if you HAVE a skill, share it with youngin's They are not getting it anyplace else.
ReplyDeleteYou made a good start but forgot to mention, 'fix things'. Granted there are a lot of things that now can not be fixed (by design) but just having the ability speaks volumes ..........
ReplyDeleteLisa - this is Mission Critical.
ReplyDeleteHow do we make these kids PROUD artisans with noble skills?
This ain't Lisa's site...
ReplyDeleteGetting out of high school with a marketable skill would be a great thing!
ReplyDeleteBut...
The education industry is a big one, you'd have to over come that. Teaching "skills" in school instead of preparing for collage would cut into college spending & college is where the big bucks are.
On the other hand you need to know how to read & do math for all of the trades
One of the things that Trump touched on in his Gettysburg speech was bringing back vocational schools.
ReplyDeleteMe? I can't do simple long division but I can work on some motherfucking guns. We all have our talents, some of them are just hidden.
No idea where Trump stands on vocational schools, but pretty sure Hillary would love to stand on their ruins. I do most of the repairs around the house here (I'm not a car guy, though, so engine stuff goes to the shop. I know my limitations.), and could swap any parts in any piece of equipment in any location on the boats I was on back in Navy days. I enjoy tinkering with my hands, and wish I had a better paying job (or less debt) to support Mike Rowe's WORKS with more than just Shares on FB.
ReplyDeleteNow, if only we didn't have a POTUS that kept insisting that "you didn't make that". Hmmm...think Mike Rowe would be mad if I wrote him in?
It's true, we do all have our areas of expertise. I restore cars for a living, am a moderate Gun Crank, OK at this n that. I can make my own (correct mind you!) wiring harnesses.... But home electricity? Lets see, Positive, Negative, and the fucking Swiss... Nope. Let me call a friend...
ReplyDeleteAngel,
ReplyDeleteFirt time poster long time lurker! You so correct, the lack of hands-on classes, from wood and metal shop to home economics(us 'locker room' boys took it to pick up girls, and surprisingly, found cooking and sewing enjoyable) has created generations creative illiterates. With decline of education in the public sector, I'm fortunate to have two adult children who are creative and not afraid to try anything. My son and I have gotten into gunsmithing and reloading, and my special daughter(diagnosed at 14, she's 21 now and breaking my heart as she becomes more independent and beautiful by the day) dabbles in everything from digital arts to mask making to wood carving. She and I just finished building the 'Barbie Malibu Dream House' of rabbit hutches which gave me a chance to turn her loose in the wood shop, and she took to carpentry like a pro. I weep for today's children, by I rejoice in my treasures. Tell WC I said hey.
you have touched on something important, Wise Angel One....self confidence and independent thought are based on "I can do that" and "I did that myself". The skills are invaluable by themselves, but the thought process is even more invaluable to the security to this, or any country.
ReplyDeletevaquero viejo
This condition is courtesy of the party of Parasites. By design the Producers have become the minority party.
ReplyDeleteI'm one of those 60's children. I took wood and metal shop, electronics - which became my profession - and I learned from a lot of old codgers how to do such things as basic auto mechanics, plumbing etc.
ReplyDeleteHowever, I am getting old. I used to *love* working on old cars and engines. Now, I would rather take a beating than have to deal with all of the anti-shade tree mechanic features built in to modern automobiles. I don't even change my own oil anymore.
I do most of the plumbing and electrical repair around my own house. But again, I would rather pay someone to crawl around in the hot attic or slum around in my drains than do it myself. The problem, because of the lack of modern vocational training, is that finding a good electrician or plumber is harder than finding a good doctor. And they are every bit as expensive.
Someone with a good work ethic that doesn't mind getting dirty can make a really good living today just by learning one of the trades.
Hi Angel,
ReplyDeleteYup....we "Made Things!!!' 'Am an "Aviation" type person!! If has 2 wings and a round engine it's "Got to be Good!!!" When I was a kid there were the "Plastic" "Ready to fly" control line models in a box... But the ones we made from balsa wood kits or even scratch built from plans in the model airplane mags were "The ONES!!!!!!!!" BTW There isn't a model airplane that I've crashed...that I didn't walk away from.....!!!
Blue skies,
III%,
AMA-87838,
skybill-out
Not just vo-ca schools, but bring back apprenticeships. The only ones I know who apprentice are the Amish.
ReplyDeleteFuck the lawyers. (liability)
Kids that are told from birth that they can't play outside unsupervised because they might be abducted are not going to be confident enough to pick up a tool and fix or create things. Not without intervention.
ReplyDeleteI work at a (private) university, and I teach the student-employees in my department to do things like repair laser printers (forget about fixing just about any ink-jet printer--the ink-jets are made so cheaply as to just about be unrepairable.
ReplyDeleteI also like to tell stories to the younger crowd about how when I was young (in my teens), we would make our own go-karts out of, basically, junk. We'd find someone who had thrown out a power lawn mower (we especially coveted the horizontal drive-shaft engines), then we fix the engine. We'd fabricate a frame out of a discarded angle-iron bed frame. We find some metal rod to make a rear (driving) axle, then figure out out to attach discarded bicycle or even motorcycle sprockets to the axle. We'd scrounge wheels from old wagons (or even shopping carts--shhh!). We'd figure how to make tie-rods and attach them to the front wheels, get some bevel gears to attach to the steering wheel shaft, etc. I don't think kids today know how to "tinker" to make things work, plus they usually don't know how things work because they've never been shown, or asked questions, or never even tried to take anything apart to "reverse engineer" it.
So, yes, we do need to stimulate the younger generation to learn to make (and even fix) things!
Rusty