Survey: 1 In 5 Adults In The UK Can’t Change A Lightbulb, Boil An Egg

a reply to: NarcolepticBuddha

Shopping cart pushers do not live off the land; they scavenge over the discard of society.

Right now yah, the scenario posed was after the s*** hits the fan. They know how to survive on nothing, stay warm and dry. They also have stronger immune systems.

Most people would die of exposure overnight if they were suddenly without transport, electric light, running water and supermarkets.

When we had our 25th high school reunion, we rented a pavilion for a picnic. There was a bad storm before it started. When we got there & some of the girls plugged in the big roasters of food, they wouldn't work. They were saying the electric wasn't turned on & asking if we had to pay more if we wanted electricity?

After quietly observing for a few minutes, THIS girl, sadly, had to step in. The guys just stood around looking at each other. The girls who brought the food were freaking out because there would be no hot food! I'm thinking, "Seriously people, where have you lived your whole life? You've never had to change a fuse or reset a breaker?"

So I asked, "Did anybody check the breaker box?"
Crickets....!!!
Finally somebody said, what's that? Somebody else said where would it be?

Sigh...it's an open pavilion people!!! I said, follow the wire back from the outlets! More crickets! I'm trying very hard not to shake my head as I stand up, look at the wire, climb up on a picnic table, open the box & reset the breakers!

They were excited, saying that I saved the day & asking how I knew how to do that?! But the whole time I'm embarrassed for them & thinking..."What the heck happened to my class???!!!"

True story!
WOQ

a reply to: seasonal

80% of american's don't even know what the UK is...

a reply to: seasonal

I suspect that the US is much the same. I saw a marked decline in the number of students coming through our program who could actually cook a meal. When I began teaching most of the students had at least a passing knowledge of how to prepare at least some sort of meal. Some said they preferred to do other kitchen duties rather than subject the group to their poor skills but at least they knew their way around a kitchen. That was the mid-'80s. By the late '90s most could only nuke stuff. Not only could they not cook a meal for more than one person, they had no idea how to plan meals or shop for food except to buy microwave meals.

All the home-schooled kids could plan, shop and cook as could the vegetarians.

Except for the electrical, wallpaper and tile work I can accomplish those tasks. I leave the three mentioned to the professionals. In addition, my children (the youngest is 41) and grandchildren all have those skills as well. The eldest granddaughter just completed the restoration of '66 Mustang. I wouldn't call the grandsons' culinary skills anything to write home about but they know their way around the kitchen and the basics of home and vehicle maintenance. It seems that those of us who have these skills should be making sure that we pass them down to the next generations. Having a multitude of skills makes life much easier.

Sounds like Aviva are admitting that their customers are idiots.

originally posted by: skalla
Sounds like Aviva are admitting that their customers are idiots.

Plus they also just scared the pants off every other insurance company who now is wondering about their own customers?

The only thing that would worry me on that list is wall papering, and maybe tiling, coz I have not had to do that yet. But hey, that is where the fabulous YouTube and Internet comes in. Recently I had to replace a double wall socket that had started to smell like fish. I googled the fish smell part only to find out it could be arcing and a fire hazard. Shocked and worried into action I got a new socket, but the layout was a bit different to the one that was indeed burning out. So I watched several how to vids on my daughters phone, as the electricity was now off, until I found one with the same layout to make sure I got things correct. I still flinched after the mains power was back on and I hit the socket switch for the first time after I was finished the task. I always find electrics a bit scary, lol. Seriously though, you just gotta love the how to vids on YouTube, a total God send.

Personally, I'm rather excited to learn "how to" something.

Wallpaper was/is still a pain, and easy isn't a word I'd use to describe it; fortunately it's no longer popular.

The rest of that list is cake, and I'm under 40..

Willingness to learn, and desire to learn are the keys.

Doesn't seem the kids wanna do much anymore but sit on electronic devices and watch crap vids on youtube of someone else who can't function, or play games.

The 5000 trophies on playstation, or the 5000 award points on xbox don't mean much in the real world.

a reply to: Cygnis

I identify with this.

I'm not afraid to pick up and learn anything I need to. Husband and I have learned a lot together over the years. We have taught ourselves how to go beyond basic cooking having both come from mostly non-cooking families (I did have home ec class in junior high, so I had some very basic skill). I taught myself crochet. Pretty sure I could pick up sewing if I needed to. We taught ourselves how to build computers. We are busy teaching ourselves small time home repair.

I taught myself how to keep aquariums. I taught myself how to set up and keep a tub pond with plants and fish, how to patio garden, etc.

It's just a matter of knowing what you're looking for and being willing to read or find people who do it and ask questions.

being a 25 year old Brit that is confident that I can achieve all of those things even without previous experience, I'm inclined to disagree... but then I think about some of my friends, and even my own brother and realise it's actually probably true.

Personally I've always been quite adept at picking up new skills, common sense helps, But I just don't think it's so common these days. I suspect it has something to do with modern society as a whole as opposed to people being too stupid to do these things. We seem more focused than ever on academic achievement while life skills get pushed to one side and forgotten about. Hence you get people coming out of university who excell in their chosen field yet can't boil an egg or change a lightbulb or fuse etc.

I want to blame it on generation x (my parents generation) and the strange way in which they perceive the world around them (money, corruption, greed, resource exploitation, making a terrified population out to be terrorists because of their religion/brownness and the pure wilful ignorance that a lot of them seem to display on a wide range of issues) But in all honesty I'm not sure the problem lies entirely in their hands either as my own parents aren't actually like that, and I'm sure many people on here from that generation are not like that either

It's a difficult one that's for sure haha

Being 45 years of age i will admit i have no knowledge on how to change a babies nappy, only ever held a baby once in my life when I was about 15 for a photo, have no interest in it, if somehow I came in possession of such a tyke the police/social services phones would be melting as I'd not want it to suffer me trying to do such things.

The rest is pretty much a cake walk as i'm reasonably practical and know when I can do things or get the pro's in when its going to need a lot of expensive gear, first thing in moving in is to find where the electrics and the stop tap are.

The real fun is when you start to sort out the DIY problems, to replace some taps from the 1980's you need the taps, isolators and flexi pipe and now as I discovered that being 6'3" aint the best for reaching behind bathroom sinks. So its off to the local Screwfix and get everything I need including pipe spanners and cutters....cue much swearing, wish I was a 5' person with midget hands to get under the sink.

But it should be said a lot of people now rent so who cares, ring up the landlord and they sort it out.

originally posted by: seasonal
Survey: 1 In 5 Adults In The UK Can’t Change A Lightbulb, Boil An Egg

I used to do all these things, all of them.
That was the learning curve.
Now I can get others to do all this for me. *__-

originally posted by: ketsuko
a reply to: LadyGreenEyes

You and I are on the same page there.

This is the percentage of people dying in the first wave after the Apocalypse.

Yeah, makes a lot of sense! Unable to do anything, and a loss of infrastructure, and a lot of people won't stand a chance.

The bizarre thing is how dismissive so many are of the prepper types!

originally posted by: seasonal
a reply to: LadyGreenEyes

If shtf the ones who know how to do these things are in trouble. The idiots will come out in force.

Being a skilled tradesman almost all of my "professional" career, I think there are a bunch of people who have never had to learn. When you are forced to think, it makes you-wait for it----smarter.

Maybe. What we want is a place not so close to most people, and able to support the family. If something happens, the average person would be looking where they were, not running for the hills. a lot of people might want to learn, too, but who will teach them? The way we see people behaving these days, instead of seeing a lot of folks learning, and managing, I can more easily see them rioting and looting, with no thought given to what happens when the current supplies are gone. I am not sure a bad situation would force some to learn.

originally posted by: intrptr
a reply to: LadyGreenEyes

If TSHTF, a lot of people are in real trouble!!

If the Big Fan gets hit, most people are doomed. I bet even less know how to build a fire, purify water, stay warm and dry.

You know who's going to survive the next SHTF epoch?

Shopping cart pushers.

Very possible!! They already know what to do. Sheesh, these days, how many even have candles around for hen the power goes out? How many own an axe, to get their own firewood, assuming they have a fireplace? We have materials showing which plants are edible, but most don't. Heck, these days, a lot of homes barely have any books!!

originally posted by: LadyGreenEyes

originally posted by: intrptr
a reply to: LadyGreenEyes

If TSHTF, a lot of people are in real trouble!!

If the Big Fan gets hit, most people are doomed. I bet even less know how to build a fire, purify water, stay warm and dry.

You know who's going to survive the next SHTF epoch?

Shopping cart pushers.

Very possible!! They already know what to do. Sheesh, these days, how many even have candles around for hen the power goes out? How many own an axe, to get their own firewood, assuming they have a fireplace? We have materials showing which plants are edible, but most don't. Heck, these days, a lot of homes barely have any books!!

They also have the strongest immune systems because they dig in garbage dumpsters, sleep under bridges, limited hygiene, the rest of the workaday population is ignorant how to stay clean when 'camping'.

I lived 'outdoors' for 7 years during one stretch, never caught a bacterial infection.

originally posted by: intrptr

originally posted by: LadyGreenEyes

originally posted by: intrptr
a reply to: LadyGreenEyes

If TSHTF, a lot of people are in real trouble!!

If the Big Fan gets hit, most people are doomed. I bet even less know how to build a fire, purify water, stay warm and dry.

You know who's going to survive the next SHTF epoch?

Shopping cart pushers.

Very possible!! They already know what to do. Sheesh, these days, how many even have candles around for hen the power goes out? How many own an axe, to get their own firewood, assuming they have a fireplace? We have materials showing which plants are edible, but most don't. Heck, these days, a lot of homes barely have any books!!

They also have the strongest immune systems because they dig in garbage dumpsters, sleep under bridges, limited hygiene, the rest of the workaday population is ignorant how to stay clean when 'camping'.

I lived 'outdoors' for 7 years during one stretch, never caught a bacterial infection.

That's a long time!! I far prefer walls, myself, but a strong immune system is indeed made by exposure, not protection!

a reply to: seasonal

We need a predator.

originally posted by: Lysergic
a reply to: seasonal

We need a predator.

Interesting take.

To keep us in line...