[Date Prev][Date Next][Thread Prev][Thread Next][Date Index][Thread Index] [New Search]
That does worry me. Particularly in America, someone who is intelligent who becomes a plumber or a mechanic is somehow not living up to society's expectations, while vocational programs are aimed at teenage malcontents or the intellectually challenged. The service industry is careening towards being entirely populated by the intellectual have-nots, while management and engineering is for the intellectual haves. Oh, and I'm not just talking about inborn abilities, but learning opportunity as well here. No one seems to do their own work anymore. When I was a kid (and it wasn't all that long ago) people still did their own oil changes. Now, people look at ME funny when I tell them that NO ONE DOES MY OIL CHANGES BUT ME. Not sure what that says about us as a society. The auto industry and the auto repair industry has rather successfully cowed people into believing that "cars are too hard to work on anymore what with all the computers they have onboard." Meanwhile, your average mechanic is little more than a parts-swapping grease monkey, and I just don't have the confidence that their skills have evolved commensurate with the evolution of technology. Anyway, that's my rant for today. That's why I love forums like these- lots of like-minded individuals who know their stuff and love getting their elbows dirty. On Mon, 31 Jan 2005 21:36:31 -0000, Dave Hall <dave@hallvw.clara.co.uk> wrote: > > Back when I was in high school, I worked > > at an auto parts store that largely sold to mechanics, professional > > and shade-tree. I could count on one hand the number of mechanics that > > could be trusted with working on a car.. > > That was something I noticed in years of teaching - virtually none of the > brighter kids wanted to be mechanics. There was an occasional one who was > particularly gifted at practical skills, at the expense of his other subjects. > Seems all the parents want their kids to become managers, academics or media > moguls. While we need some of them (I suppose), we need skilled mechanics, > plumbers, electricians etc too. Why do we not celebrate manual skills any more, > no matter what area it is shown in? I guess that's why we are happy with > slab-sided monstrosities rather than craft-rich buildings like the ones we saw > in Albany, NY. Bring back the craftsman (and woman - mmm all that > home-baking!). > > Dave. > UK VW Type 3 & 4 Club > http://www.hallvw.clara.co.uk/ > ------ > > ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ > List info at http://www.vwtype3.org/list | mailto:gregm@vwtype3.org > ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ > >