# DIY in decline because men are too wussified- UK Article on Drudge



## Slippy (Nov 14, 2013)

I thought it was interesting that a UK article came out about men being more like there mothers than their fathers leading to a decline in Do It Yourselfers. Add to that the fact that home ownership is in decline, out of wedlock births are increasing, marriages are in decline and children are being raised more and more by women and not men and you have a DIY recipe for extinction.

If I can't fix something you can bet your ass I'll tear the sumbitch up trying...then go out and buy a new one...

DIY is in decline because today's men are too soft - Telegraph


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## Inor (Mar 22, 2013)

If I cannot fix it, it ain't broke. So I break it, then fix it.


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## indie (Sep 7, 2013)

My hubby is a city boy raised by a "victim" father. He's pretty good all in all, but I'm country born and raised and sometimes I stare at him and wonder WTF did you get that from?! :lol: 

I absolutely believe we need to raise our boys around men and provide more opportunities for them to encounter solid male role models. It's a travesty of this culture that they don't have that now.


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## A J (Oct 16, 2014)

I spent most of my childhood laying under an old worn out piece of machinery, trying to get 'just one more season' out of it.

I fix just about anything that breaks around he house. If I can't fix it, I'll take it apart and save the good parts (motor from a bread maker, circuit components from TV's ...) It's amazing what you can build with the parts that most folks just toss in the trash.

AJ


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## Slippy (Nov 14, 2013)

After my mediocre baseball career was over (their choice not mine!) I started playing lots of Men's Softball. I played on many teams; company teams, church teams, Open travel teams even Co-rec teams where ladies and men play together. 

I remember getting on a new team one year and first game we're warming up and I notice someone that I had not seen in practice before. Some guy who absolutely sucked. I've seen 5 year old girls throw better than this guy. This dude is missing his warmup partner, throwing balls in the dirt, over his head and missing miserably. So I stop warmups and get everyone's attention by asking loudly; "Just what in the hell did you do from age 6 to 18? You look like you've never thrown as much as a rock before?" 

That's the way I feel about most of the neighbors that I have lived around. Did their Dad's never show them how to fix anything? Sheesh!


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## TG (Jul 28, 2014)

I worry about the kind of men my girls will eventually choose as husbands, they are lucky that their dad (my hubby) is such an amazing example of what a good husband should be like… At least the boy my older daughter "likes" is a math genius with very strict Kozak parents, she has good taste so far haha


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## tks (Oct 22, 2014)

I blame helicopter parents. On my other forum I see women discussing a myriad of child raising issues and these next generations are so screwed. Of course these kids can't fix anything, they aren't allowed to touch a hammer until their 18 because the might hit their pinky. It's disgusting stuff to read. These kids are so over protected that most will not know how to take care of themselves nor deal with any of the disappointments or hardships that inevitably is life. We already are seeing the effects of these participation award kids. They voted in the last few elections. They voted on getting free stuff and social/economic equality. We are either going to end up two ways 1)people who are good with their hand and can fix things will become a commodity and highly paid therefore reversing the trend or 2) those who can't do won't want to pay those who can and will demand we ship in cheap labor (which is what is happening) making it even less likely for those skills to be passed on.


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## MrsInor (Apr 15, 2013)

tks said:


> I blame helicopter parents. On my other forum I see women discussing a myriad of child raising issues and these next generations are so screwed. Of course these kids can't fix anything, they aren't allowed to touch a hammer until their 18 because the might hit their pinky. It's disgusting stuff to read. These kids are so over protected that most will not know how to take care of themselves nor deal with any of the disappointments or hardships that inevitably is life. We already are seeing the effects of these participation award kids. They voted in the last few elections. They voted on getting free stuff and social/economic equality. We are either going to end up two ways 1)people who are good with their hand and can fix things will become a commodity and highly paid therefore reversing the trend or 2) those who can't do won't want to pay those who can and will demand we ship in cheap labor (which is what is happening) making it even less likely for those skills to be passed on.


And after an economic collapse the unskilled won't be able to barter for the skilled.


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## tks (Oct 22, 2014)

So true! IMO, we have an obligation as parent to make sure our kids have the mental and physical skills to survive in a normal world and a shtf world.


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## Oddcaliber (Feb 17, 2014)

I see this all the time. Most men can't even change a tire on there own car!


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## Seneca (Nov 16, 2012)

I find watching wussified men trying to fix something entertaining as hell. Maybe I am sick and twisted for laughing at their antics. About a month ago, I watched three nerds trying to put up a sign at best buy. One nerd watched and fretted, one was constantly in the way and the third (the alpha nerd) kept screwing it up and starting over.


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## ntxwheels (Oct 25, 2014)

I was hunting, fishing and trapping by the time I was eight. All three of our sons were on the shooting range with me by the time they were 5. I also taught all 3 of them to be able to survive no matter what the conditions were.

I still do all the repairs on our home including roofing and plumbing. I'm a little slower now than when I was 20 something, but at 66 and having lost a Kidney to Cancer last year, I'll still out work the majority of youngsters and plan on being able to do it for a long time to come.

I see younger guys everyday who can barely walk around the block with out looking like they're having a heart attack. People have gotten way too soft with all the creature comforts. And when the SHTF, the ones that are going to survive will be the old, mean and ugly farts like me.


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## AquaHull (Jun 10, 2012)

Slippy said:


> I thought it was interesting that a UK article came out about men being more like there mothers than their fathers leading to a decline in Do It Yourselfers. Add to that the fact that home ownership is in decline, out of wedlock births are increasing, marriages are in decline and children are being raised more and more by women and not men and you have a DIY recipe for extinction.
> 
> If I can't fix something you can bet your ass I'll tear the sumbitch up trying...then go out and buy a new one...
> 
> DIY is in decline because today's men are too soft - Telegraph


That's another curse to befall us.


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## graynomad (Nov 21, 2014)

> "A human being should be able to change a diaper, plan an invasion, butcher a hog, conn a ship, design a building, write a sonnet, balance accounts, build a wall, set a bone, comfort the dying, take orders, give orders, cooperate, act alone, solve equations, analyze a new problem, pitch manure, program a computer, cook a tasty meal, fight efficiently, die gallantly. Specialization is for insects."
> 
> ― Robert A. Heinlein


I can't do all that of course but I agree with the sentiment. You should be able to do stuff, proper stuff, not just Excel spreadsheets.


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## Prepared One (Nov 5, 2014)

I was once traveling with a new hire in training for a sales position when we had a flat tire. He calmly pulls over to the side of the road, put the vehicle in park, takes out his phone and starts dialing. I ask what he is doing. He politely says he is calling his Dad to come fix the tire. I looked at him with amazement that quickly turned to anger. I was absolutely floored this 25 year old college puke wanted a job in sales, that requires traveling, alone, in Texas, could not change his own tire. I screamed at him to get the [email protected]#!%& out of the car and change the god damn tire yourself! I literally stood over him and talked him through the whole process. Now I am not a rocket mechanic. But if you can't do the simplest of tasks how do you expect to survive in this world. Needless to say we did not hire him.

Dumb Ass!


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## thepeartree (Aug 25, 2014)

Seneca said:


> I find watching wussified men trying to fix something entertaining as hell. Maybe I am sick and twisted for laughing at their antics. About a month ago, I watched three nerds trying to put up a sign at best buy. One nerd watched and fretted, one was constantly in the way and the third (the alpha nerd) kept screwing it up and starting over.


Your post reminds me of a time I watched a group of 8 young guys try to put up a dome tent on a windy day. It got so bad I had to take pictures of it.

However, I think there are as many reasons for the lack of diy skills as there are people. This is a subject that hss interested me for a long time. So I will avoid writing a thesis here and simply say that there seems to be several major causes: broken homes - no man around, lifelong living in apartment buildings where they have no outlet for diy nor any reason to learn the skills, lack of the 'DIY Gene'. I know that as with other skills, many people will say there is no such thing, but I've seen too many cases of people with a total affinity for some skillset to doubt it seriously.


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## thepeartree (Aug 25, 2014)

graynomad said:


> I can't do all that of course but I agree with the sentiment. You should be able to do stuff, proper stuff, not just Excel spreadsheets.


Yeah, I'm shy a few of those skills, having not grown up where training was available, but I'm always willing to learn (and learn fast!). A hunger for knowledge is a big plus. I would add 'shoe a horse' to that list. Bob would have added being able to field strip and clean your weapon in the middle of a hurricane, but he took that for granted. Just as he did being able to shoot and hit what you're aiming at. I wish he could have met my father. The battle would have been epic. My dad simply assumed all that and that if you didn't know yhose skills you were likely too stupid to learn them.


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## graynomad (Nov 21, 2014)

> I ask what he is doing. He politely says he is calling his Dad to come fix the tire.


I just shakes me head.

At least he didn't set off an EPIRB


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## James m (Mar 11, 2014)

I've seen a female nurse from nyc have a patient she was transporting get out and change her flat tire. Don't know what was wrong with him though. On another occasion had to help push a mini van out of a tight space to get it on a tow truck. It sounded like it just needed a jump start. But the 20 something was a male social worker. So he deserves that bill.

I have seen it go both ways. Some people like to brag about how they can use a hammer or a screwdriver but their work looks like it was done by boxcar willie.


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## James m (Mar 11, 2014)

I thought they were in the process of getting rid of the EPIRB system? Oh I remember they just weren't going to monitor it or look for signals. That's why Malaysian airlines can't find that plane. They had ADT but they didn't pay for monitoring. 
I was on a boat that sank once. It was the most fun I've ever had.


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## CWOLDOJAX (Sep 5, 2013)

Slippy said:


> ...
> 
> If I can't fix something you can bet your ass I'll tear the sumbitch up trying...then go out and buy a new one...
> ...


... and keep the parts for spares ;-)


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## Notsoyoung (Dec 2, 2013)

I believe that article but at the same time it seems to me that allot of things are intentionally made so that it is much more difficult for an individual to repair something. I know it makes me sound old, but when I was in my late teens/early 20's, I spent allot of weekends pulling car engines and swapping them out, replacing alternators, starters, other parts as needed. We would pull an engine, replace, it , and have the new one up and running in an afternoon, all under a tree with a pulley tied to a big branch. I wouldn't even try that now with the new engines they have. Still change my own oil, change out break pads, but that's about it. If it sounds like it frustrates me, it does.


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## CWOLDOJAX (Sep 5, 2013)

I have to add that having my son in the garage with me while I tinkered, cut out my wife's toll painting projects, or just fix coffee pots has paid off.

He works full time and builds furniture to sell on the side.
Here is a pic of a custom dining room table table set with my grandson getting caught plucking the flowers...















(not advertising - just showing evidence)


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## csi-tech (Apr 13, 2013)

I have had to come to the rescue of many "men" who, for whatever reason, could not defend or protect his family against a crime, could not change a flat, walk to a gas station, control his kids or turn off a water valve. Some men are genetically meek. They have the "want to" but just not enough ass to get the job done. They are excluded from this conversation as heart and confidence go a long way with me. Some guys just don't wear the pants in the house and that's just how it is sometimes. It's the ones who exact revenge on their wives, children and pets for being born weak. These individuals, (I am reticent to call them men) are the ones that tick me off. Not only are they utterly useless they are exerting control over someone or something else. There may be nothing I enjoy more than arresting one of these people. They have no control and their true colors show. They cry.


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## oddapple (Dec 9, 2013)

No fathers. Or no fit ones. Add **** tv (barney/teletubbies) and they're all "purple penguins" anyone can utilize (idiocracy)
So much for "broken homes/single parents/ gay family - that just trains commies and slaves


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## Eagles700LvL (Apr 10, 2014)

Slippy said:


> After my mediocre baseball career was over (their choice not mine!) I started playing lots of Men's Softball. I played on many teams; company teams, church teams, Open travel teams even Co-rec teams where ladies and men play together.
> 
> I remember getting on a new team one year and first game we're warming up and I notice someone that I had not seen in practice before. Some guy who absolutely sucked. I've seen 5 year old girls throw better than this guy. This dude is missing his warmup partner, throwing balls in the dirt, over his head and missing miserably. So I stop warmups and get everyone's attention by asking loudly; "Just what in the hell did you do from age 6 to 18? You look like you've never thrown as much as a rock before?"
> 
> That's the way I feel about most of the neighbors that I have lived around. Did their Dad's never show them how to fix anything? Sheesh!


Good to see another person with a mediocre baseball career, I could hit a fastball a mile, but I couldn't hit a breaking ball to save my life in college.

I too started playing a lot of softball. I ran my companies softball team for many years. Everyone who signed up got to play.

There was this one guy, very nice in his 30s, who signed up to get more active. I never saw a guy who threw and swung worse then this guy. He would do the twirl when he was at bat. So one day after practice me and a few of the other guys pulled him aside and told him we were going to work with him until he put 10 balls in play. After about a half hour, one hit and about 50 spins it dawned on me...he's left handed.

I ask and he says yes I'm left handed. I explained to him that he was doing everything from the wrong side and asked how he didn't know that. This was the first time he ever played ball. Blew me away. He improved dramatically over the next week as we sorted him out.


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## Salt-N-Pepper (Aug 18, 2014)

It's only broke if:

1) It's something that annoys ME

2) She puts her foot down and says "or else" and means it.


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## turbo6 (Jun 27, 2014)

I was raised mostly by mom after my father died when I was 8. I still manage to do all minor to moderate car/house repairs myself. 
I try to teach or at least involve my 7 year old son in stuff like oil changes, replacing brake pads, household repairs.


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## graynomad (Nov 21, 2014)

Notsoyoung said:


> I believe that article but at the same time it seems to me that allot of things are intentionally made so that it is much more difficult for an individual to repair something...


Very true, against my better judgement we bought a new cay about 4 years ago, I don't know what half the crap under the hood does and even if I did I wouldn't have the tools to analyse/fix it. That's the bad news, the good news is that I'm totally off the hook, I don't have to fix anything on this vehicle because I can't 

Of course most modern stuff has at least one computer and usually that makes it non-fixable, even to an embedded electronics engineer like myself.


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## BagLady (Feb 3, 2014)

All the guys our daughter has dated, with the exception of maybe 2, have been worthless at any hands on projects, or mowing, or hunting, or helping..
She's been dating for 11 years. A lot. 
At first, we would hire one of her "friends" for labor on one of our construction jobs. 16-20yr olds. One guy my husband told, these stacks of wood are separated. 2x4x12, 2x6x12, 2x8x12, etc. and hands the guy a tape measure.
So Hubby is about 14' up on this barn he's building, and needing this guy to hand him the proper boards he calls for. Even with a tape measure the kid couldnt do it!! So Hubby has to keep pointing at which stack of boards he needs.
At the end of their short day, the guy says; "So when do you think I can get a raise"...? :shock:


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## graynomad (Nov 21, 2014)

> 2x4x12, 2x6x12, 2x8x12


So it seems that the only difference is the width, 4", 6" or 8", and the guy couldn't do that by eye or even with a tape?

I'm guessing he was lucky to keep the job, let alone get a raise.


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## James m (Mar 11, 2014)

Even if he could measure, he would measure and get 3.5 5.5 and 7.5 inches. And sometimes less. They have measured lumber before milling for years. Even more confusion on the way.


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## graynomad (Nov 21, 2014)

I was assuming rough sawn but yes that's true for dressed timber, that have would confused the heck out of him


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## BagLady (Feb 3, 2014)

graynomad said:


> So it seems that the only difference is the width, 4", 6" or 8", and the guy couldn't do that by eye or even with a tape?
> 
> I'm guessing he was lucky to keep the job, let alone get a raise.


That was just an example for the sake of the story. There were lengths of 10,12, 14 and 16.
Not sawmill lumber, so yeah, I guess the guy didnt know they would measure 1/2" less.
We never used him again. 
Funny thing tho. About 2 yrs later, his Dad and him opened a shop making and selling wood trim...That didnt last long!


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## rice paddy daddy (Jul 17, 2012)

I first learned how to use tools when Dad let me "help" him on projects in his small workshop.
Later, in my early twenties, fresh out of the service and married, with no extra cash I was able to begin to put my knowledge to work. 
I learned car repair for the same reason - could not afford to pay someone to do it. Today I can do anything on a car except rebuild the transmission, I've never had to do that. Pulling an engine, tearing it all the way down to the bare block and rebuilding with whatever new parts are needed, farming out only the machine shop work, is enjoyable. It's not work, or something mysterious.

In my belief system, God gives each of us a skill, a talent. Some are poets, some are mathematicians, doctors. I'm none of that - I barely graduated high school. 
My God given talent is to be able to figure out how mechanical things work and fix them when they break, and build things like sheds, fences, and barns.


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## 7515 (Aug 31, 2014)

tks said:


> I blame helicopter parents. On my other forum I see women discussing a myriad of child raising issues and these next generations are so screwed. Of course these kids can't fix anything, they aren't allowed to touch a hammer until their 18 because the might hit their pinky. It's disgusting stuff to read. These kids are so over protected that most will not know how to take care of themselves nor deal with any of the disappointments or hardships that inevitably is life. We already are seeing the effects of these participation award kids. They voted in the last few elections. They voted on getting free stuff and social/economic equality. We are either going to end up two ways 1)people who are good with their hand and can fix things will become a commodity and highly paid therefore reversing the trend or 2) those who can't do won't want to pay those who can and will demand we ship in cheap labor (which is what is happening) making it even less likely for those skills to be passed on.


Post of the month !
I had to fire an 20 y/o employee one time and his mother called me asking that I reconsider my decision. I was flabbergasted.


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## 7515 (Aug 31, 2014)

I learned auto mechanics, wood working and household repairs by helping or watching my dad when i was a kid.
Thank God he took the time and I took the interest. Those skills have saved me thousands and thousands of dollars over my lifetime.


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