
Boys think they’re breaking the man contract if they cry - EwanToo
http://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2016/may/04/grayson-perry-all-man-boys-breaking-man-contract-if-they-cry
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noir_lord
> “But my father would not only know how to change a plug, he could have
> rewired the house, built the back wall. It’s a generational thing.”

Not sure about the generational thing, I'm 35, I can rewire a house (cheating
on this one as I trained as an electrician in my late teens/early twenties and
spent my early teens helping my father rewire houses), plaster, tile, fit a
bathroom suite, do basic plumbing, tear down an engine, rebuild a motorbike,
repair most electronics (that can be repaired with a multimeter and soldering
iron), do sheet metal work and basic welding, hang a shelf, do basic carpentry
(cheating again, grandfather was a shipwright then carpenter), build a road
bike, fettle gears, brakes, replace break pads on a car, change oil/plugs etc,
build a wall and a bunch of stuff I've done and forgotten about.

Any son/daughter I have (if I ever do) will be taught all the above if they
show any interest, specialisation is for insects[1]

There isn't anything special about any of the above, having the will to have a
go and learn from people willing to teach is all it takes (and an acceptance
that failure is always a possible outcome but you'll get it right next time).

[1] 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. - Heinlein

