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30 Basic Skills That Folks Thought Everyone Had Until They Saw Others Do It Horribly, As Shared Online
The neat thing about our existence is that everyone gets to experience different lives. Sure, there could be a couple of similarities between a person or two - however, the way we talk, our thoughts, and the things we go through all would be entirely unlike someone else's.
Growing up in other cultures or simply in a different upbringing can help develop several skills that some people either can’t perform as well or never had the need to learn. Yet, we assume that we are all familiar with those everyday skills like vacuuming and cooking - however, this thread will convince you otherwise:
Someone on Reddit wondered about a similar thing and asked fellow users, “what is a basic skill that you grew up thinking everyone had until you saw others do it so horribly?“. The question received nearly 44K upvotes and 24K worth of both entertaining and sincere comments.
Do you have a skill that you thought was basic?
More info: Reddit
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I had a friend who grew up with maids. He was 18 and gay and his family kicked him out. So he got this tiny little run down studio apartment in Los Feliz. He was super proud of it, and invited me to see it. He was using candles to light it when I got there (maybe to save money? Maybe to hide the blemishes?) and had left an ashtray on the floor, which I accidentally kicked and got (cold) ashes all over his carpet.
He freaked the f**k out. “What do I do? How am I going to clean that?!”
“With a vacuum?” I replied, confused as to why this was a mystery.
He didn’t have one, so he went to ask the building manager if there was one he could borrow; which there was.
He pulls this standard upright vacuum into the middle of the room and then stares at it. After a few seconds wondering what he was doing I asked “do you not know how to use a vacuum?”
“No, you have to understand, we always had maids, I never even made a bed before last week.”
So I plug it in, turn it on, and take it a couple times back and forth across part of the carpet.
Then like a child with the Fisher-Price popper vacuum he went to work. He was over the moon excited. 25 years later it’s a favorite memory of that person.
it seems this case wasn't willful ignorance because it should be the parents responsibility to teach him.
Explaining things. If I explain something and someone tells me they don't understand, I explain it again, but frame or phrase it differently. I will never understand why so many people think just saying the exact same words again in a more exasperated/condescending tone is at all effective.
There's also the possibility that the person doesn't understand it enough to be able to explain it to someone else. Being able to do something and understand it are two different things.
Being polite/having manners
While polite/ manners differ somewhat between cultures, rude and entitled is universally understood. Trying to be polite will get you everywhere, and specific customs might even be politely explained by the locals. In short- it is an attitude thing.
Writing---and I don't mean grammatically perfect pieces or novel writing. I am amazed how many people can't do basic level writing stuff like putting sentences in logical order, using basic punctuation and grammar, etc. I am not a world class writer, but years of Catholic school taught me the basics. I occasionally proofread papers for younger family members and honestly don't even know where to start. The grammar issues I can deal with, but the total lack of organization in paragraphs drives me crazy because I basically end up re-writing the damn paper so it makes some kind of sense.
Their/there/they're.
This used to bother me way too much but I've calmed down. If the wrong one is used, everyone knows what the person meant. Since the purpose of language is to share ideas, they completed the task. I now think it only matters when the different homonyms can lead to total confusion (The priest was last seen on the altar with his hands on a choir boy preying/praying on the young child).
I’m noticing that a lot of younger people can’t read analog clocks…
Being able and willing to figure stuff out. A lot of basic skills aren't that complicated. And in this day, if it is complicated, the internet almost certainly has dozens, hundreds, or more, tutorials. Quitting because "I don't know how" should not be the answer. I wish more were taught to figure things out, or seek the help/answers to get it done.
Bagging groceries. I mean, isn't it common sense to put all the frozen items in one bag, produce in another, raw meat by itself in a bag, cleaners separate from food? Does it really have to be taught that you shouldn't put a cantaloupe on top of bread?
Why use ten different bags to begin with? Heavy stuff on the bottom, more fragile things on top. Done.
I don't want to brag, but I know the difference between "definitely" and "defiantly".
Throwing your trash in a trash can/garbage can and watching people leave their s**t outside their car when they are in a parking lot. Drives me nuts. Especially when NO ONE will pick that up and it's literally littering.
Sewing. I thought I was a mediocre sewer because I wasn't great at cross-stitch and embroidery. Turns out fixing a button or seam is a skill.
Being gentle with your things. Any time we get help from siblings and their spouses I'm astounded by how roughly they treat all of their things/how rough of a job they're ok with accepting.
Also when assembling furniture.. My best mate put together a set of shelves using a drill as a driver on the short and easy to insert Allen keyed screws.. Stripped half of the heads and forced a few in at slightly off-angles and also stripped their threads a bit. Like what are you doing bro? Could have just used an Allen key by hand and put it together in the same time without damaging anything.
a number of people have mentioned using their drill/driver with the right torque setting (and an appropriate amount of skill.!). Yes I agree this is perfectly fine! I didn't mean to say you should never use a driver to assemble furniture, but more that you should know how to use your tools, use what is necessary, and do it with the right level of enthusiasm/strength
Laundry, especially emptying the dryer lint. So many places I’ve stayed had “bad driers” that were packed full of lint! How these people did not start a fire is amazing.
Following a series of fires cause by driers that collected lint where they shouldn't, there was a big recall of the affected models, with free replacements being provided, even for quite old machines. The replacements state very clearly that the lint trap must be emptied after each use.
I'm still amazed at how many people my age still can't use computers properly. I don't mean in the too old or too poor category, I'm talking about the sheer number of people in my age group who skipped past computers and went straight to smartphones. (I'm 21)
I'm kind of the opposite. I grew up with computers, before even mobile phones were around. I can work a smartphone (and even develop Apps for it), but typing on a phone to me is like trying to knit a scarf with your eyes shut. Give me a proper keyboard and I'll give a professional typist a run of their money!
I'm shocked at how bad some people are at following writen directions. Not travel, but like... assemble furniture, follow a recipe or experiment, read an instruction manual.
I kid you not, I lived with a guy once who had a butler his whole life. Things I taught him:
The funky knife with a hole in it is not useless, it's a potato peeler
You open cans with a can opener
Nothing needs to be microwaved for 10 minutes
For the record, I really liked this guy and he was incredibly fun and kind.
I met a guy who cooked everything with a drip coffee maker. Closed bag of frozen food, drip hot water over, repeat until "ready".
DarkMonkey98 said:
hygiene
chouston333 replied:
This is a big problem.
My parents didn't teach me good hygiene. I stank all the time and it's not something people will tell you about. They will complain to people around you.
My wife taught me better hygiene and it has changed my life. I'm doing much better professionally and random strangers are no longer mean to me seemingly for no reason.
I wish there was a good resource I could refer my stinky friends to so they could learn about it.
I was amazed, and also of course repulsed, when an ex of mine apparently didn't know how how to properly wipe his a5s after using the toilet. Skidmarks (and I mean, massive ones) were just a normal part of life for him. I tried to talk to him about it but he wasn't having it. Glad to be out of that one for many reasons.
Budgeting
Not quite the same, but I wish someone had discussed how interest on loans could really add up. Did not figure that out until my early 20's.
Basic first aid. Buddy in college got cut and didn’t understand how to make it stop bleeding and bandage/disinfect it properly, I was amazed.
That panic of my coworkers running to me with bleeding fingers or Burns like whatdoido whatdoido?! Duh?!
reading, i sit in my highschool english class everyday and wonder how these mfs got past 2 grade reading a whole page in a monotone in one breath
That is down to the parents. My son's teachers have told us they can tell which children are read to every night and which aren't. The children who don't get read to at night for example read in the monotone and kids that are read to are much more expressive.
I'd say a personal example might be important too. For example, it's not common in our culture for the parents to read to their kids regularly. But everyone in our family spent a lot of their free time reading, and naturally I started to copy them. Because reading was obviously something important and of value to them.
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I have a patient that is twelve years old and she cannot read or write and is constantly using diapers because she cannot leave the hospital bed. She has been my patient since about 2009 but can speak very well. Anyway my sister decided that she will teach this young girl as if it were her school. Fast forward about a year and this girl is already doing second grade level math. ☺️
I just read a horrifying statistic that half of all American adults read at a 6th grade level or worse. (In the US, a student is generally 12yo in the 6th grade.) My parents taught me how to read before I even went to elementary school, and I did the same for my daughter.
Not an upvote for the statistic, but for learning to read at an early age. It did well for me in school, standardized tests, and life in general.
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My husbands uncle is in his 50s he cannot read. Only some words and he can write his name. No one is allowed to talk about this w him. He's such a kind man too. His life would open up and I he'd feel so good if he wasn't so embarrassed. He graduated from high school too.
And who says you're not allowed to talk to him about it? He himself? TALK TO HIM! And get him resources and help to learn to read. It's not a shame to get help.
Load More Replies... Reading is a skill that takes a lot of practice and you're always having to improve. Webster's Third New Dictionary has 470,000 defined words. That's one language out of 100s. In October, google said 16% of the searches so far in 2021 were a series of words they'd never seen before. People who read in monotone didn't get the mentorship they needed to move them along that path where they discover it unlocks things instead of being a chore.
Reading is a skill and it is definitely easier for some than others for a multitude of reasons. Some will never love reading or find it easy. But it’s a life skill so it’s important not to give up and in that, support, encouragement and positive role-modelling from schools, libraries, youth groups AND, most importantly, parents is key.
I agree. If someone is struggling with reading, or any skill, don't make them feel like s**t and don't blame them or their parents. If it bothers someone that much that a person can't read then perhaps they can teach them.
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My niece would read to her pets every night. No judgment, she could relax and hear herself, and learn pronunciation and inflection and story telling. Now a school teacher, and all the pets still expect a bedtime story 😆
Yet, that's the way you write a paragraph? Grab a grammar book next time.
To be fair, I'm an avid reader, but if you make me read something that I can't stand, I'm monotone.
this is actually fascinating. the reason behind this is that they changed how reading was taught back in the 70s. Before the 70s reading was taught with phonics and structure, but in the 70s that changed to the idea that if you provide students with books they will just "pick it up," this is completely false. Teachers no longer taught students to sound out words, instead, they were taught to memorize them, look at pictures for clues, and just skip it if they couldn't figure it out. In the 2000s balanced literacy was introduced that still had the sight words and "just read" attitude of the 70s, 80s, and 90s but there was a little phonics thrown in. This "balanced literacy" created a Matthew Effect where students who did not pick up on the phonics were sent to reading groups and taught more of the damaging memorization and guessing from the picture and students who picked up the phonics were fine. Memorizing and picture guessing is all well and good until there are no pictures.
I hated being picked to read aloud and then my history teacher would pick me all the time. I was a very quiet kid and rarely spoke, some didn't know what I sounded like lol. I was told by both classmates and teacher they were surprised because I read very well instead of monotone. Just made me more awkward tbh. 😁
I think it depends on how fast you can read. If you can read fast, you have time to decide where the emphasis and inflections need to be.
Like with most skills, the more you practice, the easier it becomes.
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I love to read because of my mom reading to me and my sister! Kuddos Mom!
I started reading early. I read all of the time; always have. I love to read, however, I hate with a passion reading aloud. That was me in school , when having to read aloud - in a monotone in one breath as fast as I can.
That sounds more like nerves than reading skills. I have that same problem, but if I'm alone I sound much better.
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This comes down to what kids are reading and what's being read to them. It's great to read to them when they're little. But it needs to be something that interests them! A big problem with reading lists when kids are little is there's not enough variety. If a child isn't interested in the subject, they're going to do the bare minimum. There are enough books out there, you can find a book on any topic. And if you finds books about topics kids like, they're more likely to enjoy it and do so more often. Which increases proficiency.
I was in public school until 2nd grade and I was one of the only people in my class who could read past a kindergarten level…let me read middle school+ level books, not picture books!
Children who grow up in families that aren't proficient in their mother tongue (and subsequently don't read, don't use sophisticated language, don't give a running commentary to their kids - like: now, what are we going to get, yes, that's right, aubergines, come on, pick five big aubergines - etc etc etc) will have fewer language interactions - by the millions. by the time they start going to day care at the age of three, the differences in proficiency are fossilized. No institution will be able to make up for the lack of parental instruction.
A lost art. And as more parents us tv and other media devices they steal that from their kids.
I thought that everyone younger than me knows how to do basic computer troubleshooting.
Turns out a fair of people younger than myself don't know how to look up answers online, it honestly baffled me.
Reading a map. I grew up traveling long before computers. I've handed several adults paper maps while driving and they didn't even know how to find where we were. I guess it isn't a skill you need anymore though.
Basic cooking skills. I once saw a guy try to cook pasta by dumping raw pasta shells in a frying pan with a little oil...
Watching your mouth as an adult. I’m pretty abrasive with people that I’m close with, but I know how to be professional, especially in front of customers. Worked with a fair few people in the restaurant industry who just do not get it. Blows my mind
Writing an email with proper grammar and formatting seems obvious and easy to me, but I see so many people at work who are just the worst
Washing dishes
Note: this post originally had 42 images. It’s been shortened to the top 30 images based on user votes.
"Updating people on delays." I mean, if you're running late, let the waiting party know. If someone ordered something and it's delayed, let them know. If you are supposed to come paint the house in week 3, don't wait until they angrily call in week 5 asking where you are. LET PEOPLE KNOW when schedules change. I don't mind that the thing I ordered is delayed for weeks, things happen, but I DO mind not being told.
People that are totally unaware of their surroundings irritate me. For example: Stopping in the middle of an aisle when shopping without regard for others around them.
Beyond irritating! all of sudden they snap back into realty an start huffing cause someone just passed them by on a food isle.
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I read a saying the other day. "Common sense is a flower that doesn't grow in everyone's garden."
Basic survivlal skills such as lighting a fire. Watched one fellow in a campground hold a lighter to a 15cm diameter log for several minutes. Went and showed him how.
I know, right? I was raised with that shìt, in the sometimes wet and nasty but still great and ancient forests of Sweden. How to put up a tent or build wind protection, how to make a fire, how to cook on a fire (or rather, the embers), which animals can be potentially dangerous, basic first aid, all that jazz just kind of came with my upbringing, even though I grew up living in our second biggest city. My slightly crazy dad took us out any chance he got and I had family on the country side that I visited regularly. I guess it’s about what kind of interests ones parents and friends have, and I do NOT look down on people who can’t do these things: I was just surprised when I realized it wasn’t something everybody knew how to do. Sometimes one experiences a shift of paradigmes, I suppose it happens to everybody.
Load More Replies... Some of these are either a pointless skill to learn or forgivable due the technology gap. A good part of society doesn't write emails they just text. The rest reflect a failure of a parent. I was in the military's super young and was shocked at the lack self cleanliness of other recruits. I then attended a university after serving and was shocked even more. Listen everyone it's cute not when you're unable to do your own laundry or cook for your self.
How about getting your kids involved in scouting, almost every thing here is covered either in merit badges or rank advancement or even just camping and learning by doing with friends
No-one is born knowing these skills (or any others). Some people are taught, and benefit from good parenting. Some people make the effort to discover for themselves how to interact with the world. But unfortunately some people are just not interested in learning how to be fully functioning adults.
Also, can we add an inability to provide usable directions? if your home is next to another home with say...a GIANT ROLLER COASTER just start with that. The amount of obscure directions of received in the past is insane. I mean you live right across the street from a Super Market?...just say that.
So glad I learned basic life skills growing up. Trying to do the same with my kid. And I write for a living and don't have enough time to address those points on the list!
Walking in a crowded area: don’t stop in the middle of everything, try to stick to one side so other people come ing other direction can pass you, don’t walk 2/3/27 abreast with all your mates so no one can get past or around, be considerate of people less mobile or bulkier than you (elderly people, folks with walking frames, wheelchairs, prams and/or small kids they’re trying to hold).
With most of these cleaning entries, knowing how is one thing and doing it is another, but doing it thoroughly is the real skill. If you're halfway cleaning you might as well not be cleaning at all.
Well, you've convinced me...no cleaning at all. ;-)
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People playing videos and music or speaking on speakerphone, anywhere and everywhere. Every creed and age group has done thus, every single nationality. Why? I am convinced they want the attention. Sometimes they have expensive headphones sitting right there with them
"Updating people on delays." I mean, if you're running late, let the waiting party know. If someone ordered something and it's delayed, let them know. If you are supposed to come paint the house in week 3, don't wait until they angrily call in week 5 asking where you are. LET PEOPLE KNOW when schedules change. I don't mind that the thing I ordered is delayed for weeks, things happen, but I DO mind not being told.
People that are totally unaware of their surroundings irritate me. For example: Stopping in the middle of an aisle when shopping without regard for others around them.
Beyond irritating! all of sudden they snap back into realty an start huffing cause someone just passed them by on a food isle.
Load More Replies... I read a saying the other day. "Common sense is a flower that doesn't grow in everyone's garden."
Basic survivlal skills such as lighting a fire. Watched one fellow in a campground hold a lighter to a 15cm diameter log for several minutes. Went and showed him how.
I know, right? I was raised with that shìt, in the sometimes wet and nasty but still great and ancient forests of Sweden. How to put up a tent or build wind protection, how to make a fire, how to cook on a fire (or rather, the embers), which animals can be potentially dangerous, basic first aid, all that jazz just kind of came with my upbringing, even though I grew up living in our second biggest city. My slightly crazy dad took us out any chance he got and I had family on the country side that I visited regularly. I guess it’s about what kind of interests ones parents and friends have, and I do NOT look down on people who can’t do these things: I was just surprised when I realized it wasn’t something everybody knew how to do. Sometimes one experiences a shift of paradigmes, I suppose it happens to everybody.
Load More Replies... Some of these are either a pointless skill to learn or forgivable due the technology gap. A good part of society doesn't write emails they just text. The rest reflect a failure of a parent. I was in the military's super young and was shocked at the lack self cleanliness of other recruits. I then attended a university after serving and was shocked even more. Listen everyone it's cute not when you're unable to do your own laundry or cook for your self.
How about getting your kids involved in scouting, almost every thing here is covered either in merit badges or rank advancement or even just camping and learning by doing with friends
No-one is born knowing these skills (or any others). Some people are taught, and benefit from good parenting. Some people make the effort to discover for themselves how to interact with the world. But unfortunately some people are just not interested in learning how to be fully functioning adults.
Also, can we add an inability to provide usable directions? if your home is next to another home with say...a GIANT ROLLER COASTER just start with that. The amount of obscure directions of received in the past is insane. I mean you live right across the street from a Super Market?...just say that.
So glad I learned basic life skills growing up. Trying to do the same with my kid. And I write for a living and don't have enough time to address those points on the list!
Walking in a crowded area: don’t stop in the middle of everything, try to stick to one side so other people come ing other direction can pass you, don’t walk 2/3/27 abreast with all your mates so no one can get past or around, be considerate of people less mobile or bulkier than you (elderly people, folks with walking frames, wheelchairs, prams and/or small kids they’re trying to hold).
With most of these cleaning entries, knowing how is one thing and doing it is another, but doing it thoroughly is the real skill. If you're halfway cleaning you might as well not be cleaning at all.
Well, you've convinced me...no cleaning at all. ;-)
Load More Replies... People playing videos and music or speaking on speakerphone, anywhere and everywhere. Every creed and age group has done thus, every single nationality. Why? I am convinced they want the attention. Sometimes they have expensive headphones sitting right there with them
