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How truly helpless is the general population?

AIAW

★★★★★
Full Member
Minuteman
  • Aug 16, 2001
    6,001
    5,464
    Central Texas
    So I helped someone change a tire today in the parking lot at one of the facilities that I work at. He asked, I obliged. Actually “helped” might be understatement as I basically performed the entire process – mindless process at that. (Of course I am packing – I don’t care how “Grey Man” you might be or how many people are around in a busy parking lot. You take advantage of me day or night and you’re going to whistle when the wind blows – bonus whistling if I was being a productive member of society at the time.)

    Here’s what gets me; this was an early-to-mid 30’s guy in a 2010’ish Ford F-150… in TEXAS. Ok, well near the city of Austin, which is basically a Libtard mecca and not hardly comparable with the reset of the state. Anyhow, I ask this guy to dig out his tool kit and hand me the tire iron so I could start breaking torque on the lug nuts. He had no clue what I was talking about. I then repeated the statement, but used the term “lug wrench” instead – still, clueless. Says that he’s not very good with this stuff. What the fuck guy? Are you telling me that you’ve survived 30-something years (who knows, kid could have been like 20 or something) without either identifying for yourself or another what a tire iron/lug wrench looks like? I basically help him find that then go around to the rear of the truck to lower down the spare and fuck me running – this guy has a frigging Beto sticker, a Bernie sticker and some other shit that I didn’t recognize. Great, what have I gotten myself into? Not being as huge of an asshole as I used to be I went ahead and completed the job rather than telling him what I thought and promptly speeding away.

    Here’s the kicker. Before I departed on my way I asked him if he thought he could handle the process now that he has seen someone else do it, as simple as it is. He had the nerve to respond, “probably, or I could just look it up on YouTube I guess”. Well you neck-bearded son of a bitch why didn’t you do that before asking for help? You learned nothing and got free work out of it!

    The point, or question rather here is simple. How do people truly survive like that? Pretend there was no magical video site (or Google in general) where you can watch or read about someone performing the task in question. Pretend that roadside assistance wasn’t “a thing” and that tire changes were $10,000 a piece anywhere but a tire shop unless you did them yourself. Such a mindless task that could very well threaten someone’s existence to the core – no knowledge. Essential life skills = zero. If Whole Foods doesn’t have it on the shelf then we’ll just starve right? In today’s society this guy in particular would have probably eventually called a tow service or perhaps roadside assistance at his expense. Can’t confirm and also don’t care but I doubt his contacts contained anyone that could have been of assistance without a quick checkup Googling themselves. This is just a single example. Think of all of the mundane tasks that are thought of lightly but could turn very critical in milliseconds. How do “these people” handle everyday simplicities? I’m sure that just paying people to do it works, at the lack of gaining experience. I’m excluding things one might contract out or have a specialist perform due to the nature of specialty tools that may be required. Anyone would logically do that if the likelihood of reusing said tools was remotely slim.

    Is this a political thing (my reasoning for even mentioning the bumper stickers)? Locale (City versus Rural)? Laziness? Servitude (too good to get dirty)? Upbringing? Daddy didn’t show me so I must not need to know it? Age is an obvious factor – look up the Fortnight thread if you need a glimpse into the next generation’s objective. Fucking sad.

    Even if one didn’t have training and experience in engineering (I do), one would think that anyone could learn the basic functions and details – not even that really – just the most basic rudimentary and fundamental skills to perform simple tasks without assistance. Hell, especially today with as much information as one can get at their fingertips. But perhaps this is truly the problem also; it’s too easy – why retain it when it’s readily available. At least that’s what most think, until there is no more signal.

    Thoughts?
     
    Thoughts?

    As soon as I would have seen the Beto/Bernie stickers I would have dropped the tools on the ground, told him to fuck off and call the government for help. Then gone on my merry way.

    I will NOT render aid to anyone that I know votes or has voted for socialism. No fucking way. They declared war on us and now it's on like donkey kong.
     
    Thoughts?

    As soon as I would have seen the Beto/Bernie stickers I would have dropped the tools on the ground, told him to fuck off and call the government for help. Then gone on my merry way.

    I will NOT render aid to anyone that I know votes or has voted for socialism. No fucking way. They declared war on us and now it's on like donkey kong.

    Yeah I was close. My tone definitely changed after I saw those. Not sure why I continued... Weather was nice out today I guess.

    FFS Home Depot. That is truly fucking sad.
     
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    Thoughts?

    Any able bodied / non retarded male that asks me for help with something as remedial as changing a tire?

    - I’d tell him how, in 60 seconds or less
    - I’d encourage him to google it
    - I’d be nice but say, sorry but this and many other things are important life skills that I’d encourage you to learn, esp if you are going to be responsible for more than yourself in this world

    Actually do the work? Not a freaking chance.
     
    It sounds to me like your bitter because someone a hell of a lot dumber than you bested you to do his “dirty” work! JK!!!

    Seriously, I feel your pain man. I had a dude come into my place dumb enough to go off road in a Dodge Charger and manage to bust up our $2,000,000 welcome to “our city” sign. I sent him away sighting no room or time to help. His car sits on a wrecker in front of my place while he calls around for help. Comes back in the office and says no shop in town says they can help. My heart said, “ok, drop your car then and I’ll fix it. Just know it will be here a while”. The guy seemed a little light in the loafers, but whatever. I get in his car to move it, and aw hell! He’s a friggen SJW with Jared Polis is da man propoganda in the form of yard signs and door hangers all over in his back seat.

    I think the difference is we were raised to believe if you wanted something you needed to work for it. I can’t even comprehend the philosophy that drives their everyday routine.
     
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    Thoughts?

    Any able bodied / non retarded male that asks me for help with something as remedial as changing a tire?

    - I’d tell him how, in 60 seconds or less
    - I’d encourage him to google it
    - I’d be nice but say, sorry but this and many other things are important life skills that I’d encourage you to learn, esp if you are going to be responsible for more than yourself in this world

    Actually do the work? Not a freaking chance.

    I was hoping he'd learn something instead. Sadly I think he might be one of my employees too, down the line. I'll find out for damn sure!
     
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    Or this?


    WHAT IN THE ACTUAL FUCK???????


    I was going to 'what in the actual fuck' the tape measure, but I see you beat me to it.

    It's a fucking tape measure... You measure shit with it.

    It's a fucking drill... You drill shit with it.

    I hate hipsters more than I hate hippies, if that is even possible. Dude was definitely a hipster.
     
    I taught my son and daughter how to change a tire before they left the nest. That didn’t stop my daughter from calling me, from 1000 miles away, while I was at work, to ask me to rescue her when she had a flat tire...lol. After listening to her complaint and blubbering, I reminded her that she knew how to do it.

    She said, “But I want you to do it!”

    After she was done feeling sorry for herself, she hung up and changed the tire. She needed to vent I guess.
     
    But wait, I thought all of the educated people (you engineers) were left wingers? WTF?? ;)
     
    It sounds to me like your bitter because someone a hell of a lot dumber than you bested you to do his “dirty” work! JK!!!

    Seriously, I feel your pain man. I had a dude come into my place dumb enough to go off road in a Dodge Charger and manage to bust up our $2,000,000 welcome to “our city” sign. I sent him away sighting no room or time to help. His car sits on a wrecker in front of my place while he calls around for help. Comes back in the office and says no shop in town says they can help. My heart said, “ok, drop your car then and I’ll fix it. Just know it will be here a while”. The guy seemed a little light in the loafers, but whatever. I get in his car to move it, and aw hell! He’s a friggen SJW with Jared Polis is da man propoganda in the form of yard signs and door hangers all over in his back seat.

    I think the difference is we were raised to believe if you wanted something you needed to work for it. I can’t even comprehend the philosophy that drives their everyday routine.

    That's the same boat I was in! If I hadn't already taken his flat off I might have just left after seeing the stickers.

    The political thing isn't even that shitty (I mean it is, but it's just a detail). The fact that a man driving a truck couldn't change his own flat tire. Just WTF? I know this is the same guy that dies from starvation during the first week if SHTF by locking himself in a grocery store, but still!
     
    But wait, I thought all of the educated people (you engineers) were left wingers? WTF?? ;)

    Ohhh no. I don't think there could be a worse insult actually! Plenty of right-wing engineers out there. Logically, it depends highly on where you live too.

    Education doesn't have to be via school or training though too. I've learned more from self-edification than I ever did in any institution...
     
    AIAW, you're a good man, Gunga-Din, but most here are thinking you're probably TOO good. It's his truck, so it's his tire. Ergo, it's his responsibility.

    Now that doesn't mean that he doesn't need a learning experience. So talk him through the process,,,, show him by breaking loose ONE of the lug-nuts, and so on. Let HIM do the work, jacking up the truck, taking off the nuts, pulling off the wheel, putting on the spare, and again tighten ONE of the nuts for him. Then, and only then, will he have learned something.

    Otherwise, whilst you're sitting there slaving away, piss-face is just playing with its phone and probably texting to its friends that you're taking too long changing its tire.

    At that age, if its old enough to own the damn truck/vehicle, then its old enough to know what to do with/about it. That is what adulting is all about.
     
    Ive changed more flat tires on our oilfield trucks in the past 10 years than I can count. In 2ft mud. Snow/ice. The most fun was when we blew a sidewall out going up a hill in 2ft ruts. Bet your ass we high centered and had to dig out the frame in order to get a jack under it. That was a BITCH.

    No Bernie loving fucker going to do that.
     
    Thoughts?

    Any able bodied / non retarded male that asks me for help with something as remedial as changing a tire?

    - I’d tell him how, in 60 seconds or less
    - I’d encourage him to google it
    - I’d be nice but say, sorry but this and many other things are important life skills that I’d encourage you to learn, esp if you are going to be responsible for more than yourself in this world

    Actually do the work? Not a freaking chance.
    Thanks for saving me some typing
     
    I just taught my 16 year old daughter to change a tire (needed to rotate them anyway). Left all the power tools in the drawer, and we did it the old fashioned way cause that is how she'll have to do it on the side of the road. I've helped a lot of people put a spare on, gave'em gas, and a few small mechanical problems here and there, simple stuff. Some I did out of the kindness of my shriveled black heart, and some (alot) I did to get them the fuck off the property. Current generation can't do it if it doesn't involve swipes on a cell phone screen. They simply haven't been made to fend for themselves. As stated in another thread, we hire, or used to lots of college age kids. You know how many of them know how to use a weedeater? Or even know what the fuck one is? It's sad man.
     
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    AIAW, you're a good man, Gunga-Din, but most here are thinking you're probably TOO good. It's his truck, so it's his tire. Ergo, it's his responsibility.

    Now that doesn't mean that he doesn't need a learning experience. So talk him through the process,,,, show him by breaking loose ONE of the lug-nuts, and so on. Let HIM do the work, jacking up the truck, taking off the nuts, pulling off the wheel, putting on the spare, and again tighten ONE of the nuts for him. Then, and only then, will he have learned something.

    Otherwise, whilst you're sitting there slaving away, piss-face is just playing with its phone and probably texting to its friends that you're taking too long changing its tire.

    At that age, if its old enough to own the damn truck/vehicle, then its old enough to know what to do with/about it. That is what adulting is all about.

    Thank you sir! Yeah, I agree on all of that and yeah I am sure everyone things I'm just a big wet pussy for helping the guy out. Oh well. Everyone gets one!

    My point of the post was not how I could fuck the guy over in a time of need after I learned that he was a flaming Libtard (which is a majority of the responses). My point was how does someone without a broad set of basic life skills survive today or in the future? The answer might be as a simple as "they don't", or it could be more complex than that.
     
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    I never apologize for being a good person or doing the right thing, even if it opens the door to the possibility that someone will try to take advantage of me. I refuse to become that which I despise just to save myself some grief by being an asshole. It’s not what I choose to be and I accept the consequences of my choice.
     
    In this ever increasing digital age we live in human survival instincts are becoming diminished. The dude could probably have shown you a trick or 2 about using instagram or some other worthless social media endeavor. So basically the general population is becoming more and more helpless and the younger they are the more helpless they are.
     
    If this new Bernie loving generation is this helpless, an emp strike would surely ensure the inevitable cleansing of the gene pool once they are forced to eat each other in these libtard meccas.
     
    If this new Bernie loving generation is this helpless, an emp strike would surely ensure the inevitable cleansing of the gene pool once they are forced to eat each other in these libtard meccas.

    I am afraid that they are. Not just the Bernie crowd, the obvious Clinton crowd and a large portion of the "undecided" swing group.

    Regardless of political affiliation though, there are people lacking basic skills of all types on all sides.
     
    I never apologize for being a good person or doing the right thing, even if it opens the door to the possibility that someone will try to take advantage of me. I refuse to become that which I despise just to save myself some grief by being an asshole. It’s not what I choose to be and I accept the consequences of my choice.
    I used to be like that but the events of 2018 have made me despise those who wish to lord over me with a burning hatred

    Only the threat of prison keeps me from going farther.
     
    Should've let him torque the lug nuts back down. Either he wouldnt have had enough ass to torque them or would've thought hand tight was enough. A few miles down the road he would've got a dose of reality and the chance to understand why he should know how to do this.

    Nah, I wouldnt do anybody that way. Wouldnt want them to wreck into anyone else. But the fact is theres too many outs for these types. Roadside assistance, tow service, etc. Plus they will pay retarded amounts of money just so they dont have to do it, no matter what it is.

    I'm the exact opposite, I try to do everything i can myself. I try to learn anything that can help me and my family and have become very self sufficient. Sometimes i do things i shouldn't, lol, but i learn.

    Everyone seems to think Google and poor grunt workers like me will always be around to do it for them in exchange for their chump change or for free. We will see how that goes...
     
    Loose lug nuts give you a fair amount of warning and the vehicle slowly handles differently - FWIW.
     
    LOL Clint Eastwood used this exact scenario in his new movie "The Mule"